Who is Rev. John Edgerton? Chicago church BANS all hymns by Whites in 'fasting from whiteness'
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS: A church in Chicago has reportedly been “fasting from Whiteness” for Lent season by banning music that has connection with Caucasian musicians. The First United Church of Oak Park has apparently said that they won’t be performing music written or composed by white people and rather include hymns from other cultures.
The church's website stated, “For Lent this year, First United is doing a mix of ‘giving something up’ and ‘taking something on.’ In our worship services throughout Lent, we will not be using any music or liturgy written or composed by white people,” before adding, “Our music will be drawn from the African American spirituals tradition, from South African freedom songs, from Native American traditions, and many, many more. For Lent, it is our prayer that in our spiritual disciplines we may grow as Christians, united in the body of Christ with people of all ages, nations, races, and origins.”
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Turning Point USA that reportedly filmed the church’s new signage announcing the move placed outside the establishment accused it of “disunity” and pushing the US “back to segregation times.” The decision was reportedly voluntarily taken by the church for the 40-day religious observance although the church's lead pastor, Rev. John Edgerton is a White.
Who is Rev. John Edgerton?
The BTS Center states that before serving the First United Church of Oak Park, Edgerton was with “churches in Boston and Minnesota.” “Ordained in the United Church of Christ, John also holds standing in the Presbyterian Church (USA). As part of his service to the wider church, John is a writer for the UCC’s Daily Devotional, distributed nationwide. Much of John’s focus in ministry has been on the way Christians live their faith outside the walls of the church,” the site added.
In 2017, Edgerton was reportedly arrested for confronting former Utah Senator Orrin Hatch. Old South Church in Boston shared about it on its Facebook page with a message from the pastor that read, “Thank you for your prayers. I’ve been released and everyone involved is safe. We confronted Senator Orrin Hatch earlier in the day, sharing personal stories of what a repeal of the Affordable Care Act would mean, and asking that he share his plan for replacing the Affordable Care Act.”
He had added, “He ignored us in the hallway, pretending as if we weren't there. He ignored a woman named Jamie as she asked him how her three children, now covered under the ACA, will be able to see a doctor. He tried to ignore us, and so we sat in front of his office and refused to leave. We were non-violent and loving and absolutely unashamed. Thank you, again, for your prayers. Rev. John Edgerton.”
Meanwhile, in a March 29 Evotional newsletter, the church has insisted on its unique "fast" while sharing an excerpt of Bruce Reyes-Chow’s book ‘In Defense of Kindness: Why It Matters, How It Changes Our Lives, and How It Can Save the World’. The portion from the book read, “When acts of kindness and calls for civility are fueled by social, economic, and racial privilege, these acts are often more about doing just enough to keep the status quo and not about transformative change for those who are experiencing struggle. This call for civility is dangerous. It assumes that well-intentioned people or organizations will actively seek out their flaws and correct them without any prodding from others, whether insiders or outsiders. We know this to be untrue. Protest, disruption, and “uncivilized” behavior is precisely what compels individuals and organizations to change, sometimes willingly and with integrity and sometimes because market forces compel them to change or go out of business.”