Yesterday, Dan King, Marcus Goodyear, and I sat at a virtual table and talked about race, church, and the Body of Christ. We logged on a few minutes before the recorded conversation, and we had also talked by phone, FB messages, and email in the days leading up to the conversation. Somewhere along the way, each one of us admitted the topic is a difficult one, and that sometimes it’s even scary. I’ve got to tell you how grateful I am to be part of an organization that will do the hard work of stepping into the conversation and creating a safe space to talk.
We don’t have answers. All we have is a belief that it’s something worth talking about. In the conversation, Dan asked me to share one thing I’ve learned as a result of our conversations here, in the #GoingThere series. What you’ve taught me through the series is that people do want to talk about race. We want to ask our questions and we want to understand each other — celebrate each other — and offer a grace-filled model of conversation. Thank you for your commitment to the dialogue. Thank you for asking and answering the tough questions. Thank you for extending grace and compassion and for trusting me — trusting us — with your stories.
If you missed yesterday’s conversation, you can watch it here. It’s nearly an hour long, so you may want to bookmark the video and return to it later. If you’re viewing this in a reader, click here to watch the video.
Are you having these conversations in your community? Your church? Your sphere of influence? Is it scary?