Race

Before I came to the United States to attend college, I had spent fifteen of my eighteen years in the global south, from my country of origin to my host countries, in cultures and countries where my brown skin did not draw unwanted attention, good or ill. My formative years were spent in contexts where multiplicity—of language, culture, country of origin, and experience—was the air that we breathed; it was normal, it was good, it was celebrated.

In light of recent racial violence in the United States, Rev. John Eigege has begun writing a series of letters about racial reconciliation to his calling church, New Life Christian Reformed Church. John is a community chaplain with Christian Reformed Home Missions in Houston’s Third Ward neighborhood. Do Justice will be sharing these letters with the wider CRC community over the coming weeks. 

Dear New Life,

The Youth Ambassador of Reconciliation Program has officially begun! Two CRC members (Israel Cooper and Thea deGroot) and two CRC staff (Bernadette Arthur and Shannon Perez) have recently left for a week-long stay in Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug (KI) First Nation, a fly-in community approximately 600 kilometres north of Thunder Bay.

This is an updated version to reflect recent events.

If you’re struggling to know what to say, and how to say it, when addressing the shootings of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile and the shootings of Dallas police officers (Lorne Ahrens, Michael Krol, Michael J. Smith, Brent Thompson and Patrick Zamarripa) in personal prayer or during Sunday worship, consider using this summary and prayer:

Dr. Michelle Loyd-Paige spoke openly and honestly about her experience as an African-American woman on the opening night of the Engage 2016 conference, a multiethnic gathering on the grounds of Calvin College in Grand Rapids this past June. For many, including the two of us, that talk was one of the highlights of the conference (which is significant because there were so many great speakers!). Loyd-Paige’s talk was prophetic in two senses—it spoke truth to power and it was a sign of things to come

Looking for summer beach reads? The staff of the Christian Reformed Centre for Public Dialogue and the Office of Social Justice have done the searching for you.

Nearly 50 authors have contributed to a new, challenging collection of reflections on how churches can engage in this framework of reconciliation. If you are somehow troubled by that history, curious about how Indigenous Christians think about this history and future, or believe it is your personal, Christian, or civic responsibility to work for reconciliation with the peoples who lived in the land before European settlers arrived, you will find in this volume thoughtful, committed contributions from church people on Indigenous rights, the role of the state and the church, what the scriptures say, relationships with the land and the church, and living into our responsibilities together.

Editor's note: This is the second post in our new series How to Stay in Conversation with "the Other Side". During this series, we hope to learn together how to communicate about contentious issues in ways that build up the Body of Christ. Above all, we hope that this series will help you stay in conversation in constructive ways that honor and respect the image of God in those you disagree with and in the people affected by the issues about which you are talking.

As a young Black girl I recall feeling a mixture of discomfort and pride at the start of February. February marked Black History Month and it was a time when teachers would try to rally and cajole their Black students to participate in assemblies and presentations. Some students felt these events were unnecessary—the same opportunities weren’t afforded them to celebrate their cultural heritage year-round as part of the school’s curriculum. Some of us felt that our cultures were not readily embraced during every other month of the year.

Let’s practice a new heart examination for Jesus before Easter by becoming self-aware and then starting a new habit that may help build the bridge toward racial reconciliation for Christ.