My good brother CJ at Christ My Rightouesness is doing a series called “Race Relations and Unity. So far there are three posts up.
The Cross and Racial Reconciliation : Jews and Gentiles in Christ by Kehpa
Kingdom of Men or Kingdom of God: How Your View of Diversity Defines Your Kingdom by Lionel Woods (AKA Hot Chocolate)
Love is Beyond Diversity by Bradley Cochran
There are a few more coming, but if you have a heart for racial reconcilation and diversity within the Body of Christ, I think these would be good reads. Coming from the Reformed persuasion I belive this to be a critical issue, as the Reformed faith is highly Eurocentric and has a superiority complex!
Lionel,
You said, “as the Reformed faith is highly Eurocentric and has a superiority complex”.
Brother! Methinks you paint with a very broad brush! That brush is neither fair or just.
I grew up amongst black Australians, and never knew they were different until black men came from USA and told them that ALL white men were exploiting them and that they needed to rise up and rebel.
I loved those young men I grew up with. It broke my heart when they chose to not even pass the time of day with me.
My wife and I both did theological training together. Our best friends were an Australian Aboriginal man and wife, who were the only black people amongst many whites.
My sister and her husband have spent their whole married life (about 40 years), living with, loving and serving black Australians.
Brother! Great injustices have been perpetrated upon black Americans. Equally great injustices have been perpetrated against black Australians.
The great Biblical doctrines of God’s Amazing grace towards undeserving sinners such as you and I, are beyond racial discriminations. To claim otherwise is to charge God with discrimination.
Sinners like you and I do discriminate, and until we see men and women, Reformed or Arminian, black, white or brindle (even those who harm us), through the eyes of Christ, we are doomed to make the very same mistakes we accuse others of.
I have been convinced of “Reformed Theology”, I would rather call it Biblical Theology of the New Covenant kind, for the majority of my life, my sister and her husband work with a Reformed believing church.
In all that long time, even when in USA, I have only seen and experienced, the very opposite of what you have said, (I’m not saying it doesn’t happen) where many races embraced and served each other. I embraced, and sat and enjoyed fellowship with black American brothers.
I learned, a long time ago, that sinners, both black and white, although claiming the high ground, usually find in the end, that pointing at others with a jaundiced finger, whilst forgetting that three fingers point back to ourselves, eventually separates and brings great personal regret.
When I see this shocking wound being continually opened amongst those claiming to be dressed in the righteousness of Christ, it causes me to grieve and weep.
One thing the Holy Spirit teaches us is that if there’s a problem around, we’re usually it!
Aussie,
I am saying as a confessing group, The Reformed faith was birthed in eurocentricity. It did not take into account (and still does not) the contributions of others. In your statment you said:
“I have been convinced of “Reformed Theology”, I would rather call it Biblical Theology of the New Covenant kind, for the majority of my life, my sister and her husband work with a Reformed believing church.”
To say that Reformed Theolog is “biblical theology” is to say that other (Eastern Orthodox, Afrian American, Catholicism) are “unbiblical” or at least “pseudo-biblical”. The Reformed faith does not allow other experiences to sit at the table of theological discussion, to embrace it is also to embrace its: hermeneutic, worship music, culture, and historical authors and theologians. That is what I mean Sir.
I call myself Reformed from a Doctrines of Grace perspective but it stops there. For me to be truly reformed would mean for me to neglect apart of my culture.
Calvinist yes, Reformed no.
In other words, Calvinist but not Reformed.
How are things going Greg? Are you in the states for the Holidays?
We’re overseas for now. Hope to visit the U.S. in 2009.