Reconciliation

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The Rev. William J. Barber, left, and Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove are working together on the Poor People's Campaign, a nationwide effort to "challenge the evils of systemic racism, poverty, the war economy, ecological devastation and the nation’s distorted morality." Photo courtesy of Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove

Reconciliation, Racial & ethnic

Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove: Reckoning with the racist history of American Christianity

Understanding the way that America’s history has subverted our reading of the Bible is necessary if we are to be freed from institutional racism and to embrace a Christianity that recognizes the equal worth of every person, says the author of “Reconstructing the Gospel.”

Group of white people having a serious discussion

It's important that white people who care about racial reconciliation and healing have difficult conversations in their own communities -- such as church, says Carolyn B. Helsel. Bigstock/Kasia Bialasiewicz

Reconciliation, Racial & ethnic

Carolyn B. Helsel: How can white Christians talk faithfully about racism?

White people may feel shame and guilt about racism -- but that should not halt the conversation, says the author of the new book “Anxious to Talk About It.”

Photo courtesy of Chalice Press

Arts & Culture, Society, Reconciliation, Community

Sandhya Rani Jha: Learn how to make a difference in your neighborhood and the world

Ordinary people can effect extraordinary change, but sometimes they need encouragement and information about how to get started, says the pastor, activist and author of the book “Transforming Communities.”

Photo courtesy of Westminster John Knox Press

Reconciliation, Vocation, Arts & Culture

John Pavlovitz: Bringing people to the table with honest talk about tough topics

A hugely popular Christian author talks about why he feels moved to break open the conversation in church circles by writing about progressive politics and social issues in his blog Stuff That Needs To Be Said.

Book cover detail

Reconciliation, Forgiveness, Racial & ethnic

Dominique D. Gilliard: Mass incarceration is antithetical to the gospel

The church is called to stand against the phenomenon of mass incarceration in the United States, says a pastor and author of “Rethinking Incarceration” in an interview.

Southerners on New Ground (SONG) celebrated its campaign to bail out black women from the Durham, N.C., jail in August 2017. Photo courtesy of SONG

Reconciliation, Christian Leadership

Chalice Overy: Helping bail black women out of jail is the work of the Spirit

When she was asked to help bail women out of a local detention center, a minister was at first surprised. But, she writes, she shouldn’t have been.

Multiracial group of people holding hands and praying

Bigstock/Rawpixel.com

Reconciliation, Racial & ethnic, Congregations

Gerardo Marti: Church and the challenge of pluralism

The challenge facing much of the church in the U.S. is the challenge of pluralism, says a sociologist who studies race and religion. Can the church equip itself to engage with an increasingly diverse society?

Bigstock / Montes Bradley

Reconciliation, Racial & ethnic, Vocation

Leah Gunning Francis: Don't look for another Martin Luther King -- look within

The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was never a solitary, mythical figure during the civil rights movement, and people involved in the struggle today should not look for such a leader. Instead, we should look for the leader within and the leaders all around us, who emerge from the ground up, says the dean of the faculty at Christian Theological Seminary.

The Rev. Alvin Edwards (left) visits with the Rev. Alvin Horton, pastor of First United Methodist Church, during a meeting of the Charlottesville Clergy Collective.
Photo by Richard Lord

Christian Leadership, Pastoral leadership, Reconciliation, Racial & ethnic

Alvin Edwards: To make an impact, the religious community must work together

When crisis hit Charlottesville last summer, local clergy were prepared to help lead, thanks in part to newly rebuilt relationships and trust, says the leader of the Charlottesville Clergy Collective.

Bigstock / Hadrian

Sermons, Gospel of Matthew, Reconciliation, Community

G. Lee Ramsey Jr.: Las Vegas and the violence in God's vineyard

In the aftermath of the mass shooting in Las Vegas, a homiletics professor and UMC pastor finds an important message in the parable of the vineyard owner’s son: Enough is enough. God did not mean for us to live this way.

A learning resource for Christian leaders and their institutions from Leadership Education at Duke Divinity