Race

What Would Martin Luther King, Jr. Think of Black Lives Matter?

Jeffrey Stivason
Jun 25, 2020
What would Martin Luther King, Jr. think of Black Lives Matter (BLM) and the violence it has spawned? What would he think of the death of Horace Lorenzo Anderson in CHOP? [1] What would he think about the shooting in Chicago that claimed the life of Mekhi James, a three year old boy? [2] What would...

The Gospel Matters

Jeffrey Stivason
Jun 17, 2020
Let me begin with an affirmation. The Gospel Matters. Some will immediately accuse me of being antagonistic. After all, Stan Wischnowski ran a headline that read “Buildings Matter” and he found himself without a job. [1] But I am not an antagonist. I am a minister of the Gospel. Others will ask, “...

Gospel Unity or Black Lives Matter

Jeffrey Stivason
Jun 13, 2020
As a pastor, I am for unity. It is part and parcel of the fabric of what it means to be a Christian. I am united to Christ by virtue of the Spirit of unity indwelling me. The Apostle Paul clearly enjoins every believer to be “eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bound of peace. There is...

A Biblical View of Race(s)

Guy Richard
Oct 4, 2019
The topics of racism, social justice, and racial reconciliation have been hotly debated topics within the Church and on social media for some time now. One of the questions that I have routinely encountered from Christians in these debates concerns the appropriateness of the word "race." The...

The Statement on SJ&G Explained: Article 12, Race/Ethnicity

Craig Mitchell
Dec 4, 2018
[Editorial Note: This is the twelfth post in a series of posts in which we have invited the authors of "The Statement on Social Justice and the Gospel" to expound upon the statement's affirmations and denials. We encourage our readers to take the time to read through our prefatory editorial note at...

A Historic Framework for Social Responsibility

Jay Harvey
Aug 10, 2017
How shall the church think about social issues of race, justice and power? It is increasingly popular for these issues to be framed and discussed in the church using the categories of social justice and racial privilege as defined by the social sciences. In secular academic settings such categories...

The Intricacies of Interracial Marriage

Editors
Apr 28, 2017
In light of current discussions regarding racial reconciliation, we thought that it might be a benefit to our readers to run a series of videos from a longtime contributor, Rob Ventura , and his wife, Vanessa, concerning a variety of subjects related to interracial marriage. Rob is the pastor of...

Longing for a Multi-Ethnic Church

Caleb Cangelosi
Jul 12, 2016
If Charlotte's Web were real, Charlotte might have written the following about the events of last week: "SOME WEEK!" "HORRIFIC" "DEVIANT" "HUMBLING". Two young black men shot dead by police officers, one in my home town of Baton Rouge. Five police officers shot dead by one young black man in Dallas...

Race and the American Church 6: Lynching, Violence & White Supremacy

Otis W. Pickett
Aug 13, 2015
The first half of this piece can be found here ~ Mark McDowell, Editor ...Americans also supported a physical degradation of African Americans largely through the practice of illegal lynching, which was a heinous and unspeakably violent activity that also violated the rights to due process,...

Race and the American Church 6: Lynching, Violence & White Supremacy

Otis W. Pickett
Aug 13, 2015
The first half of this piece can be found here ~ Mark McDowell, Editor ...Americans also supported a physical degradation of African Americans largely through the practice of illegal lynching, which was a heinous and unspeakably violent activity that also violated the rights to due process,...