Black Christians Play a Crucial Role in Athlete Activism
Though sports ministries long espoused a “colorblind” approach to race, believers in pro sports are leading the calls for racial justice.Read full piece
‘Ax Handle Saturday’: The Klan’s Vicious Attack on Black Protesters in Florida 60 Years Ago
The Florida Klansmen had armed themselves with ax handles. It was Aug. 27, 1960 — a year of lunch counter sit-ins by civil rights activists.Read full piece
Beyond the Fall of Falwell
It’s tempting to watch Jerry Falwell’s fall and, well, cheer or snicker. After all, he’s done much to hurt the witness of Christianity with his history of hateful rhetoric and partisanship politics — not to mention the sordid details of the scandal that did him
Black & White Evangelicals Once Talked About ‘Racial Reconciliation.’ Then Trump Came Along.
White evangelicals angered over the killing of George Floyd this summer have joined protests and declared that “Black lives matter,” their continued support for President Trump has disgusted Black evangelical leaders.Read full piece
Congressman Seeks to End Park’s Designation as Lee Memorial
A northern Virginia congressman is pursuing legislation to remove Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee’s name from the official designation at the historic mansion where he lived before the Civil War. The home, overlooks the nation’s capital and is surrounded by Arlington National Cemetery.
White Support for Black Causes Doesn’t Last
Terrell Carter (a pastor, seminary administrator, and Word&Way columnist) reflects on why he fears white support for racial justice will not last long even in the wake of protests sparked by the police killing of George Floyd.Read full piece
Evangelical Christian Colleges Take Steps to Address Racial Justice after Criticism
Dozens of evangelical colleges and universities issued statements grieving George Floyd’s death in police custody and pledging to find practical steps to address racial justice on and beyond their campuses. But the efforts left some students unsatisfied.
Taking My Children to See Frederick Douglass
Clint Smith of The Atlantic reflects on a Juneteenth visit to the birthplace of Frederick Douglass helped him understand our current moment of rage, reckoning, and possibility.Read full piece
What White Evangelical Christians Can’t See When They See Racism
James K.A. Smith argues that White evangelicals’ view of racism is hampered by an aspect of evangelical spirituality he calls evangelicalism’s rationalism. He adds that this focus prevents White evangelicals from fully addressing the sin of racism.
Ideas for Churches Studying the Need for Reparations
It is long past time for religious congregations to begin again — to dredge up their history in order to confront it and begin anew. Congregations cannot begin to move forward with the work of racial justice until they face their past complicity in white