Conversations about racism are as important as they are hard for American Christians.
Yet the conversation often gets so ugly, even among the faithful who claim unity in Jesus. Why is that the case? Why does it matter? Can things get better, or are we permanently divided?
In this honest and hopeful book, pastor Isaac Adams doesn't just show you how to have the race conversation, he begins it for you. By offering a fictional, racially charged tragedy in order to understand varying perspectives and responses, he examines what is at stake if we ignore this conversation, and why there's just as much at stake in how we have that discussion, especially across color lines--that is, with people of another ethnicity. This unique approach offers insight into how to listen to one another well and seek unity in Christ. Looking to God's Word, Christians can find wisdom to speak gracefully and truthfully about racism for the glory of God, the good of their neighbors, and the building up of the church.
Some feel that the time for talking is over, and that we've heard all this before. But given how polarized American society is becoming--its churches not exempt--fresh attention on the dysfunctional communication between ethnicities is more than warranted. Adams offers an invitation to faithfully combat the racism so many of us say we hate and maintain the unity so many of us say we want. Together we can learn to speak in such a way that we show a divided world a different world.
Talking About Race points to the starting line, not the finish line, when it comes to following Jesus amid race relations. It's high time to begin running.
Discussion questions and a glossary are available in the audiobook companion PDF download.
Isaac Adams (MDiv, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) serves as a pastor at Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, DC, where he lives with his wife and two children. He is the founder of United? We Pray, a ministry dedicated to prayer for racial strife between Christians.
'I eagerly commend this series.'
—R. Albert Mohler Jr., President, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
Be encouraged to deliver the message of the gospel to the world.
One reason Christians don't share the gospel is because we feel like we're not good at it. We clam up; we fear what people might think; we feel bad; and the cycle repeats. But what if there was hope for our timid evangelism? Isaac Adams encourages disheartened evangelists to hope in God, not their efforts. If you've ever felt discouraged in your evangelism, you're in good company, and you're a prime candidate for God's grace. Come and be reminded of it once more, so that you might joyfully share the gospel again.
