Allies - We are our brothers' keepers

a ministry toward racial reconciliation and justice

Learning and Learning to See

Before we, a majority white church, try to do anything active in the areas of racial reconciliation and justice we must start from a position of learning. Round One will be dedicated to listening to voices on the subject of racial reconciliation and learning, learning to see the role of color in America.

Seeking to learn puts someone in a position of humility. And there is much we can, we must, learn before we act. First, we must understand what it means to be part of the dominant majority culture in America. What are the ramifications and responsibilities of being white? Second, we must learn to see color, to understand and appreciate the history and life experiences of people of color in our majority white society. In these ways we must learn to overcome our luxury of being color blind. Put simply, the first steps are learning and learning how (and what) to see.

Reclaim Event - June 7, 2020

A time to grieve, pray, repent, and look for hope from the gospel as we wrestle with questions of pandemic and racial reconciliation

Readings

We begin with a round of reading to learn, becoming aware of the role of color and learning to see. Any action steps of Round One will be personal and lead to self-examination and markers of being awake to color.

Round One starts with two books:

In White Awake Pastor Daniel Hill leads us through an exploration of his realization of what it means to be part of the dominant majority culture in society. His book is an exploration of becoming awake to issues of race and color.

The Color of Compromise is history. Jamar Tisby shows a brief history of racism in America and the complicity of American Christians. While there are plenty of examples of overt participation, more importantly he focuses on the far subtler complicity of silence and inaction.

Why a Ministry of Racial Reconciliation and Justice

In Genesis 4 we see the immediate results of the sin that entered our world and ourselves in Genesis 3. The short version is this: a man kills his brother out of jealousy and anger. When asked by God where his brother is, he replies “Am I my brother’s keeper?”

Interestingly, God doesn’t answer the question in the context of Genesis 4. However, the narrative throughout the rest of the Scriptures shows a God who wants his people to be actively on the side of those who are poor, oppressed, outsiders – in short, the most vulnerable in society. 

So, the answer is yes. We are to be keepers; to champion, watch out for, and protect the vulnerable. As keepers we preach the gospel of Jesus so that hearts will be changed, that disciples will be made. We also disciple the church toward kingdom priorities, one of which is being our brother’s and sisters’ keepers.