Sometimes it's not a good idea to quote the Bible
Former Texas Tech men's basketball coach Mark Adams, who is white, told one of his players, who is black, that there is "always a master and a servant." Adams claimed he was quoting the Bible, no reference included, about "coaching and when you have a job and being coachable." Apparently, the word "slave" was used in the original conversation he had with the player.
"I said that in the Bible, Jesus talks about how we all have bosses and we all are servants," Adams said, in defense of his remark, for which he did not apologize. "I was quoting the Bible about that."
I can see where those who jumped up to defend him, mostly white, Southern Baptist complementarians, as Mark Wingfield, the author of the article in Baptist News Global called them, doing so because they have so sharply divided the world into their definition of "woke" when it comes to their culture war issues that they are blinded to any kind of sensitivity. Frankly, I don't see where the master-slave analogy really fits in a coaching situation, that's not how athletic coaching works. It's not a "master-servant" relationship, the players are not "servants" of a coach who acts as a master. But that's really beside the point. The use of the term, by a white man to a black man, was insensitive and inappropriate and the defense of it was insensitive and wrong.
Dwight McKissic, pastor of Cornerstone Baptist Church in Arlington, Texas, responded by saying, "Satan quoted scripture to Jesus in the wilderness. Affirming slavery to a descendant of slaves , in order to challenge, correct or encourage a certain behavioral outcome, is highly insensitive or tone deaf, at best, or consciously or unconsciously racist at worst. Wrong either way."
Missing the Point
Without any criticism of the coach at all, not even a word about whether or not the use of the analogy would have been correct in the context that he used it, his defenders proceeded immediately to this being an attack on the Bible. That's the standard, fall back position when there is no legitimate criticism and when the intentional use of the analogy may have indeed been racist in its origins. The fact is that this coach was involved with this same player in a previous incident in which he actually spit on the player, and then brushed that off, too, saying he had a bad cough and accidentally "slobbered on" the player.
Quoting the Bible doesn't make the one doing the quoting right, nor does it excuse insensitivity. The same defenders of the coach are among those in the Southern Baptist Convention who insist that the Bible is the inerrant, infallible, "truth without any mixture of error, totally true and trustworthy" written word of God. And they have developed well-honed claws in the practice of ripping to shreds anyone who disagrees with their belief about it, and who fails to equate their interpretation of the Bible as also being inerrant and infallible. But they are perfectly willing to let a misquote or a bad interpretation stand if it lines up with their social agenda. And that's exactly what we have in this instance.
And Let's Get This Straight
Adams was not fired by Texas Tech University for quoting the Bible. That is a lie. Texas Tech University did NOT fire Coach Adams for quoting the Bible! Adams resigned, a day after he was suspended from coaching, for using an inappropriate and racist phrase he claims comes from the Bible. The phrase, or the terms "master" and "slave" exist in scripture, but not in the context or with the interpretation that he put on it. And beyond that, the insensitivity he showed was mind-boggling. He resigned, then turned around and negotiated a million dollar golden parachute exit at the expense of the taxpayers of the state of Texas.
And let's put this context in place. This is college basketball with big aspirations and big money. After an initial season where his team finished in the Sweet 16, the Red Raiders compiled a 15-16 record and a ninth place finish in the Big 12. Could it be that Adams' remarks in his "private conversation" with a player bore the marks of personal frustration and in a bad attempt to motivate, misused and misquoted the Bible and then tried to defend himself by claiming his critics were attacking the Bible? He was suspended for the comments he made, but after his team, playing under an assistant coach, lost its first round conference tournament game, that's when he chose to resign. Perhaps he decided that it was best to take the money and run, $4 million of Texas' tax dollars.
This is Not Rocket Science, People
Beloved let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. I John 4:7-8 ESV
It isn't difficult to understand how a black college basketball player could be offended by his white coach using a master-slave analogy to describe their relationship and as a means of motivation. First of all, as a Christian, he should have understood the potential of the offensive remark and chosen different words. If he wanted to encourage him with a Bible quote, there are plenty of those that could have made his point without resorting to using an analogy referencing slavery. Is the way American history has been taught in Texas so skewed that an adult wouldn't get it that those kind of remarks would be taken as offensive?
But I hear this kind of racism expressed all the time. Complaints from white people over the fact that banks and post offices are closed on the celebration of MLK's birthday. An African American family I know whose children received unexcused absences from their school because their family took three days to attend President Obama's inauguration. A private school in Texas penalizing African American students for going to a Juneteenth parade instead of to school that day. Remember the controversy surrounding the firing of shock radio jock Don Imus over the disparaging racial remarks he made about the mostly African American women's basketball team at Rutgers? Why should a college basketball player be subject to that just because the guy is his coach?
Racism is still alive in this country, and it can still be found in places where it isn't expected.
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