When God calls us into cross-cultural relationships for the sake of advancing his kingdom, there are times when our well-intentioned words and actions will be taken offensively. It often feels like bumping into an invisible electric fence. This happened early on in our ministry here in Orangeburg. I was developing a relationship with a black […]
I woke up the morning of Sept. 14 to a text that a 13 year old boy was shot dead by police in my city. Considering that there is so much to process within the short statement: “a 13 year old boy shot dead by police,” I thought it human to give it a moment […]
This article, written by Ernest Grant II, was first published on his site. Find more great content here. Grant is a pastor at Epiphany Fellowship Church – Camden. I rolled my eyes in disgust as he raised his voice at her, but deep in my soul, I felt powerless to defend her honor. This wasn’t the […]
The multi-ethnic church movement has captivated many Christians. In my capacity as a NT scholar and a preacher, I’m privileged to lecture and preach throughout the country in many multi-ethnic spaces, and in spaces that aspire to be multi-ethnic. I also regularly talk to many Christians who deeply ache for a multi-ethnic church experience. Unfortunately, […]
It is one thing for African American students to gain admission to Traditionally White Institutions (TWIs), and quite another thing to thrive at them. It is imperative for TWIs to retain their minority students, and there are structures in place that aid in this goal such as academic support, cultural support, and programmatic support. But […]
Growing up in the Black Church has been a rich blessing that I do not take for granted. As a young boy, at Calvary Baptist Church in Portsmouth Virginia, I heard the Christ-centered bold preaching that arrested my soul and caused me to be drawn to surrender my life to Christ. In that same Church, […]
Surveying Jupiter Hammon’s writing: “Address to the Negros in the State of New York,” Dante Stewart presents Hammon’s vision of God, Redemption, and the Christian Life. There is much to be learned and applied for us Christians today.
This article, written by Chris Neilson, first appeared on the Flannel Pilgrims website. You can find the original, and more great content here. This summer, I’m leading a group of college students and recent alumni in a set of Bible studies, and on Tuesday we studied the story of Zacchaeus in Luke 19. Digging into […]
Our country has again witnessed the tragedy of gun violence. This month, white cops shot and killed black men in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and in St. Paul, MN. A black sniper murdered white policemen and a Latino policeman in Dallas, Texas, while injuring both white and black civilians and cops. Most recently, a gunman assassinated […]
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is mental and emotional stress that includes characteristics of re-experiencing, and hyper arousal, which can lead to a significant disruption in one’s life. PTSD occurs after a person has been through shocking trauma. The bad experience that happened to you, in front of you, or around you, stays with you. You feel certain that the […]
Roughly fifty years ago, the streets of this country were burning. The Panthers were out in full force, policing their own neighborhoods and threatening to “Off the pigs” if the violence didn’t stop. Martin Luther King was calling for peace, even though some of his marches were criticized for ultimately inciting violence. Malcolm X was mesmerizing […]
The recent police shootings of two African American men in Baton Rouge and Falcon Heights have shocked many people. Unfortunately, I was not shocked. You see, I have always lived between two worlds, both within the United States. This first world is an upper to middle class, majority white suburban world. This world is highly protected. Unfortunately, it is protected by ignorance, not stupidity. It is protected by privilege. It is protected by […]
On any given day, I could become a hashtag.
Note: This post originally appeared on We Persevere: The Personal Blog of K.A. Ellis. Find the post and more excellent content here. One of the most destructive lies of American chattel slavery was that “if we were good and obedient slaves, we would be greatly rewarded in heaven.” In the twenty-first century, this distortion of Scripture […]
Growing up, I spent much of my life in settings that were predominately white. The members at my church were mainly white. My public schooling was largely Caucasian. The neighborhoods I grew up in were mostly white. My childhood experience was that of a typical white male, born to middle-class evangelical parents in the twentieth […]
Tiger Woods will go down as one of the greatest golfers of all-time. After his victory at the 2001 Master’s, Tiger became the first ever golfer to hold all four major championships at the same time. Though Woods’ game has declined as of late, he’s accomplished feats that others only dream too. More importantly than […]
We Persevere Weekly Roundup June 10, 2016 Saudi Arabia: Muslims in Saudi Arabia are turning to Christianity, despite the country’s religious suppression and strict Sharia law-based legal system that associates Islamic identity with citizenship. The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) describes Saudi Arabia as a “uniquely repressive” country, which prohibits any form […]
It has been said that 11:00am on Sunday morning is the most segregated hour in America, meaning black and white Christians are still very divided. I’ve often struggled with the racial divide amongst Christians, especially when we believe in the same God. Very few African American Christians would consider themselves to be evangelical, because for many […]
Urban ministry is a different monster than any other form of ministry. In an urban context, church planters and church plants face many challenges that suburban church planters and plants do not experience. Urban church planting involves struggles that may make it nearly impossible to be a flourishing church in the first 5-7 years of ministry. These […]
I speak in many different contexts on issues related to reconciliation and multi-ethnic churches. I’ve observed one reason that reconciliation and multi-ethnic churches are difficult to achieve for some churches is because few of them are willing to make the necessary multi-ethnic negotiations for the purpose of pursuing healthy, gospel-centered, multi-ethnic churches. But God, in […]
