Though I am not a believer, I can appreciate there is great wisdom to be found in the Bible, which includes the instruction from Ecclesiastes that there is nothing new under the sun. Technology is invented, cultures evolve, thrive, and disappear, and language changes, but beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors we may think as new and unprecedented- sometimes arrogantly- have pretty much existed throughout time. This certainly includes a sense of righteousness, that we or I are special and above others, and that validation of who we are can be obtained by others saying, “He is wonderful.” At the moment there is a pejorative term, “virtue signaling,” that encapsulates these characteristics of elitism and a sense of superiority, but the same idea can be found in the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 23, of which I am sure you are familiar. In talking about the Pharisees, Jesus said:

 “…For they preach, but do not practice.  They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger.  They do all their deeds to be seen by others. For they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long, and they love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces and being called rabbi by others,” and  

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness.  So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.”  

Since the killing of George Floyd about 20 months ago, many of the wealthiest, most privileged, and elite of people acted as if they suddenly discovered the idea of racism (in others, that is), and had to share this inspired knowledge with the ignorant and racist masses and exhort them to change their sinful ways, outwardly appearing righteous to others and becoming the Pharisees of our day.

Virtue signaling may be simply vainglorious, not necessarily malevolent, but something unexpected and even paradoxical happened this time around: there were consequences. Looking at plain statistics, it has become undeniable that the explosion of violence following the killing of George Floyd can be attributed in a large part to “social justice” activism, “diversity, equity, and inclusion” rhetoric, demands to“defund the police, trivializing violence, and the like, emanating especially from the elite and privileged. And, as Jesus said, “They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people’s shoulders.” The reality is the burdens of “social justice” are mostly borne by black people, with the murders of black people increasing by the thousands. It is extremely rare for a white person to be killer of a black person, with the overwhelming number of the perpetrators being black themselves, especially younger black males. Needless to say, many innocent black children are killed in the crossfire, approaching 300 in 2020, a significant increase- perhaps 50%- from 2019. I invite you to read another article I wrote dealing with this topic at http://conservativeproletariat.com/?p=688.

There are cultural and political bullies whose fame and fortune depend on the existence of racism, real, or more often, imagined, and their mission is to exploit and perpetuate it where it might exist and resuscitate it where it has faded away. It is accurate to say that many, if not most, of the non-Scriptural references used in your “Let’s Talk About Racism” guide were in fact from the same elitist people, who will never suffer the consequences of their demands. I’ve been around the US and the world a bit, and in fact have witnessed true racism, where the worth of someone’s life is based primarily upon skin color, and it’s a very ugly business. Thank goodness, even in my short lifetime of 63 years, I’ve seen this fade away, so that “white supremacists” are viewed as buffoons and completely marginalized by society. Ironically, however, those that do exist can sit back, do nothing, and watch the doctrines and policies espoused by “social justice activists,” now sadly including the Salvation Army, sow misery and violence, in especially black communities.

I’m fairly certain the expression “out of sight, out of mind” is not based on Scripture, yet this is all too common in social and political life on the internet. An activist turned politician, for example, posts extremist positions on Facebook or whatever, then when caught simply deletes them and says “nothing to see here.” Unfortunately, this is at least a moderately successful strategy, and unfortunately this is what your organization did with its “Let’s Talk About Racism” guide. I have no idea what the organization or power structure of the Salvation Army may be, or if the Scranton Citadel Corps is a significant player, but I think your mission would better be served by truly talking about racism, as compared to predictable pontificating, that so many other elite persons and organizations have done. Note that I suffer from being long-winded, and for the sake of literary economy will post this e-mail as an article, prefacing it with a brief discussion of what Pharisees were and a mention that this was a letter/e-mail sent to you.

Kind Regards,

Reid Fitzsimons

Hi Reid,

Thanks so much for your note of concern. I really don't have anything more to share than the official responses in the link you shared in your blog. I can assure you that our focus here in Scranton is helping others without discrimination and to share the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Hundreds of families are fed every year and lives touched. If you like maybe we could go for a cup of coffee sometime.

Let me know if there's anything we can pray for you about.

Blessings,
Major Bob Schmig
The Salvation Army Scranton Citadel Corps