Your God is a Racist
An open letter to Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick
Your God
is a Racist...
just like you
Dear Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick,
Contrary to your recent statement on Fox News, an old-fashioned revival will do nothing to eradicate racism. You recently accused the left of trying to kick God out of the country. To be clear, the only God we want to bounce out of our lives is the judgmental old white guy in the sky who acts like you. Progressive Christians have replaced that oppressive god, with a humble servant from Galilee who gave his life in a quest to reveal divine love for all humanity.
Let me introduce you to this God we love.
The God we love crossed geographical boundaries and led a poor people’s campaign against authoritarian, oppressive leaders.
The God we love stopped to feed the hungry, embrace the sick, and empower women, even when it jeopardized his reputation and put his life at risk.
The God we love never condemned homosexuality, although he had a good plenty to say about greed and hypocrisy.
The God we love was a refugee who built relationships, not walls.
The God we love didn’t teach religious creeds, but said “whatever you do for the least of me, you have done unto me.”
Of course, left-leaning Christians are not perfect, and we have much to repent from, especially concerning race relations. That said, we believe that legislation is a critical step in dismantling institutional racism.
You told Fox News that laws cannot change the heart of “man”. As the Lieutenant Governor of Texas, you have great influence over whether a bill makes it to the floor of the senate. Therefore, it is critical that you grasp the way a law can enact and support social justice. How can a law express your love for God and your neighbors? Let me count a few ways.
- A law could demand the demilitarization of police and establish "peace force” to prevent crimes rather than react to them with violence.
- A law could hold police accountable when they injure or kill people.
- A law would release innocent people held on bail. You recently paid $7,000 in bail for a white woman arrested in Dallas. When the woman opened her hair salon despite restrictive orders, the judged required only an apology for her release. When she refused, the judge slapped her with the fine that you paid with great enthusiasm. Thousands of innocent people sit in Texas jails every night waiting for a trial date. They haven’t been proven guilty. Their unpaid bail only proves they are poor, and yet no one gives them the desired option of an apology in lieu of cash. If you ever rushed to pay a brown or black person’s bail, you didn’t brag about it.
- A law would end capital punishment and Death row. Forty-four percent of death row inmates are black, even though only 13 percent of the Texas population is black. Despite the number of death row inmates who are proven innocent, you insist that justice is served by executing a disproportionate number of black men.
- A law could require all schools, churches, civic organizations and business to offer classes in racial relations.
- A law would provide adequate health care to minorities. The COVID-19 virus exposes the insidious discrimination infecting our country. According to the CDC, black people are at higher risk for contracting the virus than white people. Sadly, NPR, recently reported that there are more testing centers for the virus in white communities than black ones. Black women in Texas, like the rest of the country, have a significantly higher maternal death rate than white women. "Who is the neighbor?", Jesus asked after he told the story of the Good Samaritan. His opponents were forced to answer, “The one who showed mercy.” Please show some mercy here.
- A law could ensure that all children receive a valuable education, and that college is affordable for low-income families.
Mr. Patrick, America is calling, loudly and angrily, “Come home oh sinner, come home” to a loving God who embraces all people, not just the white privileged.
