Take the Racial Equity Challenge!

How many times have we been around the maypole of racial equity? At various times in our country, we get animated about race in America only after a few months to revert to old ways of thinking and acting. It sounds like failed New Year’s resolutions to me!

So how can we increase our awareness of systemic racism and then actually make the significant changes in our personal lives and social fabric that lead to transformation? Jesus has entrusted God’s work to us!

While we know that repentance leads to a greater experience of God’s grace, we need to be careful that we don’t skip over the confessional step. Confession always involves not only awareness of the sin but also taking responsibility for the consequences of that sin.

Sin comes in all shapes and sizes. In church, we seem to concentrate on the personal sins we commit. But the scriptures also remind us that sin also comes in super-size versions. Societies form around ideologies that then become ingrained in the laws of the land. Even when those laws are overturned, previously entrenched ideologies linger in attitudes and assumptions - especially when it relates to race.

So how do we break our “habitual” ways we unconsciously think and navigate our world? 


A STARTING POINT

A starting point is to commit to becoming more informed about systemic racism. Movies are a great way to walk a mile in another’s shoes. Reading and studying are other ways to expand your awareness. Listening and noticing are vital ways to open your heart and mind to a new way of seeing and experiencing our lives.

GET STARTED IN THE 21 DAY CHALLENGE

Choose one task from one of the resource lists; Watch, Read, Listen, or Notice. There is also a list of family resources for families to use and discuss. Now let me warn you. This process will be disruptive. Like a boat in a storm, you may have wished you had chosen to stay in your protective harbor. But this kind of disruption can lead to growth and transformation. When we have empathy and anger about the dehumanizing attitudes people of color live with in America, God’s “justice can flow like a mighty river and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream” (Amos 5:4). And that stream flows from the heart and commitment to change from God’s people. Join the 21-Day Racial Equity Challenge!