I had the opportunity to cover a panel discussion on racial reconciliation that took place last month during the Southern Baptist Convention’s annual meeting in Dallas.
Over the last few years, the subjects of race in the United States and racial reconciliation have become major interests of mine as I’ve sought to learn and understand the dividing lines in our nation.
Growing up, I was rarely exposed to the fact that these divisions exist and need to be dealt with. As tensions have risen over the last several years, I have been pursuing a deeper understanding of differing perspectives on the topic of race.
As my knowledge has grown, I’ve been eager to move from learning about the problem to the pursuit of a solution. I hope to see progress in the way that America—the church in particular—deals with the race issue.
Racism has left deep scars in the United States, and some of those wounds still fester. Yet, praise be to God that healing can happen when we live out the gospel through confession, repentance, grace and forgiveness.
If the gospel is going to penetrate lostness in our increasingly diverse communities, then we will have face the race issue head on because it creates barriers to the spread of the Good News of Jesus Christ.
Featured image courtesy of the North American Mission Board.
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