In this heartfelt conversation, Emmanuel Acho And Hillsong Pastor Carl Lentz discuss the role religion plays in fueling and/or killing racism.
“Religion, it teaches you compassion; it teaches you empathy; it teaches you sympathy,” says Emmanuel. “But I recently read that compassion without confrontation is like fruitless, sentimental commiseration. So, Carl, I’m here to have an uncomfortable but compassionate confrontation and conversation.”
Emmanuel then goes on to talk about how segregation was outlawed in America in the mid 1960s. “However, every Sunday morning in houses of worship, America is about as segregated as it ever can be. Why is that?” Emmanuel asks.
“Because of the stuff we’ve said. It’s hard to listen to a preacher preach if you know that that preacher believes in systems that are hurting your people,” says Carl Lentz. “So, it’s safer sometimes to go to a black church especially if you’re a black American…because you don’t, I don’t know if I can trust somebody who claims to love Jesus and professes to teach me about this man yet you’re silent on issues that hurt my people. You’re silent when I need you in areas that I’m, you know, desperately oppressed. And I think that’s why people are like, you know what it’s cool, I’ll try to reach the world but on Sundays I need to be safe.”
Then Emmanuel asks Carl his next question. “Generically speaking, why is the white church silent?”
“It’s like a messy house,” Carl says. “So, have you ever had a good idea? Like, I need to clean my house? And then you set out to do it and you realize our house is dirty! Every room is dirty. There’s stuff underneath the couch….and sometimes, you know what, I’ll just let my house be dirty because it’s too much work. This is what happens with racism. The moment you start looking into this you realize, oh wow, this goes all the way to the top! This is in our church choir, this is in our church administration, this is in the way we taught the Bible. And there ar