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Different but the Same
Most nights I go to bed anxious. Anxious about the turmoil across our country and our world. Anxious about the place where my little boys will grow up and the challenges they will face. The past few months have shocked us with pain, turmoil, and anger. They have marked us and made us. Life will look different, even after we return to our normal routines. As I worry about the unknowns ahead, I’m reminded that Solomon told us, “There is nothing new under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 1:9). Our problems are unique, but they are not new. Just take a look at the Bible’s history. Anger turned to murder within the…
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Racism: Where Do Whites Go from Here? – Part 2
Two weeks ago, I introduced a two-part series titled Racism: Where Do Whites Go from Here? I began by recommending humility and self-education. And I’m going to assume we’ve done some homework, so I can skip establishing that there is even a problem and go straight to what we can do in response to the overwhelming evidence. Here are some additional suggestions: 1. Become more respectful conversation partners. After my husband and I adopted a daughter, we appreciated those who stopped referring to her as our “adopted daughter” and instead called her our “daughter.” As pro-lifers, we appreciate it when people refer to us as “pro-life” instead of “anti-choice”—because it’s hard…
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Fighting the Empathy Famine: Listening and Learning
A little honestly here: I’m overdosed on listening to partisan pundits. I try to wrap my head around their perspectives and spot the strengths and flaws of their thinking, but I’ve retreated for a while. Instead, I focus my energy on four things: Listening to and comforting those I know whose spirits are crushed, without minimizing their experiences (Prov. 18:13-14). By listening, I have learned of the constant stress my black friend and co-worker feels as she raises her son and daughters. She shared that in the last two weeks she got lost in an upscale neighborhood in my suburb north of Dallas. Late for an appointment, she asked a…
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Racism: Where Do Whites Go from Here?
If public prayer meetings, sermons, and social media are any indication, a lot of white evangelicals are finally saying we need to go beyond observing, having conversations, and constantly analyzing semantics in the fight against racism. Yes, it’s high time we got way more involved. So, “Where do we go from here”? In this two-part series (come back in two weeks), I’ll lay out some baby steps. First, we start with humility. As members of the majority group, we have a certain ignorance when it comes to knowing what it’s like to live as a member of a minority population. I heard a trusted Black brother say this week, “People have to…
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Star-Spangled Hammer
In 1964 an engineering graduate student sailed on a 1000 passenger ship from Bombay to Genoa. Later that night he caught a train from Milan to London. From London he flew to New York. He took a bus to the Port of Ellis Island to process his immigration. This fourteen day journey began his road to the American Dream. He had eight dollars in his pocket. Years later, my father took his United States citizenship, pledging allegiance to the American flag with tears in his eyes. My father always taught us we should feel lucky to live in America—a nation of liberty and justice for all. He had escaped a…
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The Cost of Ignoring Injustice
There is a cost when Christians ignore injustice—we suggest to the world that God doesn’t care about those who experience it. When we’re apathetic about the murder of a young African-American man by a pair of white vigilantes, we fail to image God who is just and calls his people to advocate for justice: Seek good and not evil so you can live! Then the Lord God of Heaven’s Armies just might be with you, as you claim he is. Hate what is wrong, love what is right. Promote justice at the city gate. (Amos 5:14–15a) Take away from me your noisy songs; I don’t want to hear the music…
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Charlottesville One Year Later: A Call for the Church to Unify
*Just over a year ago, the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, VA resulted in death and division, showcasing the deep tensions surrounding race relations in our country. Today, most Americans feel the divide has only increased. The reminders below are a call for the global church to highlight the unity and dignity of all human beings. Like many of you, I watched in disbelief as white supremacists spouted bigotry, violence, and KKK rhetoric last weekend at a “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, VA. For a brief summary of the weekend’s events and aftermath, see:https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/13/us/charlottesville-virginia-overview.html I’ve noted two common responses to the persistent racial and political divide in our…
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God Will Join Together What Man Has Put Asunder
In India people get placed into rigid hereditary social distinctions. And no amount of education or hard work could get a person out of their designated caste. A person born high caste enjoys all societal privileges without having to prove herself worthy of said caste, and a person born low caste gets sentenced to a lifetime of cleaning urine and feces no matter how much she tries to prove herself worthy of a better life. This may seem too ridiculous to believe. But we’d be surprised what people believe just because their relatives say it’s true. In my opinion, all social…
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The Deep South: How Culture Hinders Unity
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On a purse shopping expedition, I encountered a black patent leather stunner. I cradled her over to the mirror to confirm what I knew—I would take her home. The mirror had other plans…this mammoth mom-purse could fit over my head and shoulders. I carry only a wallet, keys, and cell phone—which could fit into a lunch sack. A sales associate rushed over just as I prepared my rejection speech. She insisted the bag was very stylish like me, blah blah blah. (As if one could separate an Indian from her money that easily.) Despite her efforts to earn her commission, I would save my money for something…smaller.…
