In his High Priestly Prayer, Jesus implied the Christian proclivity toward disunity through repeatedly requesting the Father to unify the Church. He then tied Christian unity to gospel witness.
I pray not only for these, but also for those in me through their word. May they all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us, so that the world may believe you sent me. I have given them the glory you have given me, so that they may be one one as we are one. I am in them and you are in me, so that they may be made completely one, that the world may know you have sent me and have loved them as you have loved me. (John 17:20-23).
Christian love and unity provide evangelical evidence that authenticates the person and work of Jesus Christ. D.A. Carson explains it like this,
As the display of genuine love amongst the believers attests that they are Jesus’ disciples (13:34-35), so this display of unity is so compelling, so un-wordly, that their witness as to who Jesus is becomes explainable only if Jesus truly is the revealer whom the Father has sent.
Jesus made the Church one with God and our relationships should declare this fact, yet the church is one the most segregated institutions in the United States (racial demographic statistics).
Identifying and overcoming the obstacles to racial conciliation requires Christians to take a deep look at ourselves. We must come to terms with our history of division as well as the often unseen, exclusionary aspects of our local church cultures (e.g. worship styles, teaching orientations, etc.), which are subjects not often addressed in predominantly White seminaries and local churches.
As a way to bridge this gap in education and training, I provide workshops that address the following subjects:
Defining Race
A History of Segregation
What It Means To Be White
Understanding Your Church’s Culture: Unconscious Obstacles that Limit Diversity
Racial Awareness, Christian Identity, and Racial Conciliation
Race and the Church workshops are currently unavailable. If you have any questions or would like to be added to the waitlist for a future workshop you may contact me here
Fees are based on group size and number of sessions scheduled.