Georgia pastor draws backlash after suggesting slavery was a ‘white blessing’
A Georgia pastor is apologizing for comments he made during what was billed as “an open and honest conversation around how racism has plagued” the Peach State’s capital.
Louie Giglio, pastor of Passion City Church in Atlanta, was met with criticism this week after citing “the blessing of slavery” for providing the framework for the privileges white Americans enjoy today. Giglio also suggested using the phrase “white blessings” instead of “white privilege.”
The pastor’s controversial comments came during a sit down with Christian rapper Lecrae and Chick-fil-a CEO Dan Cathy on June 14, according to culture writer Nicola Menzie.
Giglio has since tried to clarify his statements, admitting his “word choice wasn’t great.”
“Not seeking to refer to slavery as blessing - but that we are privileged because of the curse of slavery,” he wrote on Twitter. “In calling it a privilege/benefit/blessing — word choice wasn’t great. Trying to help us see society is built on the dehumanization of others. My apology, I failed.”
Lecrae and Cathy joined the pastor for the Sunday service, which was streamed online.
Speaking to Lecrae, Giglio began: “I feel like on the inside of the church we’re fighting this historical context you talk about. In other words, we love the blessing of the cross but we don’t love to sit in it and realize this is what God is asking me to do, to die to myself, and live for him, whatever context that’s going to look like for me,” according to clips posted online.
While white Americans are aware of “the curse that is slavery,” the pastor said, they miss “the blessing of slavery — that it actually built up the framework for the world that white people live in and lived in.”
Continuing, Giglio argued that “white privilege” is a trigger word for white people and suggested using a different phrase instead.
“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 I think maybe a great thing for me is to call it ‘white blessing’. That I’m living in the blessing of the curse that happened generationally that allowed me to grow up in Atlanta,” the pastor said, according to the video.
Backlash was swift, with critics arguing that Giglio’s attempt to rephrase the term is peak white privilege.
“Toxicity of white supremacy right here. They’re uncomfortable with the term ‘white privilege’ so they want to call it ‘white blessings,’ GTFOH!” psychiatrist Welansa Asrat commented in response to the pastor’s remarks.
“How do you purport to have an honest conversation abt race while centering your opinion on which words matter and redefining the words YOU don’t think fit?,” someone else asked.
Social media critics also ripped into Lecrae, who is African-American, for seemingly agreeing with the pastor’s points.
“@lecrae you let a White man say some foolishness and didn’t check him because you want to lead with ‘grace’ and ‘love,’ “ one Twitter user opined. “You were wrong. Own that. Doing all you do for Black people should include standing up for them when it’s uncomfortable. You should have done that then.”
A video from later in the talk showed the Christian rapper’s response to Giglio’s comments.
This story was originally published June 16, 2020 at 9:15 AM with the headline "Georgia pastor draws backlash after suggesting slavery was a ‘white blessing’."