I had the privilege of preaching on the power of the Gospel to reimagine race on Sunday. The Gospel not only reimagines race, it turns our conception of race in America on its head, completely upside down, and gives us a perspective and reality of a truly diverse people seen and celebrated for their distinctiveness while at the same time abolishing any and all disparity between them.

If the church is to display the manifold (multi-colored) wisdom of God (Eph. 3:10), then we must first learn to be people that embrace the discipline of incarnational listening. We need to follow Jesus into spaces and places of diversity with our ears open and our hearts ready to receive the experiences and perspectives of those different from us.

To this end, in an effort to practice what I preach, I submit to you the Facebook post of my good friend, Cameron Friend. Cameron is an African American man who has become my friend and consistently allows me to see the world through his experience. Please, sit with this thoughtful, raw and challenging post. Resist the urge to poke holes, justify or question. Sit with this man’s experience and processing of the most recent shootings of unarmed black men. Sit. Learn. Mourn. Pray.

At the end of his post, Cameron gives a next step, suggesting a book and conversation. This must be the next step for us if we are to move forward toward racial reconciliation that is informed by the Gospel. I provide a beginning list of resources to check out in order to learn from and listen to different voices in the area of race.

Another day, another unarmed black man murdered by a police officer. Terrance Crutcher was killed without a gun, walking with his hands up toward his vehicle. Why is it that black men are being shot and killed by police while terrorist suspects, like Ahmad Khan Rahami, are being shot so that they can be subdued? How much longer must black people be murdered as enemies in their own nation before 'a more convenient season' arrives so that justice can be enacted? These killings, and other acts of racial discrimination, will continue until the majority believes and shows costly compassion (Luke 10:33-35). What will it take? A black man of 'worth' being killed? A black man with money and acclaim being killed? How much longer will you wait? Until the hashtags #CameronFriend, #AletheaLamberson, #ChrisNorman, roll through your timeline? Will it take my death? The death of another (or the one) black man you know? How many more people must be killed before it causes us all to take action? These deaths are not an abnormality. These deaths are a part of the greater epidemic of racism in this country. Until racism is acknowledged at the systemic level and people take ownership of a country built and sustained by prejudiced ideologies, black people will continue to be murdered and justice will escape the ears of the majority because the bellows of black Americans will be drowned out by tirades of cynicism, arrogance and deflective theology. If anyone is willing to take the next step in this conversation I suggest reading "America's Original Sin: Racism, White Privilege, and Bridge to a New America" by Jim Wallis. If anyone would like to have a healthy discussion about race, white privilege, or systemic injustice please comment or message me. I am more than willing to respectfully hear your heart and converse with you.

Watch:

- 13th streaming on Netflix now

- Selma streaming on Netflix and Amazon Prime

- The Stranger available here

Read:

- "America's Original Sin: Racism, White Privilege, and Bridge to a New America" by Jim Wallis

- Christians at the Border: Immigration, the Church, and the Bible by M. Daniel Carroll R.

- Disunity in Christ: Uncovering the Hidden Forces that Keep us Apart. By Christena Cleveland

- Letter from a Birmingham Jail By Martin Luther King Jr. available here