I assumed God was white. I was never taught this. I didn’t conclude this after questioning the adults in my life. It was a simple assumption made by a brown-skinned child growing up in sa国际传媒, observing the world in which I was formed. Children make all kinds of assumptions and eventually our assumptions are either debunked or take root, awaiting further evidence to grant us clarity and maturity. Sadly, when harmful assumptions take root and remain dormant, they have the potential to cause us and those around us, pain and suffering.
As an adult, I actively sought further evidence around my assumptions of God that didn’t seem God-like. It’s implausible that God who created humankind in God’s very image, would purposely dismiss the diverse beauty of humanity. God’s creation isn’t monotone.
Seeking further evidence as a theological student and then a pastor serving in both the Anglican Diocese of sa国际传媒 and then the sa国际传媒 Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in sa国际传媒, I joined colleagues in opportunities to engage in continuing education, seeking to understand the colonial origins of “White Jesus”. How applying skin tone to God was intentional, dating back to Constantine. Deeply lamenting alongside other Christians, processing how the Doctrine of Discovery weaponized the sanctity of the image of God to justify slavery and genocide around the globe and continues to perpetuate assumptions about human life even today.
As a follower of our Jewish, olive-skinned Jesus, a baptized child of God, and a clergy woman with brown skin, I try to be attentive to God’s relentless and awesome in-breaking into our world, promising holy disruption in the season of Advent, in the narrative of the Nativity and promise of the Incarnation. Call it the Christmas Spirit. I am also very cognizant of how the assumption of a white God continues to warrant reflection.
Last Sunday our Parish Council at Spirit of Life Lutheran Church Vancouver, motivated in Anti-Racism work, thoughtfully deliberated on a letter received from a lifelong Lutheran asking us to consider the images of God we display in the church. They write:
“The painting currently hanging in the sanctuary marks a powerful moment in Christ’s ministry –Jesus is praying for the whole church in the work that has been set before us. This painting reminds us of both the immediacy of God in our lives and the missional focus of our community in Christ.
As an image of the Divine, the painting also communicates a second message about who God is, and what God may be like. Though surely not intended by the artist, Jesus’ skin tone and features promote an image of God as white European. We are not unique in having such an image in our sacred space – indeed, to many of us this portrayal may feel quite neutral. However, in our Canadian context, this representation of God can cause harm to all people. It is an echo of centuries of colonialism that quietly informs the viewer that whiteness is the default in the church.
At a national level, the ELCIC has committed to “recognize the image of Christ in every person and serve that person as Christ himself.” It is essential that all members of the beloved community see themselves reflected in sacred art and in images of the Divine. I realize renewing the space in this way will cost money, but this change is necessary and timely, particularly for our families with young children”
A Christmas letter in Advent as we await the cosmic birth of God who eternally challenges our human assumptions through the Incarnation of Christ.
The Rev. Aneeta Devi Saroop (she/her) is the pastor at Spirit of Life Lutheran Church in Vancouver, BC. She is an Ordained Minister of Word and Sacrament in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in sa国际传媒.
You can read more articles on our interfaith blog, Spiritually Speaking at /blogs/spiritually-speaking
* This article was published in the print edition of the sa国际传媒 on Saturday, December 21st 2024
