Racial Justice, Evangelism, Discipleship.
For too long systemic racism has at best an ancillary issue for most Christian organizations.
Three reasons for Christian organizations to care about racial justice:
It is right and biblical. A robust understanding of the Gospel and discipleship will include a concern for justice.
It is necessary for the flourishing of the marginalized people within the mission.
It is necessary in order to be effective at evangelism
As we invite people into a relationship with Christ (Romans 10:13-15, Acts 1:8) we are inviting them to care about what God cares about. This is part of what it means to be in relationship. I didn’t even like music when I met my now wife but as I fell in love with her I began to care about what she cares about. Now I have been to 10 Springsteen shows because I now care about what she cares about.
To be in relationship with God means to care about what God cares about and a faithful reading of the scriptures shows justice to be at the very heart of what God cares about. (Micah 6:8, James 1:27) When we care about what God cares about we join with Him in working toward the restoration of the world to how He created it to be. (Luke 4:18-21, James 2:14-17)
Christians joining in God’s restoration plan is both the fruit of discipleship and a method of evangelism. When we work for the flourishing of all people we have a chance to earn the right to be heard with a watching world. (Matthew 5:13-16, I Thessalonians 2:8). Sincerely caring about what others care about is and will continue to be an increasingly integral part of earning the right to be heard.
Rene Padilla was a theologian and missionary who developed a theological framework known as “integral mission,” which argued that social action and evangelism were essential and indivisible components—in Padilla’s words, “two wings of a plane.”
Historically the black and brown churches in America have done this better than predominantly white churches who have been too often guilty of bifurcating these two wings--- and then the plane (the Gospel) can’t fly.
My oversimplified thesis is that the younger generation cares more about the social action wing of Padilla’s plane while an older generation cares more about the evangelism (and perhaps personal holiness) wing of the plane.
Padilla gets it right in my opinion. Neither one is complete.
This causes misunderstanding-- perhaps between you and your kids--- or between you and your parents--- or between people in your church.
A plane doesn’t fly very well with only one wing. We all should be humble enough to consider if our own planes are flying in circles because they are missing a wing-- or have an under developed wing.
“A recent study found that 40 million young people raised in the Christian faith are likely to walk away from a life with God by 2050. I encounter these young people every day. In my experience, most do not reject the teachings of Jesus. Instead, they question the plausibility of following him because so many of the Christian communities they've inhabited do not seem to take Jesus seriously. The church may talk about love, justice, and fellowship, but what these young adults actually see are Christians consumed by anger, fear, and partisanship. As a result, American Christianity isn't facing a crisis of disbelief, but a crisis of disillusionment.”
- Skye Jethani
Conclusion: Attention to racial justice (and other forms of justice) is not a distraction away from our core. It is necessary for us to be effective at our core of introducing people to Jesus Christ.
We must emphasize all three reasons for this emphasis; Leaving out any of the three reasons for why this is important would be incomplete.
