The Snickers Bar Regimen

“Bigotry, prejudice, animosity, and malice would be the sins proper—spiritual diabetes—and basking thoughtlessly in your privileged status would be like being pre-diabetic. You aren’t being bad yet, but you are in the danger zone. There is something to this, but the problem is that the spiritual precautions we take are usually in the wrong direction entirely—treating our pre-diabetes with Snickers bars. We tend to fortify ourselves with guilt over that privilege when we ought to be overflowing with gratitude.”

Skin and Blood, pp. 53-54

The Men of Old Charleston Will Rise Up and Condemn . . .

“If you were going to be conceived as the child of black parents in North America, would you prefer Charleston in 1850 or Chicago in 2015? I know which one involves a certified nurse counting up all your pieces so that they can make sure they throw all of you away. Be honest. Be brutally honest, and in the light of that honesty I would then invite you to rethink everything you thought you knew about racial reconciliation.”

Skin and Blood, pp. 36-37