What bothers me, however, is the rally cry in Greenidge’s article that I’ve heard and read in other places, particularly during the presidential election. There were times when a white person would disagree with some aspect of President Obama’s policies, and the label that was almost immediately thrown at that person, by some African-Americans, was “racist.” Should a white person be deemed racist simply because he challenges the President’s policies or perhaps religious views? If disagreeing with the President automatically makes one racist, I guess there are plenty of African-Americans who despise their own people because they either disagree with some of the President’s policies or didn’t vote for him at all.

Is Mark Driscoll racist? In some sense I think we all are. As sin lurks in the crevice of our minds, it distorts how we view other ethnic groups. The African-American family that insists their daughter cannot marry outside of her ethnicity. The Caucasian family that is utterly shocked when their daughter brings home an African-American male. The glares that swallow you as you walk into a room full of people whom don’t look like you. Racism, though it exists in different forms, nonetheless, still exists. It can be as explicit as one of the aforementioned examples or it can come across cyberspace in a tweet. And Jerlani Greenidge, in his article, “Beware the Mark Driscoll Hasty Retweet,” suggests that’s what happened. A well-known pastor appeared racist in a recent tweet.

To be fair, this wasn’t the thrust of his article. He presented a host of other concerns. According to Mr. Greenidge, Driscoll “used his bully pulpit to mock effeminate male worship leaders.” And since Mr. Greenidge is a worship leader, he takes “special offense at the idea that being sensitive is the same thing as being effeminate.” But more germane to the point of his article, he accused Driscoll of antagonistically sharing his thoughts regarding the authenticity of the President’s Christian faith. This “recklessly” upset people and was “a poor way to transmit the gospel of Jesus Christ.” Furthermore, “Driscoll unintentionally justified the prevalent atheist and agnostic liberal contempt with all things related to God and the church, because most liberals were taught by experience that being a Christian is synonymous with being a harsh, unloving, hypocritical blowhard.”

Were his assessments true? Since I am not immersed in all things Driscoll, I don’t know. But with Greenidge, I affirm that we should be careful with what we place upon the internet. The world is watching. They want to see if our profession in the one true and living God matches our actions. Will we love unconditionally or will we continue to fight each other? Will we forgive each other when will fail or will we hold grudges? The Bible is clear regarding love and forgiveness, but it is also unquestionably clear regarding the use of our words. They can build up and they can cut down. As James said, the tongue is full of deadly poison (Jas. 3:8). For that reason, I hope this article is received in the manner in which I am writing it—to build up. Might I also say, however, that I am not writing to approve of Driscoll’s remarks concerning the authenticity of the President’s Christian faith nor am I writing to get entangled in all of Mr. Greenidge’s accusations of Driscoll. Rather, I am writing to suggest that we should be careful when accusing someone of being racist.

Yes, I know. I’ve already said that we all likely suffer from remnants of racism, but calling someone racist based upon a tweet that did not seem to explicitly, nor implicitly, demean the ethnicity of the President seems a bit unfair. It’s one thing to wrestle with sinful passions (i.e., racism) within and something different to outright accuse someone of it. Mr. Greenidge wrote, “…Driscoll would probably be shocked to realize just how ignorant and racist his words appeared…” So, what did Driscoll tweet? According to Mr. Greenidge, Driscoll tweeted, “Praying for our president, who today will place his hand on a Bible he does not believe to take an oath to a God he likely does not know.”

Is that racist? Or does it even slightly resemble something racist? I don’t think so, although I can’t be absolutely certain. Mr. Greenidge did say that if Driscoll was attempting to hold the President accountable for his theological errors, his “words appeared” racist. So it might seem as if Mr. Greenidge was merely stating the appearance of an evil (racism) as opposed to calling Driscoll himself evil. Well, I cannot separate someone’s words from who they are. As our Lord Jesus said, “But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart…” (Matt. 15:18). One’s heart reveals who a person is. If, indeed, Driscoll’s words were racist, it shows what is in his heart—racism. But is that what Driscoll desired to convey? Again, I don’t think so, although I can’t be certain.

What bothers me, however, is the rally cry in Greenidge’s article that I’ve heard and read in other places, particularly during the presidential election. There were times when a white person would disagree with some aspect of President Obama’s policies, and the label that was almost immediately thrown at that person, by some African-Americans, was “racist.” Should a white person be deemed racist simply because he challenges the President’s policies or perhaps religious views? If disagreeing with the President automatically makes one racist, I guess there are plenty of African-Americans who despise their own people because they either disagree with some of the President’s policies or didn’t vote for him at all.

We all know that we are in a unique time in history. Africans suffered greatly in this nation. At one time, they were thought of as less than human, but now years later a man of color has ascended into the presidency. We have much over which to rejoice! But just because a white person challenges the authenticity of the President’s Christian faith does not automatically make him a racist.

In case you’re wondering, I am African-American. I’m thankful the Lord made me this way. But also, in case you’re wondering, I’ve never listened to one of Driscoll’s sermons in its entirety nor have I read any of his blogs or published works. I’ve heard that Driscoll can be a bit risky, but that’s about it. I don’t know the man.

Like Driscoll, I don’t know Mr. Greenidge. I don’t know if he will ever read this article. But if you do, please know that I have nothing against you. I hope you conclude that I represented your article fairly. I also hope that I conveyed my thoughts charitably. But if I failed, we know that our ultimate source of charity is in our Savior Jesus Christ, the one who will never fail us. He who knew no sin became sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God in him (2 Cor. 5:21). Despite our wicked hearts, the Son of God took on flesh in Jesus Christ and lived the perfect life that we cannot live, died the death that we deserve as the wrath of his Father was poured out on him, and three days he rose from the grave. On account of Christ’s work, we stand righteous in God’s sight. This is the good news that we, as Christians, embrace. And despite our disagreements, we know that, in Christ, we are family regardless of the color of our skin (Gal. 3:27-29).

But back to my original question. Is Mark Driscoll, a well-known pastor, racist? As I said previously, perhaps we all are. We wrestle with sinful passions in the recesses of our minds. But in the case of Mark Driscoll’s tweet, I don’t think he was explicitly, nor implicitly, attempting to be racist. It did not seem that he was demeaning the ethnicity of the President of the United States. So we should be careful how easily we toss that terminology around. Now “let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer” (Ps. 19:14).

Leon Brown is a minister in the Presbyterian Church in America and currently serves as Assistant Pastor at New City Fellowship in Fredericksburg, VA. He holds MDiv and MA degrees from WTS California and is presently pursuing doctoral studies in OT and the Ancient Near East.