I just recently read the book With Justice For All: A Strategy for Community Development. The author, John Perkins, understands the church to be holistic. He discovers the three Rs of Christian community by explaining (1) relocation (2) reconciliation (3) redistribution. Several instances, in my own life, I have been challenged by the three Rs. He says, “The evangelical church, with a few remarkable exceptions, remains the greatest stronghold of the sin of racism in America today.” I found this stunning.
Racism is as strong as it ever was, however, it is a silent battle. The mind is a bleak weapon if exposed. During black history month, I am reminded that there is still a lot of work for humanity to be reconciled to one another. I hope my feeble attempt to reach out does not end in resilience.
February 21, 2008 at 1:32 pm
I sent you an email about another interesting book which was just released concerning this very topic. You may find it interesting.
Oh, and you better keep blogging, because I am going to add your link to my sidebar.
March 23, 2008 at 9:33 pm
Shannon,
John Perkins was at Belmont earlier this semester, and I got to hang out with him (and others) a little bit. Pretty cool stuff–glad you’ve found his work, and look forward to reading how this kind of stuff impacts your thinking.