Curated content for the church
A wonderful three part series where Tim Mackie tries to convince us that the entire storyline of the Bible is about God's justice.
From rising homelessness that the police are tasked to deal with to shootings of both minorities and police officers to endless mental health issues involving both police officers and the population American police are simply expected to do too much. Author Alex Vitale argues that the structure of American policing, and the U.S. legal system, protects the interests of those in power and/or with money and needs to be dismantled. Simply put, Americans need to rethink the mission of the police and how we police those within the borders of the United States.
Simply put -- to do justice is to worship God. Many in the American evangelical church have lost sight of that fact. Referencing Micah 6, Amos 5, Isaiah 1 and a host of other scriptures pastor Thabiti Anyabwile of Anacostia River Church (Washington, DC) implores the church to recognize that God's character is righteous and just and therefore to know God is to pursue righteousness and justice. For the preachers, Anyabwile has five ways preachers need to lead and instruct their congregations in regards to justice.
Over $1.5 million dollars of damage wiped out 35 blocks of the Greenwood District in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1921 as thousands of white people looted and killed hundreds of Black people. Learn about this often overlooked part of American history.
In a roundtable discussion Dr. Charlie Dates, Dr. Yolanda Pierce, Dr. Nicole Massie Martin, and Jemar Tisby discuss a number of questions regarding justice including what justice is, how to live in tension in a society that will never be perfect and yet as Christians we are called to change, when to use power and/or protest, what reparation's could look like and why the Bible provides us with the unique framework to overcome injustice and prevent those in power from abusing it. The highlights include the nuanced talk of violence (18:10) and reparations (32:10).
In honest, down to earth writing Phil Vischer tells the story of his dream of becoming the "Christian Disney" -- and almost achieving that -- before God had other plans.
Change a few numbers here, insert a current event there, and pastor Tom Skinner's sermon from the 1970 Urbana conference could easily be about today. His impassioned, direct speech touches on the history of racism, the silence of the church and evangelicals, law and order, politics, Americanism, evangelism, and much more. Powerful and highly recommended.
Hope in Jesus. Trust in Jesus. Most Christians would unequivocally agree that those two statements are an important part of being a Christ follower. Therefore it is sobering that a large part of Scandalous Witness takes aim at patriotism being conflated as a Christian orthodox principle.
A powerful personal narrative from Winfred Rembert who survived a lynching as a teenager. A must watch.
Former gang member Victor Rios grew up in the ghetto of Oakland, California so he knows the realities of Black and Latino males in the ghetto, but this is not his story. Punished: Policing the Lives of Black and Latino Boys is based off of Rios Ph.D. thesis at Berkeley that he penned after spending three years following 40 Black and Latino males in Oakland.
