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Ministry of Love and Reconciliation

Dear Harding Family,

Full disclosure from the beginning: I have no way to fully understand, as a white man, the kinds of inherent, subconscious, and institutional systems of racism that plague our country. I also realize that any effort to speak out on behalf of an entire institution is risky, yet I feel incredibly burdened and compelled to do so in humility and with great care. I feel compelled to share with you some thoughts from my heart (which is broken) regarding the continual, egregious, and evil mistreatment of human beings created in the image of God.

Sadly, these acts of racism we have seen recently are not new. What is relatively new is the fact that these things are now seen and heard by all in ways that have really shaken the sensibilities of people willing to ignore them in the past. It is time to pluck our heads from the sand and embrace the reality that God created everyone in His image, and when one part of his creation suffers, we all suffer.

My wife and I are blessed to have four children — our oldest son is African-American. When he came to live with us, he completely changed (in so many good ways) the dynamic of our family. These recent events are now incredibly personal to us because he is our son, and it could, at any time, happen to him. 

Social media can be a wonderful space to foster community, but the tension between silence and letting our words in social media posts serve as the end of our response is a difficult one. I was made acutely aware of this tension when asked by one of my other children recently, “If I don’t post something on social media condemning these things, does that make me a racist?” The burden that many people carry to confront the evils of mankind via social media are, at times, overwhelming and, frankly, unfair. 

As Christians, we are called to love others and courageously take a stand against injustice. Many times posts on social media convey these messages, but my fear is that sometimes, after posting, we wipe our hands of the ongoing, daily, cross-bearing responsibility to act in much more concrete ways. Maybe it is less about what we post and more about how we treat others while intentionally embracing the ministry of reconciliation. I wonder if this is what the Apostle John had in mind when he wrote in 1 John 3:18, “Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.”

In the fall of 2018, we rolled out “Vision 2024: The Harding Way Forward” to clarify our vision for the future at Harding Academy. We reiterated our mission to teach our students to love others as Christ loves them, to think creatively and with open minds, and to live courageously to the glory of God. Since that time we have witnessed, time and again, horrific acts against people of color that have challenged our school community. In very real ways, our students and families are struggling to understand how to live together in the midst of such turmoil. It was also at that time that we made the strategic and intentional decision to make our African American History course a graduation requirement for all students. It is our strong belief that the only way to combat continued ignorance is to provide a complete education of the ongoing human struggle.

Knowing full well that our school maintains systems and privileges that we are aiming to condemn, it has always been our deepest hope to live in a community that fully embraces the rich tapestry that is the Kingdom of God. At Harding Academy we have always had a strong sense of community. It is important that we strive to figure out what community, friendships, and relationships should look like in the modern world. We want our students and families to feel a strong connection to one another, to our school, and to our city. We want to be more than a school; we want to be a place where every student and every family belongs. Additionally, we want to be the kind of place that is actively engaged in serving the greater Memphis community.

The challenge of bringing everyone together as Harding Lions will not be achieved through innovative social programs, school policy, or fabricated unity. The only way true and lasting way community can be formed is through the kind of humble service that the Apostle Paul describes in Romans 12. The entire chapter is a beautiful description of a Christian community that recognizes the value of a wide variety of gifts and unique backgrounds. We want to be a school community that celebrates what unites us—many members uniquely made in the image of God with different backgrounds, gifts, and abilities bound together by the love of Christ. Ultimately, we want to be a place where people do life together in meaningful ways. 

It is our desire to actively pursue reconciliation not because it is politically expedient, but because it is what we are called to as Christians. In Ephesians 2 you will find that systemic separation and prejudice have existed for a long time. However, “His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two…..for through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.” The Apostle Paul, in II Corinthians 5 reminds us that, “All of this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation… and he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.” It is our obligation, our highest call, to point others toward this reconciliation. So how do we embrace this ministry of reconciliation and love others with actions in truth?

History has shown that it will not be achieved only through legislation, policy, or politicians. While those things may be necessary and useful, meaningful change will only be achieved when each of us intentionally finds and overcomes any boundary of race that continues to limit us, and we begin to share our lives together. The action required to do this starts with our daily choices — to break bread together, worship together, celebrate together, mourn together, go to school together, learn from one another, challenge assumptions and generalizations, encourage one another, and STAND UP for one another. Until we commit to doing life together in meaningful ways, we will give Satan the foothold of division, discord and injustice.

I love our school community and remain committed to leading in ways that will bring people together and not tear them apart. May we stand together and fight for the dignity of all of humanity in ways that will make the Lord smile.

In Christ,

Trent

Trent D. Williamson

Head of School