I just attended and spoke at an initial meeting of Christian college students at the University of Akron who have felt the call from God to multiethnic ministry. The CCO’s ministry at Akron is predominantly black, and the church in which I once interned in Akron (The Chapel) has a predominantly white attendance in its college ministry. Also present at the meeting was Impact, another African-American group on campus.
What a wonderful thing to see:
College students, by their own initiative, seeking to join together in order to be the united Body of Christ!
I warned them: If you are really serious about this (and not just doing it superficially-by having a pot-luck once a year or a joint worship time once a year), if you are really wanting to create authentic friendships across this racial divide and join together to change the racialization in our culture, expect to be radically changed!!
Racialization is a huge issue in our culture, and the Emerging Church, if it is truly Kingdom-based, will face the issue straight-on. I previously posted on the issue as a response to my reading Emerson and Smith's crucial book, Divided by Faith.
Scot McKnight has offered a wonderful series of posts ("The Church, Embracing Grace, and Racism") at his blog, Jesus Creed. Check out the series here.
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Hey Bob,
ReplyDeleteYou are right; this IS radical stuff! I am excited to see what God is going to do in our midst. I read the book Divided by Faith last year (I posted about it sometime last fall...you may have to search through my archives when you get a minute), but I just cried through that book while reading it. Everything was so REAL, so close to home, you know? I am excited that there are students with a heart for coming together and serving God across racial lines. Looking forward to moving ahead in this effort.
Peace,
Michele