Beyoncé and Black Country
Plus, the ableism of "Spiritual disciplines"
Hi all,
Remember, if you’re in New York City, Jonathan has organized a Gaza Ceasefire Pilgrimage for tomorrow, Good Friday, starting at 10:30 AM in Columbus Circle. Sy will be there as well, and we hope you can join us!
Our highlights this week include:
- The ableism implicit in the idea of “spiritual disciplines”
- How reducing police violence means reducing police interactions with people
- White Mississippi law enforcement officers sentenced for Torturing Black People
- The Black roots of Beyonce’s country album
- Sy keeps us grounded with some words from Jesus about the Spirit
- And a preview of tomorrow’s bonus Shake the Dust for paid subscribers
Sy’s recommendations
The Ableism of ‘Spiritual Disciplines’
Jenna DeWitt is a Christian writer, Editor, and poet. She also has ADHD. But, like many women, she did not know this until adulthood because she did not display the behaviors we typically associate with ADHD (i.e. the behaviors most common in White boys who have the disorder). This meant she had to find other explanations for why she simply could not engage in regular sessions of focused, contemplative prayer or solitary Bible reading. But her ADHD diagnosis transformed her understanding of spirituality. It led her toward a faith that accommodates all the different ways God made our brains, rather than one that judges certain types of minds as lacking adequate discipline or a sufficient concern for holiness. I pray her story would steer us away from ableist assumptions and toward greater acceptance.
- Read about ADHD and Spiritual Practice
Reducing Police Violence Means Reducing Police Interactions
At least 46 states have paid a New Jersey company that trains police officers called Street Cop. A new government report details the unconstitutional, racist, misogynist, ableist, and excessively violent lessons Street Cop teaches officers. The linked newsletter from the Appeal has several quotes and details about these lessons, but fair warning—they’re awful. As the newsletter notes, trainings like these are a mainstream solution to the problem of police brutality. States spend billions every year on training programs to fight implicit bias or reduce the use of excessive force, but with no significant reduction in violence or discrimination. Of course, one guaranteed way to reduce police violence would be to reduce the number of times people encounter police, and the newsletter makes the case that eliminating traffic stops would be an easy win that would not reduce safety. It’s not a mainstream argument, but it is a compelling one if you value human lives more than valorizing law enforcement.
Jonathan’s Recommendations
Six Mississippi Law Enforcement Officers Sentenced for Torturing Black People
(content Warning for police Brutality and Sexual Abuse) Mississippi has a sordid history of racial terror, and the perpetrators are often law enforcement who rarely face consequences. But last week, a federal court handed down lengthy prison sentences to six law enforcement officers for torturing and sexually assaulting two Black men with whom they did not even have a legal reason to interact. This group, which named itself the “goon squad” routinely went on what they called “missions” intentionally perpetuating the racial terrorism that has characterized the Deep South for centuries. Reading the stories of Mr. Parker and Mr. Jenkins, the two victims, and learning the details of what happened to them is not easy, to say the least. But doing so can drive us to pray, fast, and increase our awareness of the reality for so many who suffer under oppressive legal structures.
The Black Roots of Beyoncé’s Country Music
I was raised on country music, and I still love it. So when Beyoncé announced she was dropping two country singles with a full album coming tomorrow, I was here for it! She is already the first Black woman to top the Country charts. And a recent Vox podcast covered the deep history of Black folks and country music that made her chart topping possible. Black folks have been singing, writing, performing, and defining country music from the earliest years of the genre. In a very personal and accessible interview, author and Black country songwriter Alice Randall gives us a history lesson that eviscerates the myth that country music is “White.” Pushing back against narratives of exclusion and exclusivity that permeate our segregated society can feel arduous and complicated. But the way this podcast debunks the unconscious assumptions we carry in our racialized society makes the task feel much less daunting.
- Listen to the podcast (or read a summary of the interview at the same link)
Staying Grounded with Sy
I’m guessing that if you read this newsletter, you’re at least somewhat familiar with the feeling of being profoundly confused by how so many Christians around you can believe things that seem to be directly at odds with Jesus’ teachings (see, for instance, the podcast preview below). This is why I often find myself thinking about John 3:8, where Jesus says, “The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” This comes just after Jesus tells Nicodemus that he must be “born again, which Nicodemus correctly points out is impossible. Jesus tells him he shouldn’t be surprised that he has been instructed to do something that baffling because the Spirit works like the wind. What I take from this is to expect the unexpected, the confusing, and the strange from Jesus. It should not surprise us when following him takes us far from how many other Christians think or act. And at the same time, it would be foolish of us to be proud simply for being outside the mainstream because we have no idea where the wind is taking us next. This is an invitation to humility and to make peace with tension and mystery—an invitation I hope we can all accept.
Shake the Dust Preview
On tomorrow’s bonus podcast for paying subscribers, we’re talking Christian nationalism: what it is, why it’s much more common in White churches than many would have you think, and why White Christians need to repent of it instead of just rejecting it as false. We also get into why we personally reject the idea that America is a Christian nation and why it’s so hard for the White church to let go of that notion.
Thanks for reading, and we hope you all have a very happy Easter this weekend!
Jonathan and Sy