The Diana Singing and the apology that wasn’t
There are two kinds of apologies, one that says: “we were wrong” and one that says: “I’m sorry people felt wronged.”
The Board of Directors of the Diana Singing, after posting on their Facebook Page an image and video of the Confederate Flag being displayed at the Diana Singing, were notified a month ago that the picture and video of these images were not consistent with Christian principles. I Corinthians 6 and 8 were both cited. They were asked to cite scriptural justification for leaving these images up. They did not respond to these inquiries, instead adamantly refusing to take down the image.
Three times we privately notified the Diana Singing that they should take down the image. We also privately told them that since the Diana Singing appeared in our Bible Workbook Series acknowledgements, we would feel it necessary to take public action if they continued to refuse. We very reluctantly went public with this issue, asking for help. We urged everyone to reply with kindness and forgiveness, even citing Ephesians 4:32 in the post. After three weeks, the Diana Singing relented and took the images down.
Yesterday we were contacted by a reporter from the area who became aware of the issue from one of their readers. The reporter specifically asked if we would consider going back to the Diana Singing under any circumstances. We mentioned that if a sincere public apology was made by the Board of Directors issued a statement recognizing that their actions were indeed inconsistent with Christian principles, then yes, we would consider it.
The reporter asked if we thought the statement should be made at the Singing, and we responded in the negative, indicating that there was no point in raising the issue where people might not know, and that statement should be made in the same venue (Facebook) in which the post occurred.
The reporter then contacted a member of the Board of Directors of the Diana Singing. In response, they drafted and posted the carefully worded statement below. I do want to recognize that even this step must have been difficult for The Diana Singing Board of Directors. The effort is appreciated.
This carefully worded statement is not a recognition that the posting of pictures and video of the Confederate flag to Facebook are inconsistent with Christian principles. If the Board of Directors of the Diana Singing really is sorry (and not just trying to avoid negative publicity), we believe they should take the following actions. They should indicate that they have come to the realization that their actions, in posting the images and leaving them up for so long, were indeed wrong and inconsistent with Christian principles.
Our careful reading of the statement is that it does not say “we were wrong” but instead says “I’m sorry people felt wronged.”
The statement with our comments appears below. Read it for yourself, and feel free to comment.
“The Diana Singing Board of Directors wishes to extend a most sincere apology to anyone who was offended by recent pictures/video posted on this Facebook page.”
– This is not taking responsibility for the action. This is apologizing to those who found it offensive.
“In 51 years of existence, neither the Board nor the singing has ever raised or elevated the Confederate flag for observance or celebration, posted such pictures or support to any literature/websites/forums, or advocated for any type of discrimination whatsoever.”
– This carefully worded statement must be parsed to claim accuracy. The fact is, that in June 2019, the Confederate Flag flying at the singing was posted to the Diana Singing Facebook page.
“Our history of attendees from most states in the United States and numerous foreign countries will attest to the welcome and inviting atmosphere found at the singing. ”
-This one confuses us. It appears not to be a denial of posting this image, but an attempt to disprove a claim that is not being made.
-We wonder how many of these people have seen the image posted in June, and how many would still plan to attend.
– In the last twenty years of attending the singing, one can count on two hands the number of non-white people who have attended.
“Recognizing our responsibility to welcome all, the Board will take steps to prevent such potential offenses immediately.”
– These steps are not outlined here. Regrettably, the track record does not exactly inspire confidence in the efficacy of these hypothetical steps. What we do know is that the Diana Singing did not take the Confederate Flag picture and video off Facebook voluntarily as requested. In fact, they only took the pictures down after weeks of public pressure. A week later, this statement was posted to avoid more publicity.
“Please accept our humble apology.”
– See above. The context of the apology is not taking responsibility for the action. This is apologizing to those who found it offensive.
I am appalled at this. The very forgiveness you speak of in your article should be shown by you and this never published. I know personally some of the people who were there for the cleanup prior to the singing. They really do not owe anyone an apology because You may have done much harm in some peoples eyes to the Dianna Singing and YOU owe the an apology and retraction. It is simple fodder for the cows. Blessings.
The fact that this post is allowed here contrasts heavily with the Diana Singing Facebook page, where comments are routinely deleted.
There are many inaccuracies here. First, it is not “my article” at all. It was written by a third party who initiated contact with both me and the Singing. Second, the fact that it was published has nothing to do with the apology at all. The last line of the article could just as well have been left off, the article would have been published anyway.
The author of this post seems to labor under the impression that this somehow could have been avoided. That much is true. As we have repeatedly made clear, none of this would have happened had the Diana Singing done the right thing when they were given three opportunities privately to take the images and pictures down, citing I Corinthians 6 and I Corinthians 8, which make it clear that any action taken publicly which might offend brethren, even if it is mean harmlessly, is wrong. The Diana Singing Board was also notified of the need to go public in advance (because the Singing was acknowledged in the Bible Workbooks) and given time to take down the images. This did not happen. It was more than two weeks after the issue went public that the Diana Singing finally took them down. Two weeks later a reporter contacted us and the Diana Singing. It is my understanding that the reporter already determined to write the story. The night before the story, the Diana Singing published a carefully worded statement apologizing for offending people.
The author of this post would do well to read the posts on our blog. They explain in careful detail why the statement is unacceptable. They explain why the response is not the scriptural one, and gently suggest what would be acceptable instead.
As we made clear weeks ago, there is a difference between forgiveness and righteous anger. We forgive unconditionally and continue to cite Ephesians 4:32. This all makes us sad, we pray a lot over this issue, and take no joy in what we are doing. But like Christ turning over tables, love also demands confronting wrongdoing. Until the Board of the Diana Singing truly apologizes for not taking down the images as soon as they realized a brother was offended, we cannot in good conscience let this go.
We are not sure what this means: “It is simple fodder for the cows.”
However, we do appreciate closing with the word “Blessings.” What a great way to start the Lord’s Day. We all recognize that despite our differences, Christ died for our sins. Like the angel in Joshua 3, today we can recognize that we are not on one side or the other. We are on God’s side.
Grace and peace from the Bible Workbook team