Jemar Tisby and I are sitting in an apartment near Central Park on the Upper West Side. It’s November, the year is 2018, and the air is crisp, if not downright cold. In a couple of months, Tisby’s debut book, The Color of Compromise, will be released. Two years prior to this conversation, Donald Trump […]
Content Warning: This post contains a description of domestic violence. As we approach the inauguration of Joe Biden and the official end to the Trump regime, it is important for us to take stock of what the past four years have meant for Black Christians. For some of us, these last four years have meant […]
Atatiana Koquice Jefferson isn’t a name that will live in infamy. It’s likely that her name won’t end up in any history textbooks. And her name certainly wasn’t in the mouths of the news anchors on Wednesday, January 6, 2021. No. No one seemed to be thinking about Atatiana that day. But I was. More […]
Growing up in Black churches, I remember hearing the phrase “There ain’t no salvation in the grave.” In my mind, this well-worn phrase served as an attempt to describe how fragile human life is while considering the eternal and urgent work of the Gospel. The fragility of human life has been made even plainer when […]
We have the distinct privilege of running an excerpt from Jemar Tisby’s latest book, How to Fight Racism. We hope that you enjoy it and that you will purchase a copy at www.HowToFightRacism.com. Jemar is the founder of The Witness BCC and CEO of The Witness Inc.
Lord, we cry out in our breathlessness for you.
How long, O Lord, until we breathe again?
Southern Baptist leaders have chosen to prop up whiteness.
It is ironic that in their statement, these Southern Baptist seminary presidents claim they are “standing against the tide of theological compromise.”
There is no form of theological compromise that is more American than vigorously opposing those who advocate for racial justice while remaining silent about the racism and whiteness running rampant in the church.
Psalm 34:20 hits different when you’re sitting in recovery after you’ve had major surgery to repair fractured bones. “He keeps all his bones; not one of them is broken.” There I was lying in my mom’s spare bedroom. A room that had been previously occupied by my baby brother. It was littered with all of his […]
In the next few days, perhaps even weeks, you will hear many statements made and many messages spoken about the sovereignty of God in the face of the wild times we are in. Messages about unity and calm. Many will say, “no matter what, Jesus is in control and on the throne.” A very true […]
Remember to retreat and care for yourself more than you battle and defend yourself.
The truth is on November 4th, we all will wake up with a different perspective of our society.
How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? (Psalm 13:1) 194 days and counting! That’s how long it has been since the Louisville Metro Police Department violently stormed into the apartment of Breonna Taylor, in the middle of the night, and recklessly fired a […]
Recently, the Barna Research Group released a study about “How the summer of 2020 changed perceptions of racial justice-and what it means for Christian leaders.” The discovery revealed what many Black Christians already knew: In the area of racial justice, “progress” is elusive. Jemar and Tyler are back this week to talk about their frustrations […]
The issue of ending racism is much more complex than simply hugging a police officer or “hugging the hate away.” The issue is not a ‘lack of love’ from this Black person to a police officer. The issue is a lack of justice. How can I hug someone (ultimately an institution) who is withholding justice […]
In the past few weeks, the facts about the senseless murders of Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arberry have flooded the media. Even as we were grieving their deaths, America’s legacy of racism showed itself again when we viewed, in horror, the brutal murder of George Floyd at the knee of a Minneapolis police officer. […]
There is a war on my skin. And it didn’t begin with my parents’ bodies. It wasn’t ceased by a signed document. Didn’t desist when the chains fell off. Time didn’t end it, only camouflaged it. Soldiers dressed up as my fellowmen, Riding in cars (not horses) this time With flashing lights and sounds, Guns […]
When I was a teenager, my mother hated the idea of me going out in groups with my friends. She would often tell me that we would be targets. I hated it. I was just a kid who wanted to enjoy a good time. My mother’s perspective was undoubtedly colored by the events surrounding the […]
Confederate monuments, kneeling during the national anthem, the #MeToo movement, Black Lives Matter—We live in an age of protest and reform. Today’s activists must pursue a deep knowledge of this nation’s history, especially as it relates to race and justice, in order to change the present and the future for the better. Listen as Jemar […]
Listen at Jemar shares his experience with racism in reformed theology, thoughts about the Westminster Catechism and the Sixth Commandment, an overview of the long history of racism in the American reformed tradition and what Godly grief over racism might look like. Photo credit
Black children make up 18 percent of preschoolers but 48 percent of those receiving multiple out-of-school suspension.
