Professor Rah and race issues

If you've never heard of Professor Rah (Soong-Chan Rah), he is one you ought to check out.  I have not read his book The Next Evangelicalism yet, but I plan to.  He is a professor at a seminary in Chicago, and if you want to read some of his thoughts you can check out his blog (see my blogroll).  He is an expert on race issues, particularly related to the church in America.  In a recent review of the movies Avatar and The Blind Side (and how they relate to race), he said this: 

"Last year I was speaking at a mission conference comprised mainly of white suburbanite participants. I was listening to the speaker before me, when he dropped this little gem: “It’s not about a handout, but a hand up.” Actually, it’s not about either. A handout means you think you’re better than me and you’re handing me something (something I probably don’t deserve). A hand up means you think you’re better than me and you’re trying to lift me up from a bad place to your wonderful place. Actually, if it’s a choice between the two, I’d rather have the handout. If you’re going to be condescending, I might as well get a direct benefit out of it instead of being told that I need to become like you.  Forget the hand out or the hand up. Just reach a hand across. Let’s be equals and partners. I don’t need you to rescue me just like you don’t think you need rescuing by me. My rescuer is a Jewish carpenter. I want to be a co-laborer in Christ with you, not your reclamation project."

I thought these were great thoughts, and certainly relate to the ways we pursue God's Kingdom as Christians and the ways we "do" church.  I have heard conversations about how to "expand" particular churches racially, about how to attract people of other races, and this viewpoint makes me nauseous.  As Rah says, how about we actually stop seeing ourselves as the central figures in the story, as the heroes who need to rescue those of lesser financial means or different ethnicity?  How about we start actually seeing all people as our equals, those who speak English and those who do not, those who have a high school education and those who do not, those who are black or white or Asian or Latino?  I do not believe we would have much a race problem if we truly did not see "the other" through any lens, but only saw all others as fellow humans we can reach a hand across to, humans we can partner with and love with the love of Christ...