Mission Yearbook: The Rev. Paul Timothy Roberts Sr. is the inaugural guest on a ‘Leading Theologically’ series on reconciliation

“Leading Theologically,” a show hosted by the Rev. Bill Davis of the Presbyterian Foundation, recently kicked off a series on reconciliation with a guest who’s thought deeply and taken actions to help bring that about — the Rev. Paul Timothy Roberts Sr., president of Johnson C. Smith Theological Seminary. Listen to their 35-minute conversation here.

Through grant funding and a willingness to hear from a range of Presbyterians, JCSTS has hosted a number of listening sessions across the country. “Our aspiration was to test the readiness of faith-based communities and congregations to mount up a national reparations effort,” Roberts said. “There are a lot of congregations in the country who are engaged in this work. We wanted to do our homework to see what kind of barometer we could use to determine who’s doing what and how widespread it is.”

The Rev. Paul Timothy Roberts Sr.

Among the surprising findings: “Faith communities are all over the map, especially on controversial topics like reparations,” Roberts reported. “We learned that there is not a consistent understanding of what reparations is” and “how it relates to our theology as Presbyterians.”

“We found there is not a readiness for a national effort,” Roberts told Davis. “Some groups are doing great work” but “many congregations around the country don’t even talk about reparations for fear of conflict and divisiveness.”

Asked by Davis for stories of “the good work people are doing at the local level,” Roberts mentioned congregations that are repurposing their buildings “in an effort to make their facilities more hospitable as an act of repair. There are congregations and presbyteries using the proceeds from the sale of buildings for faith-based repair work.”

“We also got wind of some faith communities raising money within their congregations and granting those funds to communities and individuals in need as an act of repair.”

Davis asked: “What’s been the relationship between reparations and reconciliation for you?”

Reconciliation isn’t even a word Roberts uses very often these days.

“It’s loaded,” he said. “Many of us, although well-meaning when we use the word, are prone to skip over all the work that needs to be done in order to arrive at a place where a community, a group of people, a relationship can be reconciled.”

Acknowledgement is a starting place, he said. Then there are “those acts of healing that we call repair, which is the nature of reparations.”

“One of the things we have learned is when people are talking about reparations, they go right to the money,” Roberts said. “That’s not where it’s at. Reparations is about repair. It’s about implementing a healing process that leads to repair. Sometimes that involves money because we live in a capitalistic society.”

“Those who have been harmed have been harmed by deprivation of opportunity, education or access, and all that involves money,” Roberts said. “The heart of the matter is, how do we repair a breach, a wrong?”

The Rev. Bill Davis

“Are there things folk like me who are white can do to accompany the work you’re doing around this reparations study? I was about to ask you for advice to soothe my white soul,” Davis said, and Roberts laughed.

Davis shared this quote from the South African cleric Allan Boesak: “Reconciliation devoid of justice is under savage strain. Social cohesion remains elusive, and racism never conquered is resurgent.”

Then Davis wondered: “How are we partners in this work of reparations and repair?”

Roberts recalled meeting Boesak about eight years ago at a Samuel DeWtt Proctor Conference. “Allan Boesak helps people wrap their brain around the societal hurts that people experience, and even the hurts that happen within any faith-based community. Some of those hurts are part of the human experience, but some of them cut very deeply and run along racial lines, gender lines, orientation — you name it. They are deeply entrenched in our society. Allan Boesak helps people understand you are very much — even 400 years in as we are in the United States — what you were at your origin.”

Watch previous editions of “Leading Theologically” here.

Mike Ferguson, Editor, Presbyterian News Service (Click here to read original PNS story)

Let us join in prayer for:

• Stephen Keizer, Vice President Ministry Relations, Presbyterian Foundation 
• Jessica Kelley,   Acquisitions Editor, Presbyterian Publishing Corporation 

Let us pray:

Lord, we are humbled that you gave us the life-changing message of the gospel to share with the world. May we wisely use the abundant resources you have given us in and through Christ Jesus. Amen.