It was a cold and rainy Thursday in Norfolk, a February night where it would have been incredibly easy to stay home. Yet the fellowship hall at Second Calvary Baptist Church was packed with more than 50 people. Members of our own Christ & St. Luke’s congregation gathered alongside the members of Second Calvary for the powerful first session of our joint Lenten Book Study.

As the Rev. Dr. Geoffrey Guns noted during his introduction, our predominantly white church sits on the west side of Norfolk, while Second Calvary, a predominantly African American congregation founded in 1879 by formerly enslaved and free individuals, sits on the east side. This collaborative book study is a deliberate attempt to cross the geographic, racial, and denominational divides of our city.

Pastor Guns anchored our gathering in Paul’s letter to the Ephesians chapter 2, verse 14, focusing on the beautiful truth that Jesus “is our peace; in his flesh he has made both into one and has broken down the dividing wall.” Pastor Guns reminded us that while humans frequently create barriers and divisions, the Church is ultimately one united body in Christ. The goal of this Lenten series is not simply to be a group of people talking in a room, but to intersect our faith with our lived experiences, building genuine relationships. We were challenged to leave the evening having made a commitment to talk more with someone new, perhaps over a cup of coffee or lunch, to ensure our work together continues beyond the church walls.

“Why does Christianity so often seem impotent in dealing with discrimination and injustice?”

How does Christianity deal with discrimination and injustice?

To guide us in this effort, we are centering our discussions on Howard Thurman’s seminal 1949 work, Jesus and the Disinherited. Thurman, a prominent theologian, educator, and spiritual leader who was raised by a formerly enslaved grandmother, profoundly influenced the Civil Rights movement. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. famously carried a copy of the book in his pocket during his advocacy for racial desegregation and justice in the 1960s.

Fr. Noah Van Niel led us through the preface and the first chapter, highlighting Thurman’s agonizing, central question: Why does Christianity so often seem impotent in dealing with discrimination and injustice? Thurman’s answer requires us to look directly at the historical Jesus, who was a poor, minority Jewish man living under the oppressive occupation of the Roman Empire. Jesus knew exactly what it meant to live as the disinherited. Thurman argues that Jesus offers a roadmap for survival for those who find themselves marginalized, or as he famously phrases it, with “their backs against the wall.”

Thurman outlines the historically inadequate paths of non-resistance, such as imitation (trying to blend in with the oppressor) or isolation (withdrawing entirely), which ultimately lead to a loss of self-respect or a dangerous bottling up of resentment. He also points out the equally destructive path of outward violence, which often ends up destroying the oppressed themselves. Ultimately, he argues that true survival requires a deep, inward spiritual resistance. By doing the hard, internal work to overcome fear, hypocrisy, and hatred, one can achieve a spiritual power that eventually translates into real social power. Thurman believes Jesus teaches us that preserving one’s dignity and soul is the mandatory first step before moving toward any outward social action.

Backs against the wall

After Fr. Noah’s presentation, we broke into small, mixed groups to share our stories and answer a deeply personal prompt: When in your life have you felt like your back was against the wall?

The stories shared in these intimate circles were breathtaking in their vulnerability, proving the profound value of authentic storytelling. One participant recalled being twelve years old during the integration of public schools in another major American city. She remembered sitting at her desk as a group of boys surrounded her and began violently kicking her chair. She felt completely helpless and feared her life was in danger. Yet she shared that she survived by relying on God’s grace, making a conscious, spiritual choice to love her fellow human beings despite the terrifying ugliness she faced.

Others in the group realized our “walls” looked entirely different. I could honestly say I have never experienced anything close to that kind of oppressive experience. Instead, I shared my own experience of a painful, ten-year estrangement from my brother. While it was not a systemic oppression, it was an emotional wall I couldn’t seem to scale alone. I shared that it was only through the grace of God, and the weekly, persistent reminders of forgiveness I heard sitting in the pews at church, that I finally found the courage to reconcile with him.

Another participant in our group recognized his immense blessings and privilege in life. He shared a remarkable story of how his naval service providentially landed him his first job as a lawyer because his interviewer had served on a sister ship.

Engaging with Thurman’s work

The other groups also engaged rigorously and honestly with Thurman’s theological framework. One group discussed imposter syndrome and the sexism and racism they continue to face as minorities or women in professional spaces. They affirmed Thurman’s idea that one must fortify their inner spirit and ask for God’s guidance before stepping up to demand outward justice in those exclusionary rooms.

Another group actively pushed back on Thurman’s analysis, keeping their conversation fiercely grounded in “real time” reality. They astutely pointed out from real life experience that for people facing literal life-or-death survival in places like Haiti, a purely non-violent, inward spiritual resistance might not be a viable option when fighting for necessities.

As Fr. Noah celebrated during the group recaps, this kind of pushback is the mark of a truly great theological discussion. We are not called to simply accept a text blindly, but to challenge it, wrestle with it, and bring our authentic lived experiences to bear upon it.

Join us next time

This joint book study is doing exactly what our parish sets out to do: Moving beyond easy answers to embrace the complex, often messy reality of living as Christians in a polarized world. The evening reinforced that when we sit in a circle and share a glimpse of our lives, we see depths in our neighbors that we would never have known otherwise. It was a beautiful, faithful first meeting in breaking down some of the dividing walls of our city.

If you missed this first session, please do not let that stop you from joining us for the rest of this transformative Lenten journey. We are gathering throughout Lent on Thursday evenings from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

The schedule and locations for our remaining sessions are as follows:

• March 5: Chapter II: “Fear” (at Second Calvary Baptist Church, 2940 Corprew Ave).
• March 12: Chapter III: “Deception” (at Second Calvary Baptist Church, 2940 Corprew Ave).
• March 19: Chapter IV: “Hate” (at Christ & St. Luke’s).
• March 26: Chapter V: “Love” and Epilogue (at Christ & St. Luke’s).

Please come add your voice, your story, and your authentic self to this vital conversation. We are proud to be a place of love and belonging for everyone.