When talking about racism and social injustice, parents must understand it is a complex and multilayered conversation with two broad categories:
- Citizen vs. Citizen—Systematic & Systemic Oppression, Institutional Racism, Social and Economic Injustice, Prejudice and Discrimination
- Government vs. Citizen—Any abuse of governmental power, funded by taxpayers fundamentally goes against what real democracy looks like
How to begin the conversation, with your family, from a place of common ground: God’s Word
The Starting Line: We’re all citizens of Heaven Galatians 3:26-28 (NIV)
“26 So in Christ Jesus, you are all children of God through faith, 27 for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”
We are all one race—the human race—with various ethnicities and different degrees of melanin, the pigment that determines skin tone.We are all descendants of Adam and Eve. The man called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living (Genesis 3:20).
Goals and Objectives for Every Family:
- To make our biblical worldview primary and our cultural worldview secondary
- To commit to making our faith the filter in which we respond to all things
- To teach our children the importance of coming together across all lines (racial, socio-economic, political, etc.) to ensure justice is righteously served and the new normal becomes an environment and a culture where safety, equity, and unity is established.
- To be a Christian family that promotes a spirit of unity (oneness), while rejecting the desire for uniformity (sameness)
Sometimes, the result of cultural and social innocence is racial ignorance. It’s called a “single-story perspective.” The hope and prayer for parents and caregivers are to commit to expanding their perspective as they work to develop their children’s attitudes.
“We teach what we know, but we reproduce who we are.”—John Maxwell
Just as the global pandemic of COVID-19 affects us all, so should a cultural, social, and spiritual epidemic of racism and social injustice affect all of us. All pandemics are in desperate need of a vaccination. The gospel is the only vaccination that will cure this generational disease.
When the gospel is the foundation and starting point of every family’s conversation, parents and caregivers encourage their children that God loves all ethnicities and cultures. “WE” are all the children of Adam (Acts 17:26) and “WE” are all ONE in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:26-28).
The “WE,” we need to see…
- “We are created in His image and His likeness…” Genesis 1:27
- “We are fearfully and wonderfully made…” Psalm 139:14
A Biblical Perspective of Righteousness and Justice
“Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; love and faithfulness go before you”—Psalms 89:14 (NIV). What a balanced approach to Christian values. We should choose God’s Word, not sides. It’s a “both/and” approach, not an “either/or” approach.
- Righteousness is the moral and ethical standard of right and wrong, to which God holds us accountable, based on His divine standard.
- Justice is the equitable and impartial application of God’s moral law in society.
Check out these resources: bit.ly/racism-study; ICR.org (search racism); AnswersInGenesis.org (search racism). Recommended books and media: Oneness Embraced: A Fresh Look at Reconciliation, the Kingdom, and Justice by Tony Evans; Reconciliation Blues: A Black Evangelical’s Inside View of White Christianity by Edward Gilbreath; White Awake: An honest Look at What it Means to Be White by Daniel Hill; Be the Bridge: Pursuing God’s Heart for Racial Reconciliation by Latasha Morrison.
The post A Family Approach to Discussing Racism, Social Injustice, and the Gospel appeared first on D6 Family.
Source: Splink
