A. W. Tozer, a spiritual giant of the last century, spent hours in prayer and worship before the majestic God of the universe. Yet he led his congregation out of the south side of Chicago to the spiritual suburbs because the poor blacks who were moving into the community were "irreparably damaged"---dysfunctional and dangerous.
Jonathan Edward, the Puritan spiritual giant of the 1700s, went down to Providence, Rhode Island and picked out his own slave. Many of our "Christian" founding fathers were either slave holders or slave traders.
The full biblical gospel was designed for the poor and oppressed---the "irreparably damaged." Jesus said he came to bring good news to the poor and to release the oppressed; Jesus said blessed are the poor and woe to the rich.
So why did Tozer (and hundreds of other white churches) choose to flee from the oppressed rather than stay and release the oppressed? Why did Tozer and his flock choose to neglect justice and to fail to demonstrate the love of God to the oppressed poor of south Chicago? Were Tozer and his church more American than Christian? Did Tozer have a faith that was without works? Did Tozer understand that the kingdom of God demanded the practice of Jubilee Justice?
John Perkins would have seen the damaged and dysfunctional black community of south Chicago as a golden opportunity to both preach the biblical gospel and practice love and justice. Stay and do rather than fear and flee.
But I guess to most whites, white flight to maintain white privilege is more important than implementing the just kingdom of God.
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