How We Learned about Race and Racial Reconciliation (and You Can, Too): Part 3, Miracle at Meadowridge
Bible and Theology
by Dr. Paul Hoskins
2y ago
I have seen one church change from pretty much monoethnic (White) to diverse in a relatively short period of time, and remain diverse to this day. When I think of this dramatic change, I can think of no better descriptor than “the miracle at Meadowridge.” Here is a brief account of what I observed. Sometime in 2010, I met with Randal, the pastor of Meadowridge. He described his vision to see Meadowridge become a church that looked more like its community. The church was a predominantly White church and he was trying to help it chart a new course. The community had changed and the future of Mea ..read more
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How We Learned about Race and Racial Reconciliation (and You Can, Too): Part 2, Early Lessons about Race at Church and through Relationships
Bible and Theology
by Dr. Paul Hoskins
3y ago
In my previous post, I mentioned our early learning about race received a huge boost from joining an African-American church in Waukegan and from our relationship with the Whiteheads. When I was discussing this time with my wife, Cheryl, we remember learning a few things during those first two years. We Began to Notice Our Race One of the striking points that we remember was noticing our race. At church, we were a White family surrounded by African-American families. We felt conspicuous in a way that we had not felt, even in our previous church (a Chinese church). Perhaps it was because we wer ..read more
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How We Learned about Race and Racial Reconciliation (and You Can, Too): Part 1, African-American Church and Education through Relationships
Bible and Theology
by Dr. Paul Hoskins
3y ago
In my blogging, I have generally minimized talking about myself and my experiences. However, rereading Being White for my previous posts reminded me of the power of someone’s story. Harris and Schaupp shared powerful stories related to their learning about race, racism, and racial reconciliation. I believe that Jesus is the ultimate reconciler and that followers of Jesus can and should be involved in confronting racism and working toward racial reconciliation. As human beings, division comes so naturally to us and our sinful natures, but Jesus has clearly shown that it is possible to break thr ..read more
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Understanding and Countering Racism with Help from Being White by Harris and Schaupp (part 2): White Guilt
Bible and Theology
by Dr. Paul Hoskins
3y ago
At times like these when so much public attention is suddenly given to race and racism, it is easy for some European Americans to give in to White guilt. My teenagers sometimes come home from school loaded down by White guilt. They have had an experience that makes them feel guilty about being White, and they feel paralyzed by it. Harris and Schaupp do an excellent job of characterizing White guilt and its ability to hinder racial reconciliation rather than promote it. They address it at a couple of points in their book. I will provide helpful quotations and some brief discussion. First, “whit ..read more
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Understanding and Countering Racism with Help from Being White by Harris and Schaupp (part 1)
Bible and Theology
by Dr. Paul Hoskins
3y ago
Being White: Finding Our Place in a Multiethnic World (InterVarsity Press) is a book full of insights for White Christians who want to understand and counter racism in our country and in our world. The authors are White Christians who want to help other White Christians who are concerned about racial reconciliation. The book is structured around five steps on a journey toward becoming a White person who can be an effective counter to racism in its various forms. These are the steps: 1) encounter, 2) friendship, 3) displacement (entering into spaces where Whites are not dominant), 4) reconsider ..read more
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Book Recommendation: Understanding Racism and Racial Reconciliation with Help from George Yancey
Bible and Theology
by Dr. Paul Hoskins
3y ago
How should we as Christians respond to racism that we see in our communities, in our churches, and in ourselves? A response that will have long-lasting and transformative effects will be based upon truth and aim for nothing less than true love. Jesus calls us to love one another as he loved us (John 13:34). In order to love one another, we have to care for the whole person and consider how best to overcome the obstacles to love that have been created by human sin. One of those obstacles is racism. It is something that all people in the United States struggle with. Racism is a hot topic in the ..read more
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Book Recommendation: Beyond Racial Gridlock by George Yancey
Bible and Theology
by Dr. Paul Hoskins
3y ago
We are living in troubling times. In the midst of the uncertainties created by a pandemic, we are seeing unrest in our cities and on our local news in response to the death of George Floyd. Our world is suddenly seeming very unstable and unpredictable. But perhaps these disruptions to the status quo provide an opportunity to grow in our faith and our view of the world, so that we can be more useful for God’s kingdom. In the Bible, God repeatedly uses calamities and trials to challenge his people to make changes. Several years ago, Dr. George Yancey sent me a copy of his book, Beyond Racial Gri ..read more
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Living for Jesus in a Secular World: Come out of Babylon (Rev 18:4)
Bible and Theology
by Dr. Paul Hoskins
3y ago
Text: Revelation 18 Proposition: We need to be attentive to our lives to make sure that we are being faithful to Jesus in a secular world. Alternate: Are we being faithful to Jesus in the midst of a secular world? I. Introduction. As in the previous two sermons (see previous posts), I talk about how relevant the book of Revelation is to our current world and our lives in it. I reintroduce the idea of the Unholy Trinity (Dragon, Beast, False Prophet) vs. the Holy Trinity (Father, Jesus the Lamb, the Holy Spirit). II. Background from Revelation A. Revelation 17:1-5. Who is the Harlot? She is the ..read more
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How to Defeat the Dragon, part 2: Conquering by the Blood of the Lamb and Keeping God’s Commandments
Bible and Theology
by Dr. Paul Hoskins
3y ago
Text: Revelation 12:6-17 Proposition: Although the Dragon is in constant pursuit of the people of God, they conquer the Devil by the blood of the Lamb and show that they are the people of God by keeping his commandments. I. Introduction As we saw in the last sermon, the book of Revelation is a book full of symbolism that we must interpret. We will see that again and again in Revelation 12:6-17. Revelation is not just about future events. It also contains a lot of information that is relevant for the Christian’s view of the world in the present and for the Christian life. II. The Woman in the W ..read more
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How to Defeat the Dragon, part 1: The Coming of the Messiah
Bible and Theology
by Dr. Paul Hoskins
3y ago
Sermon Notes Text: Revelation 12:1-6 Proposition: God’s saving power is greater than the power of all who oppose him, including the Devil. Alternate: We can trust in God’s saving power. I. Introduction Revelation is not just about future events. It also contains a lot of information that is relevant for the Christian’s view of the world in the present and for the Christian life. We seldom study beyond Revelation 1-3 and 21-22, because the book requires some work in order to figure out how to interpret it correctly. II. The Woman (Rev 12:1-2) A. How to interpret the book of Revelation. The pri ..read more
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