At some point every metaphor breaks down. There are only so many “what if” scenarios and hypotheticals that can be used as examples until the very thing we’re not talking about demands to be considered explicitly and on its own terms.
Suppose you got a car from your mother on your 16th birthday, Duke L Kwon and Gregory Thompson write, unbeknownst to you this gift was stolen. The true owner approaches you one day and insists on the return of his car; the title with his name on it is still in the glove box! For a time, you benefited from theft. Even though you were not the thief, the just action would be for you to restore the stolen car to its rightful owner. As metaphors go it’s not a bad one. Kwon (a Presbyterian Church in America pastor in Washington, D.C.) and Thompson (a theologian and researcher in Virginia) avoid metaphor as much as possible in their 2021 book Reparations; instead they create a systematic, clearly outlined, constructive theology of repair as that concept directly relates to American descendants of slavery. For note-takers, this book provides a structured argument broken into ever smaller subsections. The effect is one of reading a sermon with point-by-point explanations. They know their audience: church folk. But it’s more than a dry lecture. There is an emotional component to the text that reveals a deeper truth: Kwon and Thompson, neither of whom are Black, deeply and sincerely feel this argument. You can discern their love for the communities they write about, and the communities they write to. Though they extensively document primary sources and quote a diverse range of scholars, practitioners, artists, researchers and theologians, it is their impassioned and empathetic call for seeing and owning the truths of systemic racism and reparations that carries the weight of the discussion. There is no pulling of punches, no guilt-trips, no dog-whistles, no performative allyship, and no partisan politics; just Kwon and Thompson speaking the truth in love, seeking healing by the power of God at work in the call of the church.
White supremacy as theft
The argument for reparations relies on accepting the place of White Supremacy in American society.
“Racism is not simply a matter of personal prejudice, relational division, or institutional injustice but rather a fundamental cultural (dis)order that is both the source and sum of all these. Because of this, personal repentance, relational reconciliation, and institutional reform—though important—are not enough, indeed can never be enough, to overcome its power. Because racism is a comprehensively broken culture, what is needed—if we are to truly heal—is comprehensive cultural repair.” (Kwon & Thompson, 2021, p. 16)
White Supremacy is a controversial subject. By framing a persistent and malignant culture of White Supremacy as the culprit, Reparations starts rolling a heavy stone up a steep hill. “White supremacy was present and powerful in the founding of America” (Kwon & Thompson, 2021, p. 20) sounds a little like one of the core conceits of another controversial text, the 1619 Project. And of course the accusations of critical race theory have already started. But Kwon and Thompson spend 25 pages making the case that White Supremacy is, at its core, inseparable from the sin of theft. Theft of truth, of power and of wealth. The culture of White Supremacy stole the identity and history of Black people, the personal and political power of Black people, extracted wealth from Black people, and obstructed Black people from accumulating wealth. These thefts have hardly been invisible! That we can clearly see the effects of these thefts half a century after Black civil rights is no shocking secret. It’s no surprise that Kwon and Thompson say that the church is called to see this monumental theft for the ongoing sin that it is. They plead with Christians to resist the temptation to blindness, the temptation to hardness of heart, the temptation to “craft lives of oblivion that allow us to ignore” the pain of our neighbors. (Kwon & Thompson, 2021, p. 18)
Frankly I’m sick to death of the smug “prove it” movement within White evangelicalism. Demanding proof of our sisters and brothers, when our museums and libraries and historical documents are dripping with it, is insulting. It’s insulting to the trauma of Black people because it suggests to them that they are either ignorant, deceitful, duped or paranoid. I was in a book club recently where the “prove it” refrain was loud and clear from one pastor. When asked what we looked forward to learning as we read a book about racial reconciliation, his answer was “some clear evidence of systemic racism.” The horror of American racism is that it is normative to disbelieve the lived reality of Black people unless some sufficient standard of evidence is reached. And this standard of evidence is slippery! While many “prove it” Whites may think they are holding to an objective standard of proof, it is always out of reach. Personal experience? You misinterpreted it! Historical document? It’s in the past. Video footage? What happened before the camera started rolling? Black theologians, academics and specialists? Here’s a Black person who agrees with me!
If White Supremacy is primarily characterized by a variety of generational thefts, the question of restoration to the rightful owners becomes the only one worth asking.
A theology of reparation
You may disagree with the description of White Supremacy. You may deny there is sufficient evidence of systemic racism in 2021. If you can at minimum receive the accusation of theft – with all its historical proofs – then reparation must be considered. Kwon and Thompson do not lay out a civic of reparations. They admit to the complexity of what that would look like in practice. Instead they outline a theology, steeped in the life and teachings of Jesus, of what reparations requires. Using two main texts, Kwon and Thompson’s theology of reparation views restitution and restoration as the scriptural and Christian response to theft.
Zacchaeus’ reaction to Jesus’ presence was confession, repentance and reparation (restitution). “Lord, if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.” (Luke 19:8, NIV) Kwon and Thompson argue that Zacchaeus was following Torah set forth in the Hebrew scriptures regarding theft. Rather than being a strange response, Zacchaeus knew the tradition of his people and what the requirements were for restoring and/or repaying stolen goods.
The second text Kwon and Thompson use is Jesus’ parable of the traveler robbed and beaten and left to die. The Samaritan, who was not at fault nor obligated to help bearing no direct responsibility in the situation, acted out of neighbor-love to restore the health of the injured man. “Who is my neighbor?” asked the religious expert, wanting to justify his actions. (Luke 10:29, NLT) Jesus answered the question by telling a story of loving restoration.
“The parable of the good Samaritan…reminds us that the work of restoring all that was unjustly taken from our neighbors is the calling not only of the culpable but of all who seek to live a life of love in the world. Because of this, the church in America, a community whose very purpose is love, must own the ethic of restoration and give itself to this work of healing. Indeed, it is the church’s vocation both to dress wounds and to redress wrongs.” (Kwon & Thompson, 2021, p. 49)
Devoted to calling
Kwon and Thompson’s case for reparations concludes with some inspiring examples of Christians answering the call of reparations today. Our calling, as the people of God, is to renounce White Supremacy, acknowledge its effects, and set our lives toward repairing its harm. Reparations doesn’t contain any seminary-level theology or hermeneutics, doesn’t require a sociologist or historian’s training, and doesn’t drop any shocking revelations about the colonial project. It’s about as plain an argument as can be made: Something was stolen from a group of people, there needs to be recompense. My prayer is that people will approach this book with open hearts and ears to hear. Christians have been seeking reparations for American descendants of slavery since before the Civil War. As each generation fades away without meeting the call to repair, the next generation has the opportunity to fulfill the call. The people of God today are uniquely positioned to respond to the call of restitution and restoration with creativity, compassion and love. May we bear the burden with joy and justice.
Kwon, D. L., & Thompson, G. (2021). Reparations. Brazos Press.
O, Digression! 