Calls for unity ring hollow without first responding to calls for Reconciliation.
Calls for Reconciliation ring hollow without first responding to calls for Accountability.
Accountability requires Acknowledgement.
The Bible tells us that Jesus loves us “as we are,” but we must first acknowledge we have sinned in order to be forgiven by him. His word guides us to being reconciled to him and our brothers and sisters. See the following passages:
1 John 1:9; Matt 5:23-24; Matt 18:15; James 5:16.
I have found that the call for healing is often preceded by the prerequisite of acknowledgment and accountability for the actions of the oppressor. Accountability is much more likely to be required, even demanded from the oppressed. Accountability and acknowledgment are often met with rebuttals of “whataboutisms”, “forgive and forget,” or “can’t we just move on or all “get along?”.
Therefore, Unity becomes a “Do as I say, not as I do” performative act, a form of performative activism or allyship (think “black squares” on social media during the BLM protests last summer). These gestures lack the depth of the meaningful work necessary for sustainability.
Words such as compassion, empathy, and sensitivity ring hollow if spoken but not exemplified.
~ DPB
