Issue 25 All WelcomeBlog | Diversity and inclusion – Essential reading for preachers
Diversity and inclusion – Essential reading for preachers
Author: Andy PeckPost Date: 12.12.20
‘ Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold; Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world.’ W B Yeats’ words from The Second Coming have never felt so relevant. Faced with anarchy, or at least the rising pandemic of division, dissension, polarisation and segregation, the church must offer an oasis of welcome and hospitality. But how can we do this in a post-lockdown world, with residual anxiety about public buildings and gatherings, and the potential of continued exclusion of the vulnerable? This is an important time to be renewing our commitment to diversity and inclusivity and rethinking how we display and practise it.
THE COLOUR OF COMPROMISE The Truth about the American Church’s Complicity in Racism Jemar Tisby (Zondervan, June 2020) I thought I was pretty clued up about issues of racial injustice but this book was an eye-opener in terms of the history of race and segregation in the US church, written by a black US Christian who cares deeply about the church but also recognises the need for us to confront racism past and present. I learned many uncomfortable truths as I read these pages: I had no idea that the Southern Baptist Convention was founded because of Southern churches taking a pro-slavery stance. I was unaware that George Whitefield was a slave owner. We all have blind spots, but books like this can help us. They make us cry, squirm and then become restless to make changes for good.
