Race Conciliation
May 31 2020 • Cedrick Baker, Greg Boyd, Guest Panelists, Osheta Moore
Our series “Race Conciliation” might be an unfamiliar phrase, but it is not a typo! At least since the Tower of Babel, there has never been a time in human history when all of the various human ethnicities have lived in harmony. Instead, history is a long story of humans dividing into groups and fighting each other. So, we are not seeking “RE-conciliation” to a former “conciliated” state of peace and unity, but rather a first-time “conciliation.”
Beginning in response to the senseless killing of George Floyd, this series explores the ideas of systemic racism, the principalities of racism, and what a Kingdom view of race is.
Racism and Reconciliation: Learning Resources
Race Conciliation FAQs
A Lament for George Floyd
Sermons in this series:
This concluding sermon in our Race Conciliation series briefly addresses how prevalent racism has been in the history of the church. Then we hosted an extended panel discussion to answer questions we've gotten about race, and to discuss how to move forward as a reconciling people.
Topics: Kingdom of God,
Reconciliation
We are expected to go through life with friends who look like us. Being close with people who do not look like you is unusual in our culture, and the church tends to perpetuate this pattern. However, God’s Kingdom is comprised of people from all kinds of backgrounds that don’t look like our own. The question we all face is, “what will we do about it?”
Topics: Kingdom of God,
Reconciliation
We live in a world where Satan has laid claim to creation, while at the same time God is fighting to redeem all things through the work of the cross. These two fundamental forces are simultaneous, and we see them everywhere. Our calling is to participate in the good work that God is doing in order to advance the Kingdom.
Topics: Kingdom of God,
Problem of Evil
Sin not only resides in the hearts of individuals; it also is woven through the systems and structures of our corporate way of life. Jesus entered into these systems to transform them and he now invites us to join him, offering our voices to bring liberation and reconciliation to our world.
Topics: Kingdom of God,
Reconciliation
God is inviting us to respond to the volatile issues around racism in a uniquely Kingdom way, a way modeled by Jesus. This Kingdom way provides concrete handles for battling against the rulers, authorities and powers that drive racism in our world.
Topics: Kingdom of God,
Reconciliation
We primarily think about the problems we face today in terms of individualism, pointing fingers at persons who are making bad choices. However, the Bible speaks of the struggle against systemic issues, what are called “principalities and powers” that shape the structures of how we live. The unique call of Kingdom people is to focus our struggle against these systems, rather than against people.
Topics: Individualism,
Problem of Evil,
Satan
Why did Jesus die on the cross? The common response—to reconcile us to God—is only half of the answer. The other half, which is usually not preached in the white church, is to reconcile us to one another and creation.
Topics: Controversial Issues,
Kingdom of God,
Reconciliation
This has been a troublesome week, with the gruesome murder of George Floyd and the unrest that this has caused both in Minnesota, and around the country. Greg offers a Kingdom perspective on the situation and challenges the church to wake up and see the changes that we need. After his sermon he was joined on stage for a discussion with several people of color from Woodland Hills.
Topics: Controversial Issues,
Kingdom of God,
Reconciliation
