Laudatefan wrote: ↑Sun Oct 29, 2023 6:53 am
To many of us, our communities are too ethnically monolithic. I'm wondering if the phrase "white privilege" is helpful or offensive? Here is some food for thought on the topic.
https://www.csmedia1.com/neffmc.org/white-privilege.pdf
How can we better diversify? For those in the Lancaster area, there are even small groups offered on this topic. It seems more important than the amount of air time that it is getting.
I don’t think “white” matters. But privileged - Yes!
So when someone says “white privileged” the whole point is lost because of the race card being played.
The Mennonite raised brothers and sisters I know are extremely privileged in growing up in secure, stable, happy homes and even if they are aware of it - it doesn’t seem to help them relate to others who were not.
They have opportunity to learn better how to run business and be successful financially, how to be more frugal and have a frugal spouse in working together with things like for example gardening.
My example is growing up in an entertainment fun seeking worldly family with only two children. Who lived in town with one vehicle and could just walk everywhere. And a family who had no business sense or much handy man abilities passed on.
So now I have joined the Mennonite church, have the largest family our congregation, have a wife who doesn’t garden and complains if I say something about her buying from the health food store at 2-3x the cost, we have 3 vehicles so we can drive the children to the church school and have a work vehicle to start our own business to try to survive - I work two full time jobs and have 5hrs of sleep between the last two days just trying to break even and not go in debt further each month just to buy the necessities - and I am failing we are going deeper in debt each month…
Then when I talk to my brothers in the church about it they say, “Ned, you really need to take care of yourself and get some proper sleep.”
I stay quiet but inside I’m thinking, “Thanks, genius I never knew that. Do you actually think I enjoy getting less than 5hrs of sleep for months on end just to not make my bill payments?! Why not say you are inspired by such a desire to not neglect family needs??”
What about;
James 2:15 If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,
James 2:16 And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?
It is privileged people who just assume your opportunity is the same as theirs. They don’t recognize how big a difference it is to not have the support, the opportunity, the training as a child, an encouraging spouse, and so on…. We don’t want pity but stop telling us to get more sleep or do something you can do because of your privilege and different opportunities you’ve had that we never did.
So bringing “white” to the table only distracts from the real very prevalent problem that keeps outsiders from being able to even physically and financially come close to trying or maintaining the privileged Mennonite lifestyle. And that privilege is stopping evangelism possibly more than anything action as far as I see.
Psalms 119:2 Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart.
