In this post I want to share with you,
my readers, some words from my friend, Gordon Ferguson:
"It dawns on me that one reason I
write is to cleanse my soul from the impact of the racial struggles
in our national past.
"I want to drink deeply of this passage
about the church as Christ’s Body, and practice it fully: 'If one part suffers,
every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices
with it' (1 Corinthians 12:26). I want to understand and be understood; I
want to help bear the burdens of my brothers and sisters, and I need them to
help me bear mine.
“We are one in Christ, and that oneness
is not found in color and culture; it is found in heart connection through
Christ connection. The world is a mess and it always will be until Christ comes
and ends the nightmares. But the church for which he died is a beautiful thing
by design, and dedicating ourselves to making it that in practice is a
beautiful pursuit. Jim Crow laws were a curse (for blacks and whites) forced
upon the inhabitants of the United States; Jesus Christ laws are a precious
blessing to those in his kingdom, delivered only by his precious blood.”
----
These words are found on Gordon’s
blog, “Black Tax and White Privilege,” and I encourage you to visit that site
and begin with Week One and read all the pieces Gordon has written so far. This
is a crucial topic. Our churches have led the way in being models of diversity,
but now it is time to lead the way in honest communication about painful and
sensitive issues.
as an ex South African i fully understand where you are at. 1n 1998 this church was a huge shock to me after living with apartheid all my life. what a relief to find such wonderful normality - Christ's normality.
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