White Privilege is Not a Blessing (Updated with Apology)

In a June 14th videotaped conversation involving music artist Lecrae, pastor Louis Giglio, and Chick-fil-A CEO Dan Cathy, Louis Giglio said the following

We understand the curse that was slavery, white people do, and we say that was bad, but we miss the blessing of slavery that it actually built up the framework for the world that white people live in and lived in. And so a lot of people call this white privilege and when you say those two words, it just is like a fuse goes off for a lot of white people because they don’t want somebody telling them to check their privilege. And so I know that you and I both have struggled in these days with, hey, if the phrase is the trip up, let’s get over the phrase and let’s get down to the heart and let’s get down to what then do you want to call it and I think that a great thing for me is to call it white blessing, that I’m living in the blessing of the curse generationally that allowed me to grow up in Atlanta…

Watch the clip:

For context, here is the entire conversation. It is important to understand that, in the rest of the talk that I listened to, Giglio seems to understand that he is not superior to black people, nor is he condoning slavery. I believe he is very well intentioned. However, he set off a Twitter storm, rightly so in my view, with his privileged spin on white privilege.

I will lead with my reply last night on Twitter:

It isn’t up to Giglio to decide how his privilege is experienced by black people. He doesn’t get to soften it, haggle over it, or make it palatable for himself. I hope someone close to him can help him see how self-centered his framework is. Because he and some white people are triggered by the term “white privilege,” we have to find a softer, more religious sounding term? Sucks to be you black folk, I’m white blessed.

Is there a better way to take away the beauty of the word blessing for everybody? Sure, let’s associate blessing with white people dominating black people first through slavery, then through Jim Crow, and then through social structures and white privilege. Being white blessed sounds like God actively gave white people their status. I don’t believe that is what Giglio believes, but that is certainly what it sounds like.

No, never. Not at all. White privilege is not a blessing. Not for blacks and not for whites. The more I am aware of it, the more I want to use my strength to end it.

Dear God in heaven, please save us from these conversations. He later in this conversation said that he was open to suggestion. He is now getting a lot of suggestions via social media. I advise Rev. Giglio to talk less and listen more.

UPDATE: Probably everybody saw this coming. Giglio apologized for his words. Watch:

I expected something like this. My advice is still for this gentleman to listen more and talk less.

More on white privilege:

Jordan Peterson and White Privilege

David Barton and White Privilege

26 thoughts on “White Privilege is Not a Blessing (Updated with Apology)”

  1. Giglio’s apology appears sincere, but he still downplays just how crass and idiotic his comparing the “benefits” from slavery versus the benefits from Jesus’s crucifixion was. It was dumb and offensive from start to finish and he should have acknowledged that.

  2. People who bristle at the term “white privilege” probably would not resist being told they enjoy “American privilege” (as compared to those in other countries), which I think is interesting. I think the term “privilege” itself can feel accusatory or passive-aggressive to some. If you are trying to slap them, keep going. If you are trying to get them to open their eyes, then maybe use “white advantages”. For some reason, some people can more easily receive that word.

    It’s easy for me to reject Critical Race Theory, or some other ideology, and still recognize that unless the racial strife we are witnessing is a giant hoax, and unless black Christian friends of mine are liars, being black in America right now is not working for everyone. Maybe it works for Candice Owens and Larry Elder. That’s great. But it is not working for everyone.

    To borrow and adapt something I heard years ago:
    “The literacy rate in our own country is under 44% for black 9th graders, and Christians do not give a shit. In fact, most Christians are much more upset that I just said ‘shit’ than that black children are not being educated.”

    1. I’m not offended by “white privilege”, though I don’t doubt that I benefit from it.

      It really isn’t “American privilege” until it is available to all Americans. And that would be a change that I want to see.

      1. the only issue I have with the term “white privilege” is it tends to mask that the various racial minorities (black, latinx, asian) are treated differently, hiding the disparities among them (including racism between different minorities).

        1. While I agree that different minority groups are differentially discriminated against, I also believe white privilege has a basis in research. A central factor in bias is skin tone. There is a consistent finding in research about attitudes toward skin tone. Generally people have more negative bias toward darker skinned people. You can read about it here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0273229716000137 — So even though other groups are minorities, they are lighter skinned and don’t face the same bias.

          1. Yeah, I knew about India’s love affair with skin whitening products — Bollywood has often portrayed darker skinned people as backward — but I was astounded to find out it’s becoming a global market worth about $10 billion annually, widespread in China, Korea and Japan, with Japan spending the most. Apparently around 3/4 of all women in Nigeria use skin-lightening products.

          2. I’m not disagreeing with the issue of bias based on skin tone. However, the point I was making is that talking about “white privilege” makes it easier for others to say “I’m not white so I’m not part of the problem” which isn’t true. Whites may be the major contributor to racism in the US but they aren’t the only ones.

        2. While I agree that different minority groups are differentially discriminated against, I also believe white privilege has a basis in research. A central factor in bias is skin tone. There is a consistent finding in research about attitudes toward skin tone. Generally people have more negative bias toward darker skinned people. You can read about it here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0273229716000137 — So even though other groups are minorities, they are lighter skinned and don’t face the same bias.

      2. I was saying that most people would not object to being told they enjoy “American privilege” in a global context, as compared to citizens of other countries. Probably should edit my comment accordingly.

  3. Thank you Dr. Throckmorton for promptly and coherently countering this latest manifestation of White Nationalist Evangelicalism, no matter how politically upsetting it is to White Nationalist Evangelicals.

  4. Ergh. No. White privilege is not a blessing. Instead, it is a responsibility–a responsibility to see that it is brought to an end, and society and the law come to treat all races, genders, sexual orientations, religions, etc., equally. There should be no privilege attached to those things.

    1. If you’ve ever read the Kipling poem that coined the term “White Man’s Burden”, you’ll find that Kipling (a product of the Victorian/Edwardian British Empire) viewed it at least as much as a responsibility than a privilege.

      1. Oh, yes–but Kipling was in favor of upholding white privilege, despite the responsibility of “uplifting” the native people over whom the British ruled, that he thought went along with it. I think our responsibility is to recognize it and get rid of it. No group should be privileged over another on the basis of many things, but skin color in particular.

  5. Whenever we complain about thieves, we should remember the blessings that has brought to those who benefited from the proceeds of the theft.

    This is what Giglio seems to be saying. He wants to glory in those “blessings”. I think they should be a source of shame.

    1. And the More-Calvinist-than-Calvin types glory in their Total Depravity.

      Are either of these something you really want to brag about?

  6. Since those Evangelicals are so big into God’s Laws in the OT when it is convenient, shall I quote this one:

    “He who kidnaps a man, whether he sells him or he is found in his possession, shall surely be put to death.”

    – Exodus 21:16

    Those slave traders and sellers (whether in Africa, the UK, or North America) would be executed under OT Law.

    1. I understand that “kidnapping” at the time and place was more in the context of slaver raids than the modern definition.

    2. There are two types of slavery in the OT depending on whether the slave is a fellow Hebrew or captured from elsewhere. That chapter seems to be talking about Hebrew slaves, and many of those laws about slavery do not apply to non-Hebrew slaves. (Note: I am not a subject matter expert, but the distinction is important.)

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