Twelve Principles For Racial Integration

Five Things Not To Say To Your New Black Friend

Leon Brown:

1. "You are very articulate."
2. "We're colorblind in our family."
3. "Ask Leon, he's black."
4. "Are you related to...?"
5. "Meet the Jones Family."

Read the rest for his explanations.  

The White Guy Who Doesn't Know How To Talk About Race

Barnabas Piper offers some honest reflections on being white and wanting to seek change in reference to racial issues but isn't sure where to start.  Obviously he is writing in general terms as he speaks about "white people" but his contribution to the discussion is valuable and I'm sure many can relate.

Reconciliation Has to be a Priority

Ray Ortlund:

Aim for restoration.  2 Corinthians 13:11 

“Aim for restoration” was highly relevant to this community in Corinth.  They were broken at multiple levels.  They were making progress, but there was much good still to accomplish.  So, “aim for restoration” was ideal as an all-encompassing intention.  For any gospel-defined church, then or now, restoration is an obvious priority. 

But is it obvious?  Or, is it obvious to us today?  Few churches and movements, it seems, are free from relational strains and fractures.  A settled wholeness seems rare.  But I wonder if restoration is the priority it deserves to be. 

Earlier in 2 Corinthians Paul defined his life work as “the ministry of reconciliation” (2 Corinthians 5:18).  He defined the gospel as “the message of reconciliation” (verse 19).  That is why he did not say, “We have moments of reconciliation now and then.”  No, he saw his calling as “the ministry of reconciliation.”  In other words, “Reconciliation is all I do.  It’s how I roll.  It isn’t a preference.  It is a gospel necessity, an obvious one.” 

I wonder how many of our churches and movements can honestly say, with the apostle, “Reconciliation is our ministry, because it is our message.  We have no higher priority.  We want to be living proof of the gospel.  This is obvious to us.” 

Aiming for restoration deserves to be a matter of prayer and priority in 2014 for every gospel-defined church and ministry.  Settling for the status quo – where is that in the gospel?  We might not succeed in renewing shalom with everyone (Romans 12:18).  Some people will always be unsatisfiable.  But have we tried?  To whatever extent God gives success, we will be more ready for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit we all long for, for the salvation of many others around us. 

What wonderful things might the Lord do for us all in 2014, if we allow the gospel of reconciliation to define, or perhaps redefine, our ministry priorities?

Books by Ray Ortlund:

• Proverbs:  Wisdom That Works
• Isaiah:  God Saves Sinners
• A Passion for God: Prayers and Meditations on the Book of Romans
• God's Unfaithful Wife: A Biblical Theology of Spiritual Adultery
• When God Comes to Church: A Biblical Model for Revival Today

Revisiting Martin Luther King's 1963 Dream speech

More photos here.

The Black Family in Politically Conservative Discourse

Very helpful thoughts here from Thabiti Anaybwile.

How The American Church Can Learn From the African-American Experience

Great post here with answers from Thabiti Anaybwile.


Books by Thabiti:

• Finding Faithful Elders and Deacons (9Marks)
• What Is a Healthy Church Member? (IX Marks)
• The Decline of African American Theology: From Biblical Faith to Cultural Captivity
• The Faithful Preacher: Recapturing the Vision of Three Pioneering African-American Pastors

Racial Reconciliation is a Big Deal Because Unity is a HUGE Deal

John Poitevent:

A dying man's last words are often his most important, and in the 17th chapter of the gospel of John we read the last recorded prayer of Jesus before going to the cross. Our Savior could have prayed for a lot of things here. He could have prayed for the overthrow of the Romans, or the spread of the gospel, or for... himself. But He didn't. In some of His final moments on this earth, Jesus prayed for us and for the unity of His Church. Not just a church, but the Church: all believers on the earth.

“... I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one - I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me." John 17:20-23

Did you notice the "if/then" statement that this passage clearly makes? The Church should be unified "so that the world may believe that you have sent me..."and "Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me."

Jesus says the unity of the Church causes people to believe in Him. Unity is evangelistic! It is so evangelistic that Jesus made it His final prayer. I guess this means He actually did pray for the spread of the gospel. And, tragically, we must assume that disunity in the Church has the opposite effect.

Read the rest.

John just launched a new blog.  I would encourage you to follow him on twitter or add to your RSS feed.  

On Laying Down Our Rights...

Bryan Loritts:

At the height of the Civil Rights Movement, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. stood to address the annual gathering of the SCLC. Not long into his remarks a man rushed the stage and began hitting Dr. King in the face. Audience members would later recall that the sound of the man’s fists across King’s face made a loud popping noise. They would also reflect on their own astonishment as they watched the leader of the movement simply relax his shoulders, while letting his arms droop by his thighs. After a few moments, some of Dr. King’s associates rushed the assailant, while King instructed them not to strike the man.

King’s actions that day would galvanize the movement, as those who sat in the crowded auditorium saw a man instinctively practice the very non-violent philosophy he so eloquently preached. While he may have credited Gandhi as inspiration for his ideology, he looked more like the Nazarene who patiently endured the suffering of the cross. Martin Luther King emulated Jesus’ life, as he followed in the footsteps of the God-man who laid down his rights for the benefit of others.

Central to the gospel message is the un-American notion of laying down one’s rights. Standing on a mountain teaching the masses one day, Jesus said, “Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles” (Matthew 5:39-41). Roman law stipulated that at any given moment a soldier could come up to you and ask you to carry his pack, and you were obligated to carry it one mile. However, Jesus says that at the end of that mile don’t just wipe the sweat from your face, toss him the pack and exhale that you’ve fulfilled your rights. Go with him two miles. Even more troubling Jesus says that if your enemy slaps you on your right cheek, turn to him the other one as well. Again, not a really popular American sentiment, but what Jesus is hammering home is the necessity of laying down your rights. King must have had this whole bit about turning the other cheek at the forefront of his mind as he stood on that stage being popped by his enemy.

I have a hard time with this. Something in me rises up when I feel as if I’ve been wronged. You cut me off on the freeway I want to at least speed up to you, give you a look and let you know I’m not happy about it. My kid comes home with a bloody nose, everything within me convulses and screams, “Get him back”. I mean after all, lawyers make well into the six figures to ensure that people hold onto their rights.

What brought America to its knees wasn’t an army of people rioting in the streets, cursing and screaming at their abusers. To the contrary, it was little kids attacked by German Shepherds in the streets of 1963 Birmingham who refused to retaliate. It was the sight of what Billie Holiday described as strange fruit- lynched black bodies swinging from southern trees. What toppled old man Jim Crow was the thunderous rush of water from fire hydrants turned on peaceful marchers. Turning the other cheek, laying down rights is what allows me to sit in any seat on any bus in Memphis.

More than home ownership or drinking out of any water fountain I choose, it was Jesus who laid down his rights that paved the way for my salvation. Peter writes of Jesus, “When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed” (I Peter 2:23-24). In short, it was Jesus’ refusal to hold onto his rights that lead to my adoption into the family of God.

When I ease the grip on what is rightfully mine I don’t lose ground, I actually gain ground. I wonder how many marriages would be in a better place if both spouses would stop looking out for themselves, lay down their rights and seek the best in the other? This is the gospel. And it is this gospel that spawned the Civil Rights Movement which lead to the freedoms that I and generations of African American’s enjoy. For this I am forever grateful to Dr. King.

Read the rest.

The Joyful Pursuit of Multi-ethnic Churches

Jemar Tisby:

Forming multi-ethnic churches seems to be appealing at first, but unless believers grasp the profound joy of pursuing diversity, the challenges of this type of ministry will quickly deflate them.

Churches that desire a more multi-ethnic membership desire a good thing, but it's not easy. Some churches are located in areas with virtually no ethnic diversity. Other churches across the spectrum still have leadership or laity who actively fight against any mixing ethnicities in their congregation. Still more churches may have the desire but lack the resources to effectively pursue multi-ethnicity.

While these problems are real, the right motivation can help churches persist in the call to multi-ethnicity. But people often have the wrong motivations. Guilt can be a motivation---this is especially true for people in the racial majority. The argument goes: "Whites have marginalized and oppressed blacks for so long, churches need to make it right by 'reaching out' to different races and ethnicities." While guilt has its place, this emotion will hardly give churches the determination they need to persevere through the difficulties of becoming multi-ethnic.

Another common motivation is fear. Christians fear lots of things about being in a mono-ethnic church. We fear that as neighborhood demographics change we will lose people. We fear that we will become irrelevant in the community. We fear being racist, or classist, or elitist. Fear, too, has its place. But that won't keep churches moving toward a multi-ethnic vision.

We need to be reminded of the joy of diversity. We need to keep that joy before us so it can motivate us for the marathon that is multi-ethnicity ministry. Here are six joys of pursuing a multi-ethnic make-up in churches.

Read the rest.  

Lecrae and Fatherlessness in the Black Community

This is Our City:

"Be the last of a dying breed, it's time that we man up." That's the last line of the new "Man Up Anthem" from Christian rap group 116 Clique. The song is just one sliver of a growing campaign launched last year by rapper Lecrae, 32, and his Reach Records in Atlanta, to get young men in hip-hop culture to "man up" into responsible husbands and fathers across the country.

Lecrae, whose outspoken faith and creative rhymes have gained the attention of John Piper and BET alike, has skyrocketing album sales for a Christian hip-hop artist, landing on Billboard's top 200 and independent album charts. But the Houston native is determined to steward his recent fame to address chronic social ills affecting communities nationwide, one man at a time.

Read the rest.

Get Lecrae's music here.

Some Thoughts on Racial Harmony

Kevin DeYoung:

...let me suggest two simple things white Christians can do that would be huge steps in the right direction toward racial harmony. One, we can understand that we don’t understand what it is like to be black and then try our best to see what we don’t understand. Let’s admit we are clueless about a lot of stuff. Two, we could chillax on the racial front and just be normal friends with the minorities we know. Talk about stuff you like. Talk about your kids. Talk about the Bible. Talk about the gospel. Of course, be open to talking about the sticky racial issues, even though you might be uncomfortable or might see new sins. But don’t make friends with blacks so you can say “my black friend says” or because you want to know “how black people think” or because you are passionate about social justice. Just make friends because you are friendly. Don’t go looking for a social laboratory. Go out and meet someone you don’t know. Take it easy, be yourself, and see what happens.

Read the rest.

Moving from Forgiveness to Reconciliation

Steve Cornell:

He said I am sorry, but it's at least the tenth time! I don't know what to do. I am told that it's my Christian duty to forgive, and the Lord knows I've tried. But each time I forgive him, he changes for a little while and then returns to the same behavior. I have a gut feeling I am handling things the wrong way. He never really changes, and I just get angrier. What should I do?

Sound familiar? I encounter people all the time who are trying to forgive someone who has repeatedly hurt them. They know it's their Christian duty to forgive, but they often feel they're either being deceived or taken advantage of. They also have a disturbing sense that they're enabling the selfish behavior of the very one they're trying to forgive.

Is this what forgiveness requires? Is it possible to forgive someone and to withhold reconciliation? We must learn the differences between forgiveness and reconciliation. Forgiveness is always required by God, but it does not always lead to reconciliation.

Read the rest.

A Black Teenager's Rite of Passage

Frances Cudjoe Waters:

I still remember the first time it happened. I was dropping off my 17-year-old cousin at a friend’s house in the wealthy, white Massachusetts suburb in which I lived and where my father is still a professor. We knocked on the wrong door. Minutes later, I was pulled over by the police. Slight, young and scared, I was interrogated about my activities, whether I was delivering drugs and what I was up to.

I remembered. My parents had sat me down months before when I got my license.

It doesn’t matter that you’re female. It doesn’t matter that you’re an honors student. It doesn’t matter that you’ve never been in trouble a day in your life. It doesn’t matter that you are leaving to start attending Stanford this fall. When most of these police officers see you, all they will see is a young black girl and that can be dangerous. So, when you are harassed — and you will be — try to stay calm. Try not to be afraid, and call us as soon as you can.

A black teenager’s rite of passage.

Read the rest.

Thabiti Reflects on #TheElephantRoom

He writes:

In the immediate aftermath of ER2, a wise older brother counseled me to avoid the inevitable flurry of blog activity for at least a week. That was really wise advice and I’ve taken a tad bit longer because I’m a tad bit slower than most. One benefit of the advice given was that it allowed a lot of the early reactions (pro and con) to come and go. That was useful simply for getting some perspective and not getting caught up in heat rather than light. As time wore on, more light began to shine through as godly people on both “sides” of the issue joined in with helpful thoughts. I’ve particularly appreciated the balanced and insightful piece Carson and Keller offered late last week. If you haven’t read it, you should. And if you have read it, you’ll probably want to read it slowly a few times. I certainly did.

Reading and re-reading Carson and Keller, as well as a number of other post-game reports, left me with a few reflections, for what it’s worth.

Read the rest.

#TheElephantRoom and "Sucking Up To Whitey"

I hope this is my last post about #TheElephantRoom that I post at Take Your Vitamin Z.

For a variety of reasons that I won't go into, all the Elephant Room hype and controversy makes me really nervous.  But God is sovereign over all of this and none of it is any threat to his Kingdom purposes.  My hope rests there.  We won't be talking about this in 50 (and most likely 5) years.  This too shall pass.

Let me say at the outset that I love much of what ER is trying to accomplish.  I LOVE the face to face interaction.  Let's quit talking past each other and talk to each other.  I commend James MacDonald for this.

That being said, I have intentionally left any commentary of my own from all of this, again for a variety of reasons, but mainly because as a pastor of a new congregation I have limited bandwidth in my brain to sit down and reflect on issues that don't have a direct impact on my people.  Most people in my church don't have a clue what Modalism is, who T.D. Jakes is, or what this Elephant Room thing is and why it matters.  That is not to say that it's not important, it's just to give a bit of perspective for me as I get nervous about the implications.  My main focus needs to be on my people understanding what it means to be a disciple of Jesus.  ER most likely doesn't have an immediate connection to that.

All that to say, in light of what I have seen recently from the ER there are many things that I could comment on but won't.  It's not worth it.  At least not for me.  I am thankful for the diverse voices that have shed light on what went down.  I have linked to the ones that I have appreciated.

But upon further reflection there is one aspect of all this that I can't quite keep quiet on anymore.  It is from this video.  Bryan Lorrits's comments start at 4:08 of the video.  I would encourage you to watch it and reflect on it.  Some key quotes:

"Some of the strongest reactions were from African-Americans in the blogosphere... and I'll just go ahead and say it... Who strike me as wanting so bad to be in the white theological world." 

"My concern is, African-Americans, a small minority, speaking against Jakes, and then leveraging that in the white theological world... to be in their circles.   We want to be in their circles, so we will allow ourselves to be used as a puppet.  That is my perception of this backlash."

Who are these comments directed to?  Thabiti? Voddie?  Anyone else I don't know about who is black and Reformed and has concerns?   How could Bryan actually know this for sure about the aforementioned men and their motives?  Now maybe Bryan could say that it wasn't directed at these men.  Then why not name who you are thinking of and give some actual examples?  Sound like we should have Thabiti, Voddie, and Bryan talk about this issue next year at ER3! 

Where is the comment that Truth might transcend race?  Is there white truth and black truth?  How about Jesus' truth? He was neither black nor white.  I am not dismissing the fact that we all have our baggage and we all come to the text of scripture with our perspective that is informed by any number of things, race being one of them.  But this comment will not serve the greater goal of theological unity that transcends race and flows from Ephesians 2:13-22.  The "dividing wall of hostility" keeps getting taller when I listen to Bryan's comment.  

Doug Wilson sums up my feelings quite well in his post today that is worth the full read:

I have written elsewhere about how it might someday come to pass that Americans will have an adult conversation about race relations. We are clearly not there yet, but allow me to say just one or two things about it. And I will preface this by acknowledging that I am writing this as a white man. The consolation should be that if what I write is true, then the truth of what I say is not white at all, not even a little bit. I have throughout my adult life spoken as a white man, but I have never managed to say a white truth.

Some might wonder why white Reformed Christians unloaded on Rob Bell right away, but they were much slower to do so with T.D. Jakes. Didn't this expose the black pastors who were critical of the invitation to Jakes to the charge that they were trying too hard to do acceptable theology in the white man's world? This could be the result of a double-standard, but it might also have a more honorable basis. Speaking for myself, it is much easier for me to see what Rob Bell and his skinny jeans are up to. As soon as I see the schtick, I know. But when something arises from outside my cultural environment (which is north Idaho, white people, and trees), it takes a bit longer for me to get up to speed. But once you are up to speed, and everything is translated, the response really should be identical. I don't believe in "ready, fire, aim," but that doesn't mean that it is never time to fire.

At the same time, when responsible concerns like this are raised, by someone who doesn't have to get up to speed like I do, I believe that everyone who on all sides of the controversy should at a minimum treat it with respect. To dismiss such an agonized and heartfelt lament as sucking up to whitey quite frankly took my breath away. That was just not good.

So if the white inner circle guys are delayed in their responses, those playing the race card can say that these black pastors are desperately trying to earn their way into the inner circle. But if the white guys are right there with them, then the same card can still be played -- saying that the black critics are just so many hand puppets. This is because the race card is a joker. You can play it whenever and however you feel like it. There are some very good reasons for removing that card from this game.

For some, delayed reaction might also have an understandable but less honorable cause. If the race card was played on some conscientious black pastors who had legit concerns about Jakes, how much more likely would it be played on white Christians who went after Jakes? In short, when people create double-bind, damned-if-you-do, damned-if-you-don't scenarios, the game is called gotcha. When a lack of racial involvement together is called bigotry and engaged involvement is called tokenism, then it seems to me that somebody has a bad case of the cutes. Do that to me a couple of times, and I will just give you my card and ask you to give me a call when you have reached a final decision about what you want us to do.

Maybe there is something that I am missing here.  Maybe I don't have all the information.  I have a limited perspective.  I would love to be corrected if that is the case.  But from what I have seen, this comment needs to be repented of.  It grieves me greatly in light of the unity that I so strongly desire for the Church and the Kingdom of God. It is quite ironic that is was spoken during the follow up to an event that seeks to unify.  Seems like the divisions are running deeper now instead of getting more shallow.  I thought ER was supposed to be about the latter?

I'll just close with this.  Here is how it hits home for me...

I have a new friend at The Vine.  He is black.  He is coming out of an extremely legalistic and dysfunctional church across town.  He would call it a false church because it preaches a false gospel and I would agree.  He has found a home at The Vine because he loves the biblical vision of God that we preach from the Bible every Sunday.  He was compelled by a greater vision than skin color.  He was compelled by the Gospel to come to a church where he is a minority.  It grieves me greatly that he could be exposed to this material and hear from an older brother in the black Christian community and begin to question his motives for why he is at The Vine.  Is it because deep down he has race issues and he simply wants to be accepted by the white guys who are in power?  I would hate for him to see this video and begin to rethink his membership with us and return to his false church because he wants to "not be a puppet" for the white guys.  This cuts at the heart of what God is trying accomplish in his Kingdom and what we are trying to accomplish at The Vine.

Now some may say that black people SHOULD be asking this question.  Is it not a valid question?  Why is this question off limits?  Shouldn't we seek to be profoundly honest as we search our own motives?  Agreed.  Yes and amen.  But the forum is unhelpful and there needs to be way more explanation coming from Bryan to help a guy like my friend know how to handle this issue.  It was like a bomb was dropped and then people, black and white, are forced to figure out how to clean it up.

I pray that James MacDonald pulls the interview for the sake of unity in God's Kingdom that I know he longs for and was seeking to implement through the ER event.  I hope that Bryan repents of his comments or would, at least, seek to further explain them if he feels like he is being misrepresented.  I pray that we get beyond all this very soon.


**P.S.**  In the spirit of ER, I did reach out to Bryan and let him know that I wrote this post and would love for him to consider it and interact with me on it.

White America Coming Apart?

Collin Hansen reflects on the new book, Coming Apart: The State of White America, 1960-2010.  It is an interesting study and might not reflect what you think.

His conclusion:

Consider your own church. Is it a place where the classes mix? Have you considered planting a church or even starting a small group somewhere where the lower classes predominate? Especially for those of us who may not encounter them in our regular routines, the poor must not be neglected in our prayers or our evangelistic efforts. That process starts with overcoming the misconceptions about the spiritual needs and practices of our neighbors. Don't be fooled by the political rhetoric. They might vote Republican, but they need Jesus.

Read the rest.

Keep Your Head Up - A Review

Thabiti Anyabwile has a good review of Keep Your Head Up.  His conclusion:

Keep Your Head Up joins an important discussion already well underway between the conservative Cosby types who argue that African Americans need to accept and exercise more personal responsbility in addressing social problems and the liberal-progressive Dyson types who do not deny the need for personal responsibility but argue Cosby and his ilk overlook the more pervasive and debilitating effects of structural racism. Both Cosby and Dyson would criticize the Black Church for failing to play an effective role in resolving these social ills.

Keep Your Head Up speaks up to the church and for the church. The book really doesn’t break new ground, depending largely on the data and analysis already provided by Cosby and Dyson. The book’s main contribution is the insertion of the gospel in these discussions about African-American progress. If it did nothing else but repeatedly make known the Good News that the Lord Jesus Christ redeems sinners from their sin and brokennes, making them new, removing their guilt, and giving eternal life and everlasting hope through His death, burial, and resurrection, then it would have done a lot.

Perhaps it’s best to think of Keep Your Head Up as an early comment from evangelical Black Christians. There’s more that needs and certainly will be said. We can look forward to that. Read Keep Your Head Up for a start.

Read the rest.

My Favorite MLK Jr. Clip

Get John Piper's "Bloodlines" For Free

This would be a great start to your MLK Jr. Day.  Download and read.

John Piper:

Bloodlines is one of the most autobiographical books I have written. It tells my story from racism to the path of redemption. I preached on the theme of Bloodlines yesterday to mark Martin Luther King weekend. The title of the message was “From Bloodlines to Bloodline.” I argued that God is calling his people to move from the alienation of many bloodlines to the reconciliation of the single bloodline that began on the cross of Christ. 

I urged my people to read the book. Not because I care about selling books, but because I want them to know my story, to be aware to the global relevance of the issue, and to feel the hope that comes from the power of the gospel. 

In making the book available in a PDF version online for free we are trying to remove every obstacle that might keep you from that experience. 

Chapter six is the one I tried to unpack in the message. It is close to the center of the Gospel’s relevance for perseverance in the cause of Christ-exalting ethnic diversity.

If you would rather have a real book, you can get it here.