Meritocracy and Individualism as Roadblocks to Equity
If you ever find yourself saying “sin is the problem and Jesus is the answer” (especially concerning racism) this post is for you…
In recent days, I have seen some odd reasoning among Christians on the subject of racism:
Some would assert that everyone, regardless of race, is afforded the same opportunities, and each individual is responsible for his or her hearts and lives. Therefore, Black children should not be raised to believe themselves the victim but empowered to know they can do anything. The color of someone’s skin should not define them; for there is ultimately only one race — the human race. Racism is not a “system problem,” but a “spiritual problem” among individuals in the system.
These people outright deny terms like “systemic racism” and “white privilege” (not to mention any collective responsibility of white people for injustices shown to Black people), calling these ideas both secular and “liberal agenda.”
If you tend to resonate with some of these ideas, and feel I have misrepresented your views, please feel free to chime in.
Now for the rebuttal: Well, there’s a lot I could respond to…like A LOT (i.e. the disproportionate amount of opportunities afforded to BIPOC vs. white people, the harm caused by “color blindness,” the racism that is baked into our laws and policies, and therefore also systems, etc.) But, many smarter people than me have addressed these things over and over and over and over again.
I just have one thing to say, which I see as the underpinning of this type of thinking among Christians: that Jesus’ message is not one of “fairness.” By that, I mean it’s not *evenly the same* in all cases, for all people, at all times.
Parable One: Workers in the Vineyard
To illustrate what his “kingdom” is like, Jesus tells a story (this is my paraphrase): A vineyard owner goes out at dawn to get workers for his field and finds a bunch of people ready for hire. They agree to a typical day’s wage and get right to work picking grapes. A few hours later, the owner goes back out to find some more workers, and the new workers join in the harvesting. Another couple of hours pass and the owner goes out again to find workers (after all, there are a lot of grapes), and they also join in. Then, just an hour before dusk, the owner sees a few stragglers looking for work, and decides to employ them too.
Finally, at the end of the 12-hour shift, the foreman starts handing out paychecks. And, to everyone’s surprise, the LAST person hired is the FIRST one paid, and paid a FULL day’s wage!
All at once, the other workers start getting excited: “Shoot, if that guy only worked 1 hour and got paid what I was promised for 12 hours, I’m about to be RICH!!!”
The celebration is short-lived, though (womp-womp), as the owner proceeds to give each worker the very same payment, despite how long they worked in the vineyard.
Those who had been there for 6 hours, 9 hours, 12 hours — working in the heat of the day — started grumbling, “WTF?! I worked so much harder than that guy! His work is nowhere near EQUAL to mine! How dare you put him on the SAME LEVEL as me? I DESERVE to be paid more! This is SO UNFAIR!”
To which the vineyard owner responds, “Why you mad, bro? Didn’t you agree to work for a day’s wage?! What I am doing to HARM YOU by deciding to be generous toward someone else? Who are you to decide what I do with MY OWN MONEY?”
End scene.
Parable Two: The Prodigal Son
You’ve heard it before, so I’ll keep it short: Essentially, the little brother in the family has made an absolute mess of his life after demanding an early inheritance. When he finds himself at the rockiest rock bottom, he decides to ask his father if he can work for the family as a servant. He knows he’s no longer deserving to be called “son,” and “servant” would be a big step up from his current situation (hungry enough to eat slop from a pig trough). So he starts his walk of shame back home. But, while he is still a long way off, his father sees him and starts RUNNING to meet him! “MY SON! MY SON!” The father is overjoyed at his return and starts planning a huge feast to celebrate!
Meanwhile, the older brother is NOT HAVING IT. He’s furious! How could his father throw a party for someone so UNDESERVING, who had squandered LITERALLY EVERYTHING he had ever been given? Especially when he, himself had never done anything to disobey his father! He had always been there, “slaving away” for the family…and he didn’t even get to eat a goat with his friends (wut?).
To the anger, resentment, and general brattiness of the older brother, the father says: “My son, you are always with me, and everything I have is yours.” In other words, you’ve had access to LITERALLY EVERYTHING here with me this whole time — what are you complaining about?! Who are you to criticize my grace and generosity toward someone else — ESPECIALLY YOUR OWN BROTHER?
Okay, big clarification: The inequity and disadvantages that affect the Black community stem not from their irresponsible “squandering,” but from that which was forcibly taken from their forefathers, against their will. So, these parables don’t work as a 1–1 comparison of racial groups (not the context Jesus was speaking to); I bring them up specifically to discuss what “fairness” means to Jesus.
What I see is this: true fairness often REQUIRES some “perceived unfairness” to bring about EQUITY and the flourishing of all.
How else do you explain “the last shall be first and the first shall be last”?
So, I think if we want to get the conversation right when it comes to justice, it’s important for us to dig into our feelings around “fairness,” and ask some uncomfortable questions.
Do I harbor feelings of superiority about my individual hard work?
Am I confusing American values of individualism and “fairness” with those of the upside-down kingdom?
Do I have “older brother syndrome” — perceiving the flourishing of another as an attack on myself?
And, am I willing to acknowledge where I have “privilege” or “advantage,” knowing I’m not being asked to give up my place at the table but to MAKE ROOM FOR my brother?
See Matthew 20:1–16 and Luke 15:11–32 for full-length parables
