Monuments to Gypsies, Lesbians, and Jews
What people, what nation builds monuments to gypsies, lesbians and Jews? The country that had the power to rule the world—Germany. In an incredibly redemptive turn, Germany has not only publicly acknowledged the atrocities of the Holocaust, it has also set out to embed cultural markers of confession and repentance by erecting monuments to the gypsies, lesbians and Jews that were murdered during the Holocaust.
It seems that white Evangelical churches have a lot to learn from the Germans. Instead of taking defensive postures regarding discrimination or abuse of minorities, what if the Church publicly repented and sought a more redemptive, love-driven engagement with American indians, homosexuals, and African-Americans? To be sure, many evangelical churches have done this, but it has not become mainstream practice. The gospel of Christ has not so infiltrated our churches that we live redemption and reconciliation, not just preach it. Here’s to monument-building to the oppressed, downcast, and broken-hearted!
Read the NYTimes article.
In what way do you equate homosexuality to slavery or bigotry toward an ethnic group like Native and African Americans?
You are lumping the color of someone’s skin or heritage of their family in with a lifestyle choice that revolves around un-repented sins.
I agree and love the idea of embracing the oppressed, downcast, and broken-hearted, but building monuments to homosexuality? I’m not sure I understand your line of thinking there.
Thanks for your interaction, Mollie.
My loose equation between the groups is based on white Americans persecuting and murdering Native and African Americans, as the Germans did gypsies, lesbians, and Jews. Both Americans and Germans are guilty of persecuting these groups based on a sense of ethnic, socio-cultural superiority. So, I am not lumping the morality of sexual orientation and ethnic discrimination together, but pointing out the gross error of persecuting a group because they are different and don’t conform to our moral or cultural preferences.
To be clear, the Germans erected monuments not to gypsies, lesbians, and Jews per se, but in an act of public repentance for persecuting these groups and slaying them for their sexual orientation, ethnicity, and social status.
The gospel of Christ advocates a loving and redemptive approach to all people irrespective of their ethnic or socio-cultural status. Does that make sense?