The Deeply Formed Life: Five Transformative Values to Root Us in the Way of Jesus

by Rich Villodas

In our church, we have #blacklivesmatter activists and #alllivesmatter advocates. Pro-Trump and never-Trump voters sit next to each other every Sunday (often unbeknownst to each other). We have people who see everything through the lens of a racialized society, and we have immigrants who don’t fully grasp what all the fuss is about. We have people who want every other sermon to be on dismantling racism, and we have folks who are triggered anytime race is brought up. I’ve received emails from people leaving our church because the sermons came across as too focused on race and not the gospel, and I’ve been chastised by people desiring greater focus on the current events that are dominating the racial conversation. There are moments when I step back and see the hand of Jesus forming our community. There are other moments when it seems as though evil powers are wreaking havoc among our church family. Over the years, we have learned to grow together and draw out powerful truths about the nature of the gospel in the context of racial justice and reconciliation. No one can truly understand New Life apart from this commitment that informs all we do. I’d like to offer some ways we have sought to shape our diverse community through theological clarity and spiritual formation depth.