Wanted: An Index on white American Oppression

We desperately  need an index, a measurement of white American oppression---who the oppressors are, what systems of oppression are currently being used, how systems of oppression are redesigned over time, the damage done to the oppressed.

First step:  create a biblical theology, a theory, of oppression.  Since such a theology of oppression doesn't currently exist, this will be a major undertaking.  Both the OT and NT containe much untapped material on oppression; 555 references to oppression in the OT; when combined, the concepts of oppression, injustice and the rich plus the Temple as a system of oppression provide the basis for a NT theology of oppression.

Second, reanalyze American history based on the biblical theology of oppression.  For example, this reanalysis would destroy many myths about the Civil War.  In actuality, the North was as racist as the South; the North just did not own slaves.  But the North engaged in most of the slave trade that brought slaves to the South; the North profited greatly from the cotton produced by slaves; the North did not want freed slaves to come North in large numbers; the North believed blacks were inferior.  The Civil War was fought in vain because soon after Reconstruction, the new system of oppression---segregation---took the place of slavery.

Third, create a current index or measurement of white American oppression.  Who are the oppressors?  Who are the oppressed?   What systems of oppression are being used?  Arthur Simon, in his book Faces of Poverty, himself a Lutheran pastor, described how the Lutheran church became a part of the segregation that divided Detroit.  Over a 40 year period, 40 out of 44 Lutheran churches left the city of Detroit for the suburbs.  I suspect that most white congregations of many denominations followed a similar pattern.  I know that A.W. Tozer's church in south Chicago left for the suburbs because the changing surrounding community was "irreparably damaged."  Could we measure the church's contribution to oppression?

Creating the theology and index of oppression needs to be given the highest priority.  We need to make it a Manhattan type project---a project of great urgency given every possible resource.  Theologians need to take some time off from discussing how many angels can dance on the head of a pin or discussing pre-trib and post-trib arguments and create a white oppression index.

Daily the NYSE reports on the financial health of the nation, and to some degree the economic health of the nation.  And we have quite accurate disease stats.  But nothing similar exists to describe the extent of, the nature of, white oppression and the immense damage it has caused.

The prophets rather precisely exposed oppression in their day as did Jesus---"Woe to the rich" and the Temple as "a den of robbers."

In the US, we have data on supposed black crime; in Iowa, the data says that Iowa blacks are 12 times as criminal as whites---the worst incarceration ratio in the nation.  But if we dig a little deeper, the 12-1 stat may, in reality be a good measure of white oppression and how it operates.  Are Iowa whites who run the unjust criminal justice system the oppressors?  Are Iowa churches that are silent and neglect justice part of the system of oppression?

While we are at it, let's create a Justice, a Jubilee Justice Index as well.