A VISION FOR RACIAL HARMONY

"And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; and hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth." (Revelation 5:9-10).

A CHURCH VALUE

Fresh Initiative: Interracial Reconciliation

"Against the rising spirit of indifference, alienation and hostility in our land we will embrace the supremacy of God's love to take new (and active) steps personally and corporately toward racial reconciliation (harmony), expressed visibly in our community and in our church."

• "Against the rising spirit of indifference, alienation and hostility.." :

We will teach the people of Grace to be sensitive to the social injustices in our land and to be counter-culture in their Christian witness.

• "We will embrace the supremacy of God's love."

The driving force behind our commitment is to demonstrate that God's love reaches beyond culture and ethnicity.

     • "We will take new steps personally and corporately ..":

We will demonstrate our commitment to this issue by crafting a vision that will give birth to ministries at Grace that will advance this cause among our people and in our community.

• "Expressed visibly in our community and in our church." :

The goal of our commitment is the visible expression of harmony in our church and our impact on issues of social justice outside Grace.

A DEFINITION OF RACIAL HARMONY

The intermingling of all that is biblical and Christ-centered within diverse cultures for the purpose of a fuller experience and expression of Christ in the church and in the world.

THE PRIORITY OF RACIAL HARMONY : Principles of the definition

• We believe that the design of God in redemptive history is the display of His glory in the diversity of His church. We desire to be an example of that at Grace.

• We believe that every culture has something to contribute to our understanding of the character of God and His workings in redemptive history.

We hold that anything that is considered beneficial from any culture must be on the basis of its being Christ-centered. This kind of discernment demands great humility and the willingness to critically assess our own culture in order to be willing and able to see the value in other cultures. We desire to be that kind of church.

• We believe that God has created such diversity for a greater expression of His worth and honor in the souls of believers. That we are called "the body of Christ" affirms our need to be nourished, enriched and edified by other cultural expressions of God.

• We believe that the church is to be a light, witness and leader in the world on the issue of race relations by demonstrating in her unity the essence of true unity, namely Christ. God has granted in the history of the United States, a wonderful means for the church to make much of the power of the gospel in bringing unity from great division. We desire to be a church that reflects the power of the gospel in breaking down all barriers of race and culture that prevent unity.

THE PRIORITY OF RELATIONSHIPS AND RACIAL HARMONY

The heart of any commitment to racial harmony and racial justice must begin with a commitment to building strong, viable relationships with those who are not like us.

Therefore, the high value that racial harmony should hold at Grace is in regard to its value and emphasis on relationships. We have defined our church as a place where relationships would not only be forged but also nurtured into rich and meaningful partnerships in grace.

PRACTICAL STEPS:

1. Become a learner of other cultures, especially the culture of those that God has put around you.
2. Be intentional about building friendships cross-culturally, and look for ways to turn those friendships into 'yokefellows.'
3. Become interested in the hobbies of others and not just your own
4. Acknowledge the reality of racism and the subtle or overt ways we have participated in it.
5. Place yourself in situations in which you are able to submit to black leadership.
6. Be sensitive and loving.

Used by permission- © 2005 Bethlehem Baptist Church

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Another Useful Ministry:  The COEBA Movement is an effort to plant fundamental Baptist churches that will effectively minister to the needs of Black America.The modern foreign missionary era has proven that the most effective way to reach a people is with a national pastor. Similarly, the condition in our country is such that Black America can only be evangelized en masse as God-called black men are burdened, trained and commissioned to plant churches. And though these churches may be predominantly black, they must always champion their God-given requirement to reach all people.

Spreading the gospel in Black America is the responsibility of every New Testament church. This is why COEBA is not a black movement, but a fundamentalist movement. Churches and Christians have joined hands and hearts in one of the most concerted specific missions endeavors in history.