Faith, freedom, and forgiveness: the third component.

Anderson, Fred

"Forgiveness" and the idea of racial reconciliation took precedence on the third day of the national conference co-hosted in May by the Baptist History & Heritage Society, the Virginia Baptist Historical Society, and the Center for Baptist Heritage & Studies.

It was the third component in the title and scope of the conference.

Several Richmond community activists dialogued about reconciliation in the capital of the former Confederacy. Michael Paul Williams, a columnist for the Richmond Times Dispatch and an African-American, admitted that "there is less rancor visible now [in Richmond] than the past. But lack of overt conflict and rancor doesn't indicate we have been successful at reconciliation, unless that reconciliation manifests itself as a just and equitable community without the gaping chasm of poverty and the imbalance of education."

Valerie Carter; associate pastor for glocal missions at the large Bon Air Baptist Church in Richmond and herself an African-American, described the Christian church as "too fluffy" in terms of racial relations. "We think that if we have more people of color come [to our church], we've done a great job and been successful. That allows us not to deal with issues ... just to say we have black people in our church isn't a way to reconciliation." She also admitted that she frankly did not like the word "reconciliation" because "it implies we were once together and are now coming together again."

Rob Corcoran, director of Hope in the Cities, a Richmond organization, admitted that reconciliation is "a tricky word." He chose to picture reconciliation as "a journey." "You can't get to long-term structural change without change in the hearts of people. But you need change in structures to get change in the hearts of people."

With the voices of the panel still echoing, the final speaker of the conference had the task of taking the audience "towards a theology of forgiveness." Jim Somerville, pastor of the First Baptist Church of Richmond, observed that "reconciliation means to become friendly again" and admitted that "maybe we weren't friendly in the first place." "Maybe we need to become friendly for the first time."

He shared a conversation he had with his counterpart at First African Baptist Church, a Richmond congregation constituted in 1845 out of the First Baptist Church. In talking with the current pastor at First African, he shared that in First's history there was a rather amicable parting. When the pastor of First African shared the version his congregation tells, it was different and amicability was not so noticeable.

To the conference participants Somerville offered four ways to "become friendly for the first time." He said: "Regard the potential friendship as enriching, not as a mission project; take the first step; let go of things like fear, anger, bitterness and resentment; and talk less and listen more."

Practicing what he preaches, Somerville has made post-conference overtures towards establishing a potential friendship between the two congregations that have a shared past. He initiated a lunch meeting with Rodney Waller, pastor of First African, and one of his deacons. Somerville brought two of his deacons.

The table conversation was about the hopelessness experienced by many within the African-American community. Waller shared that such experiences often produce anger.

In his blog, Somerville wrote about the lunch conversation. "Angry? Yes, angry. Rodney said we need to acknowledge that there are structures of oppression in society that keep black people down, and that most of these date back to the time of slavery. He said, 'I believe that many black people carry with them the hidden wounds of slavery, and those wounds keep getting opened up, and it causes pain."

Somerville continued: "You can agree of disagree, but that's pretty honest talk from the pastor of Richmond's First African Baptist Church, and a good way to begin honest conversations that will be ongoing between our two churches. By the end of the meeting we had agreed to form a group of deacons called 'The Twelve'--six from each church--who will continue to meet and talk and lead us to that place where we can show Richmond what true reconciliation looks like.

"I summarized it like this: 'Jesus told us to love our neighbors, and you are our neighbors. But we can't love what we don't know, so the first step, always, is to get to know each other."

How do you measure the success of our three-day conference in May 20137 Numbers of registrants and participants? Enthusiasm from keynote addresses and local tours? Or in two churches with historical ties coming together for the first time in a long time and beginning to know one another, care for one another, listen to one another, and love like good neighbors?

Fred Anderson

Executive Director, Virginia Baptist Historical Society and Center for Baptist Heritage & Studies