Lessons learned from South Africa that Americans should take heed.
Lessons learned from South Africa that Americans should take heed.
Albert Nolan, OP, was associated with the Young Christian Students organization and is a civil rights activist from South Africa who understood Jesus' teachings and how racism is the antithesis of the Gospel message.
His book, Jesus Before Christianity, has been translated into many languages and, after 25 years, continues to be a bestseller in various countries. While evading the South African security police in 1988, he wrote God in South Africa, which serves as a crucial exposition of the theological vision arising from the struggle for the salvation of both communities and individuals. In the 1970s, Nolan became a central figure for young black and white Christians seeking liberation. Quiet and humble, his engagement with people on the ground enabled him to translate his faith and scholarly background into a vibrantly lived theology. He also worked at the Christian Institute and later became a full-time activist at the Institute of Contextual Theology. Nolan played a significant role in the creation of the seminal Kairos Document.
Fast forward to the US today. We are witnessing the alarming rise of White Christian Nationalism, and racism is deeply entrenched throughout the country. At a recent seminar on understanding Christian Nationalism through the lens of Thomas Merton and Marshall McLuhan, a woman born and raised in South Africa made a chilling observation, "The US is undergoing a transformation into Apartheid. I recognize it because I grew up with it. Americans need to wake up." The time for action is now.
If Catholics were to apply the SEE-Judge-ACT method to understand what is happening in the US and work in their parishes and small groups to innovate, educate, and collaborate to bring Albert Nolan OP's vision into our lives and politics in the US, we could significantly contribute to realizing the Kingdom of God. Our collective efforts can make a difference.
Let me suggest one way to start: form a small group. Together, read Cyprian Davis OSB's "The History of Black Catholics in the United States." This well-written and well-presented history provides a background for understanding racial issues in the Catholic Church. Catholics need to know that the Church has a long history of Black Catholics going back to the apostolic period. Then, read Albert Nolan OP's book “Jesus Before Christianity.”
Ask yourself in the groups as you read the book:
How can racism be conveyed as a concept of "the medium is the message," and how does it apply to the rise of Christian Nationalism?
What are the potential subliminal effects of media on Christian Nationalism and the rise of racism?
How might changes we are experiencing in the whitewashing of DEI influence the spread of Christian Nationalist ideologies? What do we see in Project 2025 that resembles racism?
In what ways does Albert Nolan's idea of "reversal" relate to the political and social impacts of Christian Nationalism?
How can Catholics understand the role of technology in shaping Christian Nationalism? Shaping racism and policies in government?
Think about your next steps in taking a stand against the threat of Christian nationalism and racism.
How can the church "reclaim the Jesus that disturbs the peace"? Reclaim the Sermon on the Mount?
How would a church intent on this type of reclamation begin to think or act differently?
"The times are difficult. They call for courage and faith. Faith is, in the end a lonely virtue. Lonely, especially where a deeply authentic community of love is not an accomplished fact, but a job to be begun over and over; I am not referring to Gethsemani, where there is a respectable amount of love, but to all Christian communities in general. Love is not something we get from Mother Church as a child gets milk from the breast; it also has to be given. We don't get any love if we don't give any . . . Christmas then is not just a sweet regression to breastfeeding and infancy. It is a serious and sometimes difficult feast. Difficult, especially if, for psychological reasons we fail to grasp the indestructible kernel of Hope that is in it. If we are just looking for a little consolation, we may be disappointed. Let us pray for one another, love one another in truth, in the sobriety of earnest Christian hope, for Hope, says Paul, does not deceive." ~ Thomas Merton 1967 ~ Advent/Christmas Letter
