How learning to see God and the world differently changed our view on race
The journey toward anti-racism and racial justice leads us through deep reflection on our own theological pilgrimage. We look at how our view of missiology, ecclesiology and Christology has changed over the years and how it has informed and transformed our views on racial equality in the culture and in the Church.
Simple but complex leadership principle: Effective leaders hold deep convictions and they regularly invite those convictions to be challenged by others who see the world differently.
Conversation overview:
- The close relationship between Christianity and colonization contaminated our missiology and our views on race
- We considered that the center of God’s activity in the world is not getting me to heaven. We began to see the Kingdom of God as the center of God’s activity rather than the programs of a local church
- We wondered what it means when discipleship doesn’t lead to changing views on race or to good news for people who have been traumatized.
- Paradigm shifts are painful. In the midst of the pain, God gives birth to something new. For new patterns of anti-racism to emerge, some things will have to die.
- Repentance means giving up our need to be “good white people” and cleaning up our messes.
Resources:
- The Gospel in A Pluralistic Society by Leslie Newbigin
- The Divine Conspiracy by Dallas Willard
- UnChristian: What A New Generation Really Thinks About Christianity and Why It Matters by David Kinnamon and Gabe Lyons
- Jesus and the Disinherited by Howard Thurmon
Jesus of the East: Reclaiming the Gospel for the Wounded by Phuc Luu
Listen to the other 2 episodes in this series:
- Listening and Learning: An African-American Leader Shares His Story
- How We Got Here: Reflecting on our learning about race
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