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Talking about Race argues Christians must understand why they avoid honest conversations about race if they want to enjoy authentic racial unity in their churches. Isaac Adams shows that if we can understand the reasons for our reluctance to speak about race we can grow together in love rather than apart in bitterness.
About the author
Isaac Adams (MDiv, Southern Seminary) serves as a pastor at Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, DC, where he lives with his wife and three children. He is the founder of United? We Pray, a ministry dedicated to prayer for racial strife—especially between Christians.
Summary
Conversations about racism are as important as they are hard for American Christians.
Yet the conversation often gets so ugly, even among the faithful who claim unity in Jesus. Why is that the case? Why does it matter? Can things get better, or are we permanently divided?
In this honest and hopeful book, pastor Isaac Adams doesn't just show you how to have the race conversation, he begins it for you. By offering a fictional, racially charged tragedy in order to understand varying perspectives and responses, he examines what is at stake if we ignore this conversation, and why there's just as much at stake in how we have that discussion, especially across color lines--that is, with people of another ethnicity. This unique approach offers insight into how to listen to one another well and seek unity in Christ. Looking to God's Word, Christians can find wisdom to speak gracefully and truthfully about racism for the glory of God, the good of their neighbors, and the building up of the church.
Some feel that the time for talking is over, and that we've heard all this before. But given how polarized American society is becoming--its churches not exempt--fresh attention on the dysfunctional communication between ethnicities is more than warranted. Adams offers an invitation to faithfully combat the racism so many of us say we hate and maintain the unity so many of us say we want. Together we can learn to speak in such a way that we show a divided world a different world.
Talking About Race points to the starting line, not the finish line, when it comes to following Jesus amid race relations. It’s high time to begin running.
Additional text
'When I wrote Beyond Racial Gridlock, I was asked to also provide a companion book to help Christians with this conversation. At that time, I wished I had written Talking about Race. This is the book I have been praying for. It challenges all of us how to speak to each other as believers who are struggling to discuss these sensitive issues. Adams provides guidance to help us navigate the minefields that confront our racial conversations. This book is a critical missing piece for the development of real Christian racial reconciliation. If you want to gain practical insight into how to apply our Christian principles to our racial conversations, then pick up this book.'
