| The American church needs the carpenter from Nazareth to deconstruct the house that racism built and remake it into a house for all nations. — Jemar Tisby 
The Color of Compromise by Jemar Tisby from session one, The Color of Compromise 
Welcome to Bible Study of the Week, where every Sunday we give you the free first sessions of video Bible studies from leading authors, pastors, and Bible teachers.
Jemar Tisby is the New York Times bestselling author of The Color of Compromise (over 100,000 copies sold!) and the brand-new book How to Fight Racism. He's the president of The Witness: A Black Christian Collective where he writes about race, religion, politics, and culture. Jemar will also be hosting a free lecture on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, tomorrow Januay 18th, at Calvin College at 12:30 pm EST and you can watch it online!
Today's selection is the first session of The Color of Compromise. Equal parts painful and inspirational, this study details how the American church unfortunately has often helped create and maintain racist ideas and practices. You will be guided in thinking through concrete solutions for improved race relations and a racially inclusive church.
*
Racism is one of the most polarizing conversations in our world and in the church. So why should the church wade into this difficult topic? In session 1, we'll make the case for The Color of Compromise.
INTRODUCTION
On September 15, 1963, four little girls Addie Mae Collins, Denise McNair, Carole Robertson, and Cynthia Wesley were brutally murdered in a bombing at the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama. The vicious attack killed these four girls and injured at least twenty more people. This was one of many such attacks of intimidation and terror that marked a brutal period of the civil rights movement, a time of violent racial tragedy.
In response to this bombing, a lawyer named Charles Morgan Jr. stood in front of a group of his peers and asked this piercing question, "Who did it? Who threw that bomb?… The answer should be, 'We all did it.'" Morgan's question echoes today as we begin our study about racism in the history of the American church, and his quote reveals a key truth about what racial injustice and the history of racism in America needed to succeed: the compromise of Christianity's biblical and moral convictions. Jemar Tisby points out:
"History teaches that there can be no reconciliation without repentance. There can be no repentance without confession. There can be no confession without truth."
The Color of Compromise tells the truth about American church's complicity in racism. The purpose of this study guide is to equip you with the truth so that you can share it with others. Together, we can work toward correcting the American church's embarrassing legacy of complicity regarding systemic racism. This legacy of systemic racism has harmed the lives of ethnic minorities while also sullying the church's witness to the world. That's why it is important to tell the truth.
The truth, no matter how uncomfortable it may be, will set us free from the power of racial injustice. This study guide is designed to challenge everyone who seeks to engage the truth of racial injustice with honesty and hope. Honesty requires us to look back with accuracy. Hope requires us to look forward with anticipation. With honesty and hope, the American church can shift its shameful past of racial injustice into a future of racial healing.
When speaking about racial injustice in the church, it is important to note that we will primarily be speaking about the white church and white Christian responses to Black people in the United States. Not that this is the only divide worth studying. Plenty of other divides can — and should — be explored in depth. And many of the principles covered in this study could be applied more broadly in discussing other forms of racism in the American church.
As you begin this journey, you must be honest and acknowledge how you feel confronting these uncomfortable truths. As Jemar shares with us, this could be a difficult study for several different reasons. Some people who learn these historical facts will characterize the pursuit for racial justice as "Marxist," "liberal," or "divisive." Seeing others respond that way may be frustrating or even painful to hear. Lean in and acknowledge your feelings, remembering that countless other people have faced similar rejection.
Others who watch will be frustrated by the overwhelming task of unlearning the narratives that have been taught to them in the past. These narratives were often taught by people who we trusted to lead us. Identifying and replacing unhelpful teaching with better information will feel painful and, at times, heartbreaking. Do not ignore what you are losing, and honestly grieve what you have lost. No matter when you are taking this journey, remember that it is never too late to do the right thing.
Finally, we encourage you to remember that this study is rooted in Jesus. We believe that the foundation of all reconciliation was accomplished by Jesus on the Cross. Peace among racial and ethnic groups is not something we have to achieve by our own wisdom and strength. The foundation has been laid, and we must begin by receiving the work that has been done for us in faith. As we learn the hard truth about racism in the American church, remember to rest in the truth and victory that Jesus provides us.
With this in mind, pay attention to this word from Jemar as we begin: "The American church needs the carpenter from Nazareth to deconstruct the house that racism built and remake it into a house for all nations. My hope for this video series is that you would move from being actively or passively racist to being actively antiracist. I call you to abandon complicit Christianity and move toward a courageous Christianity."
 Your Turn
Watch the video, come get the remaining session one study questions, and share your thoughts on this study on our blog. We want to hear from you!
Learn how to fight for a more racially unified church
Save 30% off + get FREE shipping on your order of $30 or more The Color of Compromise The Truth about the American Church's Complicity in Racism  Study Guide List Price: $14.99 Sale Price: $10.49 (30% off) An acclaimed, timely study of how people of faith have historically—up to the present day—worked against racial justice. And a call for urgent action by all Christians today in response.
The Color of Compromise is both enlightening and compelling, telling a history we either ignore or just don't know. Equal parts painful and inspirational, it details how the American church has helped create and maintain racist ideas and practices. You will be guided in thinking through concrete solutions for improved race relations and a racially inclusive church.
In The Color of Compromise Video Study, Jemar Tisby takes us to the root of injustice in the American church. This study:
The Color of Compromise is not a call to shame or a platform to blame white evangelical Christians. It is a call from a place of love and desire to fight for a more racially unified church that no longer compromises what the Bible teaches about human dignity and equality. A call that challenges black and white Christians alike to standup now and begin implementing the concrete ways Tisby outlines, all for a more equitable and inclusive environment among God's people. Starting today.
Sessions include:
Designed for use with The Color of Compromise Video Study (9780310102205), sold separately or available via online streaming at StudyGateway.com.
Save 30% off + FREE shipping on the DVD study 
NEW THIS MONTH
Save 30% off Jemar Tisby's
How to Fight Racism: Courageous Christianity and the Journey Toward Racial Justice  Hardcover List Price: $24.99 Sale Price: $17.49 (30% off) Racism is pervasive in today's world, and many are complicit in the failure to confront its evils. Jemar Tisby, author of the award-winning The Color of Compromise, believes we need to move beyond mere discussions about racism and begin equipping people with the practical tools to fight against it.
How to Fight Racism is a handbook for pursuing racial justice with hands-on suggestions bolstered by real-world examples of change. Tisby offers an array of actionable items to confront racism in our relationships and in everyday life through a simple framework--the A.R.C. Of Racial Justice--that helps readers consistently interrogate their own actions and maintain a consistent posture of anti-racist action. This book is for anyone who believes it is time to stop compromising with racism and courageously confront it.
Tisby roots the ultimate solution to racism in the Christian faith as we embrace the implications of what Jesus taught his followers. Beginning in the church, he provides an opportunity to be part of the solution and suggests that the application of these principles can offer us hope that will transform our nation and the world.
Tisby encourages us to reject passivity and become active participants in the struggle for human dignity across racial and ethnic lines. Readers of the book will come away with a clear model for how to think about race in productive ways and a compelling call to dismantle a social hierarchy long stratified by skin color.
*Sale price ends on 1/31/20.
*FREE U.S. shipping on orders of $30 or more, excluding Alaska and Hawaii.
*eBooks purchases are fulfilled by our partner, Glose. Please note that:
|
You are subscribed to FaithGateway Bible Studies. FaithGateway ~ our mission is to help you grow and share your faith.
|
Copyright © 2020 HarperCollins Christian Publishing, All Rights Reserved.
501 Nelson Place, Nashville, TN 37214 USA
Terms and Conditions | Privacy Policy
*Manage Your Email Preferences or *Unsubscribe
Posts
.jpg?x-oss-process=image/auto-orient,1/quality,q_70/resize,m_mfit,w_350,h_350/format,webp)
No comments:
Post a Comment