Ephesians 2
The late Spencer Perkins and Chris Rice wrote the book, "More than Equals." The year was 1994 and it was the first time that an evangelical book dealt with the subject of race in the church!! Needless to say the book struck the conscience of many evangelicals. Spencer and Chris then went on a speaking tour to promote the idea of racial healing growing out of the gospel. They were prepared for sparks for fly during their tour, and they weren't disappointed when they arrived at Middlebury College in Vermont.
Early in the dialogue, an articulate black student admitted his misgivings. "When I heard it was going to be Christian speakers, I thought oh, no. Some religious garbage, I mean, what can Christians say about race with their record on justice?"
His question goes to the core of our credibility. To this future leader, these Christians speaking about racial healing was an oxymoron. When we look back at our history, the church is always showing up several decades late. We argue that the U.S. was founded as a Christian nation yet we tolerated slavery for 87 years as a country and 246 years in North America. Where were the Christians who stood against the Nazi regime when they killed the gypsies, handicap and the Jews? Oh, there were a few, but the vast majority sold out to save their own necks. In the civil rights movement in the 60's where were the white evangelicals? They were safely in their homes watching the conflict on CBS. Our Christian witness is seriously tarnished under the microscope of historical examination. 50 years ago Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said Sunday morning at 11:00 a.m. was the most segregated hour of the week. Sadly, it still remains true today.
But at Grace Church we are working on showing the world it doesn't have to remain that way. I am so proud of the continual work so many people do to bring reconciliation to our community. I don't think we can say the work is done, reconciliation is an ongoing process, but when people say the Christians have nothing to say on this topic, I simply invite them to our next worship service.
2000 years ago the divisions between Jews and Gentiles was huge. The ancient world was a mess when it came to race. But God's strategy was not to try to integrate the groups. His demand was that they reconcile. The strength of His argument was based on the cross. The cross of Jesus rips down the barriers and walls that divide ethnic groups. Reconciliation with God and each other is the number one item on God's agenda. Let's keep it number one on our agenda too.
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