There is no racial bigotry here.

My Reformation Day sermon was on Revelation 7:9-12 and dealt with the ultimate goal of Reforming/Reformation.

Along those lines, I thought it might be helpful to share Providence Church's official statement on church desegregation:

A Vision for Racial Harmony & Integration* (pdf)

• Scripture teaches that the church is comprised of those the Lamb ransomed with His blood, a group consisting of every tribe and language and people and nation. (Revelation 5:9)
• Within the body of Christ God has indeed redeemed His church from among each and every socio-economic status, language, people group, race, and ethnicity.
• Those who are born again to believe in Christ are redeemed and are all equally children of God and equal in Christ, for they are all heirs. (John 1:12-13; Galatians 3:26-29)

ETHNIC DIVERSITY: A CHURCH VALUE
Since God is concerned about building a church comprised of all people groups …

• those in His churches should also be concerned about all people groups.
• local churches should be a microcosm of the church universal in reflecting God’s concern for all people groups.
• local churches should strive for heterogeneity, at least to the extent of the community’s demographics.

A DEFINITION OF CONGREGATIONAL RACIAL HARMONY
The harmonious intermingling of all types of peoples in a community of redeemed, baptized Christians who live to follow Christ by loving God and other people, thereby impacting lives to the glory of God. However, such a church does not comprise doctrinal fidelity, God’s standards of holiness for the believer, or its commitment to the great commission of making disciples of all nations nor does it presume to be able to love God or His people apart from divine assistance.

A CHURCH RESOLUTION FOR RACIAL HARMONY

“Contrary to the history of the American church and contrary to the contemporary mindset of many churches in our land, we will follow God’s leading in demonstrating love across racial boundaries by striving for a congregation that better reflects the demographic make up of our community as a testimony to God’s love for all people and as a testimony to the world of the transforming power of God’s love to unite across racial boundaries so that, ultimately, God will be glorified.”

• “Contrary to the history of the American church ….”
We repent of past wrongs committed in the name of Christianity in our country whereby some people groups were mistreated because of the color of their skin. We repent of anything in the history of our church and/or denomination that might have contributed in any way to such sin. We lament the fact that the non-Christian world has been more concerned about racial reconciliation than the church and that the church has been dragging its feet rather than leading the way in showing the non-Christian world the transforming power of God’s grace to bring together people of all races. We will keep our eyes open to social injustices in our land and declare them sin, being counter-cultural in our Christian witness when necessary.


• “and contrary to the contemporary mindset of many churches in our land ….”
Far too many churches are not concerned about racial reconciliation or even concerned about those people God has placed in their geographic proximity. This is seen in lack of outreach and/or fleeing the inner city areas to the suburbs. Other churches are particularly striving for homogeneity by actually targeting only certain types of people for their congregations.


• “we will follow God’s leading in demonstrating love across racial boundaries …”
God has demonstrated love throughout the pages of human history and in the pages of sacred Scripture, but most clearly in His Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus’ love transcended educational levels, classes, and ethnic backgrounds. As our example, our commitment should be to mirror that love that transcends culture and ethnicity.

• “by striving for a congregation that better reflects the demographic make up of our community …”
Just as the early church was comprised of both Jew and Gentile, so should our church reflect the different groups represented in our community. Just as there were challenges in the days of the early church, so should we anticipate difficulties, but only those that can be overcome through our bond in Christ which transcends other identifying factors (e.g., ethnicity, gender, educational level, and income).

• “as a testimony to God’s love for all people …”
Ironically, Christianity is at times viewed as a “white man’s religion.” Although God is concerned about and loves all types of people, His love is more easily seen when congregations in Christ’s church are visibly constructed of different types of people.

• “and as a testimony to the world of the transforming power of God’s love to unite across racial boundaries …”
Sadly, the watching world sees the church as apathetic, at best, and hostile, at worst, regarding racial harmony. Government, educational systems, sports, and employment agencies have led the way in equity among the races, demonstrating a greater concern for all races. To our shame, churches are among the last bastions of segregation. But only God’s love has the real power for lasting transformation across racial boundaries and His people need to show that to the world.

• “so that, ultimately, God will be glorified …”
As a church and people of God, we strive not for our glory, but for God’s alone. As we embrace the notion of Soli Deo Gloria, we realize that this goal will be furthered when the world and God’s people see God’s transforming grace glorified in the harmonious congregations of those redeemed from every ethnic group, worshiping and growing together in community.

PRACTICAL STEPS TOWARD REALIZATION OF OUR VISION

Organizationally:

1. Embrace such a vision officially.
2. Examine with vigor the church and its practices to determine if there is anything that is, intentionally or unintentionally, unappealing and/or repelling to those of other ethnicities.
3. Strive to show Christ’s love to our community by concerted outreach strategies to see people come to Christ and come to join our congregation.
4. Strive to help those underprivileged financially who may also be different that us ethnically.
5. Remind the congregation of our value on racially representing our community.
6. Pray for God to show us where we have been wrong in this area so we may repent and change where necessary, by His grace.
7. Pray for God to build His church in a diverse fashion.
8. Pray for God’s grace to assist us in loving those that we do not find as easy to love.

Individually:

1. Become a student of other cultures, particularly those in geographical proximity, to assist in developing a real love for people of other cultures.
2. Recognize that the tendency of human nature is to gravitate to people like us (e.g., age, ethnicity, socio-economic status, gender, etc.) and contend to develop relationships with those unlike you, especially racially.
3. Pray for an ethnically diverse congregation that glorifies God’s transforming grace and educates the world as to the only true and lasting basis of racial reconciliation.
4. Ask God to show you any sinful behaviors or prejudices that you might repent of them, also asking for the grace to change.
5. Ask God to show you just how pervasive racism is in our culture so that you might fight against it.
6. Ask Christians of other ethnicities, especially in our congregation, how you might be more sensitive in your efforts to love them.
7. Love your neighbor as yourself.

*Inspired by a similar statement of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota and adopted by the congregation of Providence Church on recommendation of the elders on April 29, 2007.

• Click to listen to, The Goal of Reforming, a sermon based on Revelation 7:9-12.

• Read also the Southern Baptist Convention's Resolution on Racial Reconciliation on the 150th anniversary of its formation. (HT Oilcan)

You can take away our phones and you can take away our keys, but you can NOT take away our dreams!

Today is Martin Luther King Jr. Day and a day off for many.

It seems to me that it's one of the few "day off" American holidays that receives no recognition from the church. Should the church recognize it?

I would suggest that more than a man, the American holiday recognizes the efforts and dream of one man, a dream that should be shared by all, a dream the church should labor to help make a reality.

What should be the role of the church with regard to issues related to ethnic diversity and harmony?

Should the seminaries do more in this regard?

Personally, I hate that the more "liberal" theologically have smoked us more conservative types in promoting the truth that our membership in the body of Christ transcends all other ties.

Because of that truth, our familial relationship should enable us to worship together and love each other, regardless of ethnicity.

Why is that not the case?

I happen to think that the church growth movements and other "helpful" organizations can be a hindrance here.

That is, the encouragement of homogeneity in church, targeting a particular type of people, or training people (perhaps even ignorantly so) to pastor a "white church" or a "black church" or an "ethic church" (whatever that might mean).

As we celebrate as a nation, I wonder why do don't do much (if anything) to celebrate and/or commemorate as a church.

I'm not so much suggesting we celebrate a particular man, but celebrating and contributing toward the dream of desegregation, particularly church desegregation, are under-emphasized ways to glorify God via unity in Christ.

I'd like to see churches get to work on this Not tomorrow, not after breakfast ... NOW!

Baby steps to four o'clock. Baby steps to four o'clock.

The following is an article I wrote that came out today in the local paper, The Murphy Messenger.

It's obviously about the progress seen since the days of Martin Luther King, Jr. In some respects they are giant leaps, yet in other ways we're only taken baby steps.

“The Dream: Progress Report”

In honor of Black History Month, we pause to fill out a progress report.

Less than 45 years ago the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke the following: “I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.’”

Since that time many things have transpired for black people, especially in the political arena. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 outlawed segregation in US schools and public places, invalidating Jim Crow laws. A second black man has been appointed to the Supreme Court, Thurgood Marshall was the first in 1961 and Clarence Thomas was appointed in 1991.

We’ve seen the first black Secretary of State, 4th in line to succeed the presidency, in Collin Powell in 2000. In 2004 we saw the first black woman Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice.

We are at a historic time where we could very well have the first black nominee for president in 46 year old Barak Obama. In a country where black people have been regarded as property and then 3/5 of a human being, that’s quite a shift in perspective.

That doesn’t mean that people of all ethnicities live in perfect harmony in these somewhat united states. But that speaks volumes, I would submit, to the legacy of Dr. King and others like him for valiantly stood firm against injustice.

Yet, with stories such as the “Jena 6” from last year, we know we still have a distance to travel before we fully live out the true meaning of our creed, that all people are created equal, which means they should be treated with dignity and respect.

Some of you can remember white schools and black schools. Some of you can remember white and “colored” drinking fountains.

It can be hard to watch a tree grow seeing it day by day, but with the passing of years an acorn becomes a great oak. It’s encouraging to see the acorn of Dr. King’s dream spreading its branches through each passing year as progress is made.

P.S. What might we hope to see in the next 45 years?

What is any life without the pursuit of a dream?

The following is an article I wrote that will appear in next week's Murphy Messenger, our local paper.

“Living the Dream”


January 21st was a day off for many. The country honored the man who fueled the "Civil Rights" movement, including the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

In 1896, Plessy vs. Ferguson had legitimized "separate but equal" as the way society could treat black Americans. There was nothing wrong sending black & white kids to different schools, or having black & white restaurants, or black & white water fountains. Sadly, there was also nothing wrong with black & white churches, as is still the thinking of many. (Incidentally, I have a dream that the ethnic co-mingling of worshippers will one day become the norm.)

In 1954, Brown vs. The Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas overturned the 1896 decision, at least officially. Men like Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. were needed to begin the process of making the decision a reality.

Dr. King had a dream that the nation would rise up and live out the full meaning of its creed, that all men are created equal. He had a dream that people would be judged by the content of their character, instead of by the color of their skin.

His dream is gradually becoming a reality, but we’re not there yet, nor will we bet there without intentional effort. But we’re fortunate in Murphy, to have the opportunity to interact with different types of people, as we strive to live out his dream.

In fact, I would say our diversity is one of the greatest attributes of Murphy, Texas. Most probably moved here because of schools or price per square foot, but one of the things I appreciate most about Murphy is the multitude of ethnic groups represented. What a joy it was for me when my daughter’s best friends in kindergarten were an African American girl and a girl from Vietnam.

In Murphy we have the unique opportunity to enjoy neighbors of various backgrounds and ethnicities. I encourage you to honor the efforts and vision of Dr. King by developing relationships with your neighbors who differ from you, learning from each other in the process.

We are the music makers, and we are the dreamers of dreams.

Today would be the 79th birthday of one Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

On Monday, the nation will celebrate his impact & legacy in forcing the nation to do a little introspection and begin to address some of its lingering sin.

A Baptist minister, Dr. King has been regarded as the chief leader of the Civil Rights movement of the 50s & 60s. In addressing inequality in the country based on skin color, he led through example of non-violence and a willingness to pay the price for his civil disobedience. (cf. last year's post on his letter from the Birmingham Jail)

The zenith of his efforts may be the March for Jobs and Freedom in Washington, D.C., on August 28, 1963. On the steps of the memorial honoring the man who wrote the Emancipation Proclamation, Dr. King delivered the “I Have a Dream Speech.”

It is a speech appreciated by fans of rhetoric, but also a major catalyst for the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964.

I encourage you to (1) ponder that speech (text below) and (2) watch & listen (17:27) to Dr. King sober and stir the heart of the nation to bring forth fruit in keeping with repentance.


I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history
as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.

Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity. But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languishing in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. So we have come here today to dramatize a shameful condition.

In a sense we have come to our nation's capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked "insufficient funds." But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. So we have come to cash this check — a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice. We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quick sands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God's children.

It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment. This sweltering summer of the Negro's legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning. Those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. There will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.

But there is something that I must say to my people who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice. In the process of gaining our rightful place we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.

We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force. The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny and their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom. We cannot walk alone.

As we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall march ahead. We cannot turn back. There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, "When will you be satisfied?" We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality. We can never be satisfied, as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. We can never be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.

I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow jail cells. Some of you have come from areas where your quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive.

Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed. Let us not wallow in the valley of despair.

I say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal."

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification; one day right there in Alabama, little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.

This is our hope. This is the faith that I go back to the South with. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

This will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with a new meaning, "My country, 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim's pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring."

And if America is to be a great nation this must become true. So let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania!

Let freedom ring from the snowcapped Rockies of Colorado!
Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California!
But not only that; let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia!
Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee!
Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi. From every mountainside, let freedom ring.

And when this happens, When we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"

Open up a window; it’s getting all racial up in this piece.

Today this country celebrates Martin Luther King Day. It also happens to be the 78th anniversary of his birth.

While the man was not a saint in the sense of personal righteousness, his life was an important one, as was his message.

He is most widely known for his "I Have a Dream" speech, but one piece that has always resonated with me is the letter he wrote to his fellow clergy while in jail on April 16, 1963. It is known as his Letter from Birmingham Jail.

When I have taught church history in a seminary class I have read the portions that you find below (the full text may be found here). I read it then and I read it now as it reminds me of the lack of effort on the part of the leadership of Christ's church, in the past and now.

I share it now (emphasis mine) because it has been my contention that segregation was bad AND that segregation is bad, particularly church segregation.

As I read it again I also wonder about the need to do more not only with regard to church desegregation, but also with regard to abortion. Is there not more we could/should do to speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves (Prov 31:8), to help those who are staggering to the slaughter (Prov 24:11)?

MY DEAR FELLOW CLERGYMEN:

While confined here in the Birmingham city jail, I came across your recent statement calling my present activities "unwise and untimely." Seldom do I pause to answer criticism of my work and ideas. If I sought to answer all the criticisms that cross my desk, my secretaries would have little time for anything other than such correspondence in the course of the day, and I would have no time for constructive work. But since I feel that you are men of genuine good will and that your criticisms are sincerely set forth, I want to try to answer your statements in what I hope will be patient and reasonable terms.

...

For years now I have heard the word "Wait!" It rings in the ear of every Negro with piercing familiarity. This "Wait" has almost always meant 'Never." We must come to see, with one of our distinguished jurists, that "justice too long delayed is justice denied."

We have waited for more than 340 years for our constitutional and God-given rights. The nations of Asia and Africa are moving with jetlike speed toward gaining political independence, but we stiff creep at horse-and-buggy pace toward gaining a cup of coffee at a lunch counter. Perhaps it is easy for those who have never felt the stinging dark of segregation to say, "Wait." But when you have seen vicious mobs lynch your mothers and fathers at will and drown your sisters and brothers at whim; when you have seen hate-filled policemen curse, kick and even kill your black brothers and sisters; when you see the vast majority of your twenty million Negro brothers smothering in an airtight cage of poverty in the midst of an affluent society; when you suddenly find your tongue twisted and your speech stammering as you seek to explain to your six-year-old daughter why she can't go to the public amusement park that has just been advertised on television, and see tears welling up in her eyes when she is told that Funtown is closed to colored children, and see ominous clouds of inferiority beginning to form in her little mental sky, and see her beginning to distort her personality by developing an unconscious bitterness toward white people; when you have to concoct an answer for a five-year-old son who is asking: "Daddy, why do white people treat colored people so mean?"; when you take a cross-county drive and find it necessary to sleep night after night in the uncomfortable corners of your automobile because no motel will accept you; when you are humiliated day in and day out by nagging signs reading "white" and "colored"; when your first name becomes "nigger," your middle name becomes "boy" (however old you are) and your last name becomes "John," and your wife and mother are never given the respected title "Mrs."; when you are harried by day and haunted by night by the fact that you are a Negro, living constantly at tiptoe stance, never quite knowing what to expect next, and are plagued with inner fears and outer resentments; when you no forever fighting a degenerating sense of "nobodiness" then you will understand why we find it difficult to wait. There comes a time when the cup of endurance runs over, and men are no longer willing to be plunged into the abyss of despair. I hope, sirs, you can understand our legitimate and unavoidable impatience.

You express a great deal of anxiety over our willingness to break laws. This is certainly a legitimate concern. Since we so diligently urge people to obey the Supreme Court's decision of 1954 outlawing segregation in the public schools, at first glance it may seem rather paradoxical for us consciously to break laws. One may won ask: "How can you advocate breaking some laws and obeying others?" The answer lies in the fact that there fire two types of laws: just and unjust. I would be the Brat to advocate obeying just laws. One has not only a legal but a moral responsibility to obey just laws. Conversely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws. I would agree with St. Augustine that "an unjust law is no law at all"

Now, what is the difference between the two? How does one determine whether a law is just or unjust? A just law is a man-made code that squares with the moral law or the law of God. An unjust law is a code that is out of harmony with the moral law. To put it in the terms of St. Thomas Aquinas: An unjust law is a human law that is not rooted in eternal law and natural law.

...

One who breaks an unjust law must do so openly, lovingly, and with a willingness to accept the penalty. I submit that an individual who breaks a law that conscience tells him is unjust and who willingly accepts the penalty of imprisonment in order to arouse the conscience of the community over its injustice, is in reality expressing the highest respect for law.

...

I hope this letter finds you strong in the faith. I also hope that circumstances will soon make it possible for me to meet each of you, not as an integrationist or a civil rights leader but as a fellow clergyman and a Christian brother. Let us all hope that the dark clouds of racial prejudice will soon pass away and the deep fog of misunderstanding will be lifted from our fear-drenched communities, and in some not too distant tomorrow the radiant stars of love and brotherhood will shine over our great nation with all their scintillating beauty.

Yours for the cause of Peace and Brotherhood,

MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.

You had me at "Hello"

Last night concluded the last of our presentations on ethnic diversity and church desegregation. In the first lecture, primarily dealing with the history of how things came to be, I referenced the SBC's repentant apology of 1995. I only gave a quick synopsis of it, but I got the impression that (a) this was big news to many and (b) this information should be widely spread.

So, while the SBC annual conventions had made statements of a contrite nature against & about racism (e.g., 1978 in Atlanta and 1989 in Las Vegas), new ground was broken in Atlanta in 1995 with regard to racial reconciliation with a denominational apology, asking forgiveness for past sin(s) in this area.

RESOLUTION ON RACIAL RECONCILIATION ON THE 150TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE SOUTHERN BAPTIST CONVENTION

WHEREAS, Since its founding in 1845, the Southern Baptist Convention has been an effective instrument of God in missions, evangelism, and social ministry; and

WHEREAS, The Scriptures teach that Eve is the mother of all living (Genesis 3:20), and that God shows no partiality, but in every nation whoever fears him and works righteousness is accepted by him (Acts 10:34-35), and that God has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on the face of the earth (Acts 17:26); and

WHEREAS, Our relationship to African-Americans has been hindered from the beginning by the role that slavery played in the formation of the Southern Baptist Convention; and

WHEREAS, Many of our Southern Baptist forbears defended the right to own slaves, and either participated in, supported, or acquiesced in the particularly inhumane nature of American slavery; and

WHEREAS, In later years Southern Baptists failed, in many cases, to support, and in some cases opposed, legitimate initiatives to secure the civil rights of African-Americans; and

WHEREAS, Racism has led to discrimination, oppression, injustice, and violence, both in the Civil War and throughout the history of our nation; and

WHEREAS, Racism has divided the body of Christ and Southern Baptists in particular, and separated us from our African-American brothers and sisters; and

WHEREAS, Many of our congregations have intentionally and/or unintentionally excluded African-Americans from worship, membership, and leadership; and

WHEREAS, Racism profoundly distorts our understanding of Christian morality, leading some Southern Baptists to believe that racial prejudice and discrimination are compatible with the Gospel; and

WHEREAS, Jesus performed the ministry of reconciliation to restore sinners to a right relationship with the Heavenly Father, and to establish right relations among all human beings, especially within the family of faith.

Therefore, be it RESOLVED, That we, the messengers to the Sesquicentennial meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention, assembled in Atlanta, Georgia, June 20-22, 1995, unwaveringly denounce racism, in all its forms, as deplorable sin; and

Be it further RESOLVED, That we affirm the Bibles teaching that every human life is sacred, and is of equal and immeasurable worth, made in Gods image, regardless of race or ethnicity (Genesis 1:27), and that, with respect to salvation through Christ, there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female, for (we) are all one in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:28); and

Be it further RESOLVED, That we lament and repudiate historic acts of evil such as slavery from which we continue to reap a bitter harvest, and we recognize that the racism which yet plagues our culture today is inextricably tied to the past; and

Be it further RESOLVED, That we apologize to all African-Americans for condoning and/or perpetuating individual and systemic racism in our lifetime; and we genuinely repent of racism of which we have been guilty, whether consciously (Psalm 19:13) or unconsciously (Leviticus 4:27); and

Be it further RESOLVED, That we ask forgiveness from our African-American brothers and sisters, acknowledging that our own healing is at stake; and

Be it further RESOLVED, That we hereby commit ourselves to eradicate racism in all its forms from Southern Baptist life and ministry; and

Be it further RESOLVED, That we commit ourselves to be doers of the Word (James 1:22) by pursuing racial reconciliation in all our relationships, especially with our brothers and sisters in Christ (1 John 2:6), to the end that our light would so shine before others, that they may see (our) good works and glorify (our) Father in heaven (Matthew 5:16); and

Be it finally RESOLVED, That we pledge our commitment to the Great Commission task of making disciples of all people (Matthew 28:19), confessing that in the church God is calling together one people from every tribe and nation (Revelation 5:9), and proclaiming that the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ is the only certain and sufficient ground upon which redeemed persons will stand together in restored family union as joint-heirs with Christ (Romans 8:17). [Atlanta, GA; June, 1995]

-------------------------

outdated imperialist dogma which perpetuates the economic and social differences in our society

As the body of Coretta Scott King lays in honor in the rotunda of the capital of Georgia, I thought it befitting to resurrect the dream that was expressed by her husband. Our nation is better because of their efforts to confront evil expressed in racial segregation.

Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. organized a massive march on Washington, DC, on August 28, 1963. On the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, he gave his famous "I Have a Dream" speech, which is credited with mobilizing supporters of desegregation and prompted the 1964 Civil Rights Act. In 1965, King was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

An excerpt of the speech follows:

I say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal."

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification; one day right there in Alabama, little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream today.

I share the sentiment of his dream, but particularly long to see it in Christ's churches. Christ's death bought a group consisting of every tribe and language and people and nation (Rev. 5:9). We are all His, all reconciled to God and to each other through Christ. I pray we see racial harmony on earth, as I know we'll see in heaven.

Not tomorrow, not after breakfast -- NOW!

I have an article that appears in the Wylie News and the Murphy Monitor this week dealing with ethnic diversity in churches. I find it somewhat providential that my article leads off with a reference to Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and appeared at newstands on 1/31, after his widow had passed away just the night before.

Of course the only reason I was able to submit an article was because my friend, Rev. Dr. Mark Forrest, pastor of Murphy Road Baptist Church, was having computer demons he could not exercise in time to submit his article. I happened to have time Friday afternoon to compile some thoughts.

The article is merely a road marker for me on this issue as my heart becomes more and more burdened to see churches that reflect the demograpic make up of their communities. I don't think this can or should wait. The reality of reconciliation to each due to reconciliation to God in Christ should be seen among the races-not tomorrow, not after breakfast--NOW!

This is an issue that will not go away anytime soon, especially for me, since I'm doing a presentation on this subject at the 6th International Conference on Diversity in Organisations, Communities, and Nations in New Orleans this summer.

I hope to start some dialogue in our church, in particular, and within the body of Christ, in general, about why and how churches should be desegregated. Oddly enough, I will be dealing with those in the secular world at this conference who seem to be much more concerned about this topic that the body of Christ. To our shame, there may be much we need to learn from them about valuing diverse relationships before we can effectively teach them about the divine relationship.

The content of the article follows:

Leading the Way or Dragging Our Feet?

The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. once noted/lamented that Sunday morning was the most segregated time in America. Those words still ring true. But why? This summer I’m doing a presentation on this topic at a (secular) diversity conference. I intend to ask and answer why churches are dragging their feet in the area of desegregation.

Why are our churches are lagging far behind in the area of ethnic diversity (in comparison with education, employment, entertainment, sports, etc.)? Why have churches not progressed in this area when so many other institutions have made, at least official, strides?

I fear the reason is that diversity (particularly ethnic) needs to be valued, but it is not.

Scripture teaches us that the church is comprised of those the Lamb ransomed with His blood, a group consisting of every tribe and language and people and nation. (Revelation 5:9) Within the body of Christ, God has indeed redeemed His church from among each and every socio-economic status, language, people group, race, and ethnicity. Those who are born again to believe in Christ are redeemed and are all equally children of God and equal in Christ, for they are all heirs. (John 1:12-13; Galatians 3:26-29)

But, there are practices in churches that are counterproductive to diversity. These should cease, and there are practices which need to be implemented. We need to ask and answer how diversity efforts can/should be similar to those in other institutions and how/why they may be different.

If Christianity is to be true to its biblical roots, it should actually be leading the way. Churches should reflect racial harmony and congregations that ethnically represent their community.

Recently, I submitted to the leadership of our church part of my vision for racial harmony & diversity in our church: Contrary to the history of the American church and contrary to the contemporary mindset of many churches in our land, we will follow God's leading in demonstrating love across racial boundaries by striving for a congregation that better reflects the demographic make up of our community as a testimony to God's love for all people and as a testimony to the world of the transforming power of God's love to unite across racial boundaries so that, ultimately, God will be glorified.

What's your vision for desegregation of the church? What can you do to help lead the way?