A Checklist before Talking about Race in the Church

Some wise counsel from Thabiti Anyabwile on things to check before leading a church into a discussion on race and racism:

Check your motive.
Check your strategy.
Check your goal.
Check your timeline.
Check your terms.
Check your theology.
Check your feelings.
Check your competence.

Read the whole thing for his explanation of each of these points. Here’s just one excerpt, under the “check your motive” category:

Are you really zealous about “race” and “racism” or do you feel guilted or embarrassed into discussion?

If the latter, you won’t last and will likely find yourself worse off after attempting to speak or host a forum.

If the former, then be sure to couple your zeal with knowledge. Few people are more destructive than those who have great burning passion but little prayerful, informed knowledge about these issues. Maybe the best place to start isn’t discussion but listening and reading.