Resurrection South Austin holds a conversation on racism, violence, hatred, and the living Christian witness

Recent tragedies in Minnesota, Louisiana, Dallas, and beyond left many Christians  grieving, confused, and burdened for our broken world. But rather than despair at the narrative of sin that’s long entangled us, last month Resurrection South Austin took action to show their community that in Jesus, we have unprecedented hope.

On July 10, the church invited the entire community to a special gathering—a night of prayer, conversation and story-telling about the racism, violence and hatred deeply embedded in our society.

The Rev. Shawn McCain designed the gathering so the 38 attendees felt safe enough to ask difficult questions, hear stories from Resurrection family members, and better understand the challenges facing their community as they wrestle with what it means to bear a Christian witness and the hope of the Gospel.

“These issues aren’t just ‘out there’ but realities facing our own family, and therefore, issues that face all of us,” he says.

He asked five parishioners of different ethnicities—Black, Hispanic and Palestinian—to share their own experiences of racism and how it has affected them. Throughout the conversation, several key insights emerged.

  • Presence is powerful. It’s humanizing. It holds people to the consequences of their speech and gives them the gift of a healed personhood. The issues we face aren’t just “out there,” but are real, named and among us. There is no “them.”
  • Language is a key to healing and solidarity. Actively listening to one another gives us the gift of seeing the complexities involved in our lived experiences, while identifying the evils of systemic racism, prejudice and violence.
  • Christian community is powerful. As living members of Christ’s one Body, we have a different starting point for conversation and a hopeful imagination for confronting racism. Racial reconciliation is at the heart of the Gospel.

“We believe this is the way God does things in His Kingdom,” McCain says. “It’s where history is headed—all things reconciled to God through Christ. As Christians in community, we are compelled to participate in this work with God.”

McCain asked his community to pray this prayer with him:

Grant, O God, that your holy and life-giving Spirit may so move every human heart and especially the hearts of the people of this land, that barriers which divide us may crumble, suspicions disappear, and hatreds cease; that our divisions being healed, we may live in justice and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Resurrection South Austin plans to schedule a follow-up conversation to continue this work of reconciliation, as well as facilitate future discussions on important topics facing the neighborhood.

“The conversation was a first step toward Resurrection South Austin living out their calling as active peacemakers by the power of the Holy Spirit, fervent prayer, and a commitment of love to one another,” he says. “It was a gift to our church, and I believe the spirit of God was leading the way and has more for us to discover as a community.”

Learn more at http://www.rezaustin.com.