Doug Van Pelt

Free The West Memphis Three

The New Testament...well, the Bible itself has some great drama in it. I love the action involved inside of and around Paul's epistles. In his letter to Philemon (always a fun one to pronounce like a Jamaican: file -- eee -- mon), he instructs Philemon, his friend and brother in Christ, to take back his runaway slave, Onesimus. This slave became born again while with Paul and Paul is sending him back to his "owner," but asking his owner to forgive him and receive him as he would receive Paul himself (as a free man and brother in Christ). Can you imagine (in the 1860's) Pastor Paul sending your uncle Henry (who had fled through the Underground Railroad to a free place in Illinois) back to the South? Henry would face incredible danger in the Southern US in that time. The prevailing thought around Henry's "owners" would be that this slaved needed to be beaten or killed for his insubordination and escape. But Pastor Paul is asking him to be received as a peer. This is radical stuff.

I am flat-out amazed that so many of our beautiful dark-skinned family members actually embraced the Christian faith of their cruel owners back in that time. I would love to study the missionary efforts more closely to find out why they would trust this "white man's God." Their faith has enriched our lives, faith, and culture a million times over. The laments in music that crafted gospel, R&B, blues, and ultimately rock and roll were born out of very real suffering.

Now I know how some of my German friends feel. I remember bringing up the subject of Nazi-ism to a German friend. They were ashamed of their past. I, too, am ashamed of the behavior of so many of my white brothers and forefathers in the early years and centuries of this country. The ignorant and foolish belief that a certain race was inferior to theirs is just insane and crazy.

I remember how, after seeing Shindler's List, I sat in the theater as the credits rolled and cried. I though, 'I wish God would let me go down into the depths of hell and step on Hitler's face with sharp golf shoes.' I wouldn't mind doing the same with some slave "owners" from the South. But, like some of my beautiful brothers and sisters of the faith have done before me, forgiveness is a possible and beautiful and only right thing to embrace. God has forgiven me of my sins, which would condemn me to the same place of eternal punishment; but it was by His mercy that He forgave me. I shouldn't hold back that same mercy from anyone.

Forgiveness and mercy -- that's the stuff that changes entire cultures. May it envelope our culture today. May it grow and may it never know its limits as it spreads through its opposition like a knife through soft butter, melting away layers of hatred with pure love.

Posted by Doug Van Pelt at February 28, 2006 09:00 AM