The sociological research book Divided by Faith by Michael Emerson and Christian Smith shows how white evangelical Christians see the solution to America’s race problem coming at an individual level, not a systemic or legislative level (p.115, “Let’s Be Friends” chapter). The predominant thought is that if everyone became a Christian, the race problem would […]
Black Voices on Ferguson: Saints TE Ben Watson, Rapper Bizzle, Pastor Tyler St. Clair
Benjamin Watson, Tight End for the New Orleans Saints: From Ben Watson’s Facebook page: ( http://tinyurl.com/oo9szxv ) “At some point while I was playing or preparing to play Monday Night Football, the news broke about the Ferguson Decision. After trying to figure out how I felt, I decided to write it down. Here are my […]
Bizzle’s Powerful Message to White Christians on Ferguson, Compassion
To my white Christian friends, when you read/listen to this, do so with humility, an open heart, and most of all with compassion. The question is not “Do you agree with all of Bizzle‘s points?” The question is, “Do you have compassion on what Bizzle, Michael Brown, Trayvon Martin, John Crawford, Eric Garner and so […]
My faith hero John M. Perkins on Racism, Reconciliation & the Church
I had the privilege of attending a luncheon today featuring 84-year-old John M. Perkins, a man who tops my list of faith heroes. His autobiography Let Justice Roll Down is a must read and will transform you. Dr. Perkins was a key leader in the Civil Rights Movement, was tortured and almost killed in prison […]
Ferguson’s Michael Brown Reveals Problem + What We Can Do About it
By now everyone has most likely heard about the shooting and killing of unarmed 18-year-old African-American Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri on August 9, 2014. The story is intense and certainly a lot to digest. Stories like these can be tough to figure out because they often feel like a case of “he said, she […]
How Being “Color Blind” Whites Out Minorities
For most of my life, I never thought having a multiracial church mattered. I also thought racism didn’t really exist anymore. Slavery was over. Don’t use the “N word”, be nice to black people and racism is eliminated. As a rough summary, this is what a lot of white Christians think about race. If asked […]