Do you accept the freedom and power God gives you to resist evil, injustice, and oppression in whatever forms they present themselves?
I do.
The murder of George Floyd by a white police officer sparked national protests and important and long-overdue conversations about race, anti-blackness, privilege, and white supremacy. A corresponding increase in anti-Asian violence and racist rhetoric reminds us that many communities are harmed by hate. The Church has a role and responsibility to equip, empower, and embolden its members in the difficult work of resisting the sin of racism as it is found in society and within our congregations.
Greater NW: Resource List • Confronting the Sin of Racism Webinar
The speakers referred to subject areas, writers and resources that are helpful in understanding racial dynamics in the US today. Please consider drawing from these resources for your personal, group or congregational studies.
Greater NW: Inventory of Decision-making Mechanisms
Greater NW: Inventory of Images & Comm. Mechanisms
IV Team: Cultural Self-Awareness Recipe Card
IV Team: Emotional Intelligence Recipe Card
IV Team: Liberating Advent Worship Resources
Dr. Rev. Leroy Barber: The Voices Project blog
Bishop Elaine Stanovsky: Juneteenth Letter
Kristina Gonzalez: Intercultural Competence: Why this and why now?
PNW Church & Society: Statement on Racism, Call to Church Action
Rev. Erin Day: An Open Letter to White Pastors, Preachers, Priests, and Ministers in America
OR-ID Sage District Colloquy: Dr. Drew Hart offers lecture on racism and the church
PNW Clergy Session: Prayers of Lament
AK Native Leaders: Not an Outside Problem – Racism in Alaska resources & video
General Secretaries Table: Statement on Racism
Ask the UMC: What does The United Methodist Church say about racism?
Discipleship Ministries: Resources for Responding to Systemic Racism
Religion & Race: Online Course – You Are Here: First Steps for White Christians on Race and Racism
Religion & Race: Implicit Bias Online Course
Religion & Race: Vital Conversations Series (I, IV)
ResourceUMC: United Methodists stand against racism graphics
Church & Society: United Methodist Social Principles
Racism, manifested as sin, plagues and hinders our relationship with Christ, inasmuch as it is antithetical to the gospel itself. … We commit as the Church to move beyond symbolic expressions and representative models that do not challenge unjust systems of power and access.
Church & Society: What We Care About – Civil & Human Rights
United Methodist Women: Mission Focus on Racial Justice and Mass Incarceration
Press Release: ‘Dismantling Racism’ initiative coming for United Methodist Church
The “Dismantling Racism: Pressing on to Freedom” initiative is a multi-level effort throughout the church to initiate a sustained and coordinated effort to dismantle racism and promote collective action to work toward racial justice.