Diversity in Fellowship

What is Juneteenth? How does it relate to July 4th? Which one should we celebrate as followers of Christ?   The suggested diversity resource for this episode is " What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July? " by Frederick Douglass. 

How should we respond to the current accusations against the SBC Executive Committee? How can we move forward in these discussions at the Annual Convention?   The suggested diversity resource for this episode is the Caring Well Initiative. Find out more at https://caringwell.com/ .    First leaked letter by Russell Moore  Second leaked letter by Russell Moore Response from Mike Stone Response from...

With the Annual Convention coming up, how should we think through diversity issues and the Southern Baptist Convention (ethnic unity, CRT, resolution 9, etc.)?   The diversity resource for this episode is the article " What Are Southern Baptists Really Fighting About? " by Trevin Wax. 

Why have we struggled so long to accept interracial marriage? What does the Bible have to say about this topic?   The diversity resource for this episode is the article "Fifty Years After 'Loving v. Virginia': Celebrating the Beauty of Interracial Marriage" from Desiring God. 

What should our public schools be teaching about diversity issues? How should we help in that as the church and as individual followers of Christ?   The diversity resource for this episode is  "The 1619 Project" ( https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/08/14/magazine/1619-america-slavery.html ).

We talk with Shai Linne about his book The New Reformation, his reasons for writing this book, and his picks for Theological Voltron (you have to listen).   Our diversity resource for this episode is Shai Linne's book, The New Reformation: Finding Hope in the Fight for Ethnic Unity. Find out more at https://www.thenewreformationbook.com/ .    To check out more from Shai, go to https://www.shailinn...

What is code switching? How can we think through this issue as Christians?   The suggested diversity resource for this episode is the book  Building a Multiethnic Church: A Gospel Vision of Love, Grace, and Reconciliation in a Divided World by Derwin Gray.

We get to talk with brother Jon Nelson, pastor of Soma Church ( https://somajc.org/ ) and president of the Missouri Baptist Convention, about his work for diversity in fellowship in the local church and in our state convention.   The suggested diversity resource for this episode is  Urban Apologetics: Restoring Black Dignity with the Gospel by Eric Mason.

How do we respond to this verdict? What are some biblical ways to think through the various responses we have seen?   The suggested diversity resource for this episode is "The FAQs: Former Police Officer Convicted of the Murder of George Floyd" by Joe Carter ( https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/the-faqs-former-police-officer-convicted-of-the-murder-of-george-floyd/ ). 

When should we actually stay to help in the fight for diversity? How do we decide?   The suggested diversity resource for this episode is the "Why I Stay" series hosted by Pastor Dhati Lewis ( https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtIiaWVS519l7Zm54rIo4QmHjZkV0D3KD ). 

What is this movement? Is this a right approach?   The suggested diversity resource is "Social Justice: Breakup or Breakthrough?" by Thaddeus Williams ( https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/social-justice-breakup-breakthrough/ ).    Find out more about #LeaveLoud at https://twitter.com/hashtag/LeaveLOUD?src=hashtag . 

Why is this happening? How can we love and support the Asian American community?     For a biblical, Asian-American perspective on this and other issues, we recommend you follow Timothy Isaiah Cho ( https://twitter.com/tisaiahcho ).

How will this impact women? How should we respond as followers of Christ?   The suggested diversity resource "Fairness for All" ( https://www.cccu.org/magazine/fairness-for-all/ ), which offers an alternative to the Equality Act.    Also, to appreciate the Crazy Question for this episode, here is a little context ( https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/news/2021-womens-ncaa-tournament-ncaa-...

Is the local church a safe place for women? If not, how can we improve?     The suggested diversity resources for this episode are: 1) the Caring Well Challenge ( https://caringwell.com/ ), a resource designed to help churches prevent abuse and care for abuse survivors, and 2) an article by David French titled "Cruelty Is Apostasy" ( https://frenchpress.thedispatch.com/p/cruelty-is-apostasy ), whi...

Continuing our celebration of Women's History Month (March), we talk with Glenna Marshall (William's wife) about her experiences as an adoptive mom of children of color.   The suggested resources for this episode are Glenna's books: The Promise is His Presence: Why God Is Always Enough ( https://www.amazon.com/Promise-His-Presence-Always-Enough/dp/162995473X ) and Everyday Faithfulness: The Beauty...

What role do women have in the ministry of the local church? Why is this a diversity in fellowship issue?   The suggested diversity resource for this episode is The Gospel Coalition's Women's Ministry page ( https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/sections/womens-ministry/ ).

How does Black History (celebrated in February) and Women's history (celebrated in March) intersect?    The suggested diversity resource for this episode is the movie Hidden Figures ( https://family.20thcenturystudios.com/movies/hidden-figures ). 

Why are we so divided over corporate worship? How can we fight for unity in diversity in this area?   The suggested diversity resource for this week's episode is a journal titled "Multi-Ethnic Churches" from 9Marks ( https://www.9marks.org/journal/multi-ethnic-churches/ ). 

What role does sports play in our fight for diversity in fellowship? What can we learn from sports? And GO VOLS!!   The suggested diversity resources for this episode are the movies "42" ( https://www.warnerbros.com/movies/42 ) and "Glory Road" ( https://movies.disney.com/glory-road ). 

Why and how should the local church celebrate Black History Month?     The diversity resource for this episode is the article "Missionaries You Should Know: George Liele" ( https://www.imb.org/2018/06/26/missionaries-you-should-know-george-liele/ ). 

When do you leave a denomination or church over diversity issues? When do you discipline a member over such issues?   The suggested diversity resource for this week's episode is The Transforming Community: The Practise of the Gospel in Church Discipline by Mark Lauterbach ( https://www.amazon.com/Transforming-Community-Practise-Gospel-Discipline/dp/185792875X ). 

How do we respond to the recent shocking events in Washington? How do these events impact diversity in fellowship?   The diversity resource for this episode is the article "The Roman Road from Insurrection" by Russell Moore ( https://www.russellmoore.com/2021/01/11/the-roman-road-from-insurrection/ ). 

How should we handle false accusations, particularly those that are motivated by race?   The diversity resource for this episode is an article on how to deal with false accusations. You can find it here: https://www.christiantoday.com/article/heres-the-best-way-to-deal-with-false-accusations-against-you/95620.htm

What is this? How should we think about it as followers of Christ?   The diversity resources for this week's episode are two articles that tackle CRT and the controversy surrounding it. The first is an article by David French ( https://frenchpress.thedispatch.com/p/on-the-use-and-abuse-of-critical ). The second is by Pastor Rick Armstrong ( https://sbcvoices.com/response-to-sbc-presidents-on-criti...

Revisiting some earlier talking points to finish up the year!     The suggested diversity resources for the year are: "Reading While Black" by Esau McCaulley ( https://www.ivpress.com/reading-while-black ) and "Beyond Racial Gridlock" by George Yancey ( https://www.ivpress.com/beyond-racial-gridlock ).