Christian Living

Pass The Mic: Conversing Diversely

Beau York

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Jemar and Tyler discuss the importance of diversity within Evangelical conferences and conversations.

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2 thoughts on “Pass The Mic: Conversing Diversely

  1. Tyler Burns

    Hi Roberto

    Thank you very much for listening to our podcast. We appreciate all the feedback that you have given. I have a few responses to your thoughts:

    1. Let me first assure you that no one is intentionally not responding to your comments or critiques. I have, to my knowledge, never seen them. The best way to get our attention is on Twitter (I’m @Burns23). We all have other jobs and while not an excuse at all, we often miss the volume of comments that come in. Please forgive us. We will get better.
    2. I can see how, especially in your personal situation, it seems that we limit the conversation to “black and white lines”. However, our mission is to bring the perspective of African Americans. I know that may seem frustrating, but there are other sites that globalize the concerns of all minority Christian groups, namely Reformed Margins. They are great. I encourage you to check them out. We won’t exclusively have black/white conversations on the site and podcast. However, that is our area of emphasis, and we try to work hard to stay in that lane for clarity purposes.
    3. As for your critique of our platform becoming “pro-black” rather than having “real, biblically grounded conversations”, I’m curious what you mean by that. What is “pro-blackness”, and what examples can you give of that on our podcast/website? To be honest, we are laughed out of the audience of many black folk for being too safe. Are you familiar with pan-africanism or egyptology or liberation theology or black hebrew israelites? I think when you compare us, you see some very significant differences that should make us hesitate to critique us so strongly. I think because we talk about these issues more than other outlets, it appears that we have a preoccupation, but in reality, we’re pretty tame. We always strive to point to the Gospel, be self-critical but also listen to voices that are different from ours. I am much more worried about being tagged pro-Gospel than pro-black.
    4. Finally, the critique about disagreement is something that is often levied against the podcast in particular. We are not obligated to host debates/forums about these issues with others who disagree. Do we ask this of TGC or other reformed websites/conferences? Of course not. Is any podcast you listen to built on that? I doubt very many. Most Christian outlets don’t do that, and I don’t think we should be expected to either. We contend with disagreements and diverse opinions openly, but we don’t always have those conversations on air because they tend to turn into sport rather than gracious conversation. These are best had with people who we know and can have productive convo with. It’s okay to have a podcast that has similar opinion and refrains from heavy disagreements. Don’t take that to mean we’re not safe for real conversation. We just are not taking on the burden of having every conversation representing every side of opinion, and if you’re honest, very few christian outlets do. And that’s okay.

    Thanks again for your comments. We look forward to your reply.

    Grace and Peace

  2. Roberto Reyes, Jr

    Hey, guys,

    I appreciate your work and podcasts. A lot of good things are being said. Furthermore, I also appreciate your willingness to extend your platform to other ethnic groups in the body of Christ. However, the problem that I see is that, you guys are not expanding the conversation beyond the general borders of the African American ethnic group. The church’s borders extend beyond the black and white lines that exists. For instance, I have contacted you guys a couple of times not only expressing my gratitude for your work, but also addressing the issues I’m currently bringing up. However, you guys have not responded in any way, thus limiting voices that go beyond your own. So, if you’re going to talk about the diversity of the church and how the voices of the church should reflect said diversity, then I would think that you guys would be eager to be an example for the church.

    Lastly, as I have listened to your podcasts and read numerous articles, I’m beginning to think that RAAN is becoming a platform for a pro-black perspective, rather than a platform to have some real, biblically grounded conversations between different ethnic and class groups of the church. I see a lack of deep exegesis of the Scriptures that really speak into the divisions of the church; real hard conversations about the sins that exist within all communities; and, having conversations with individuals that agree and disagree with the RAAN consensus. Until RAAN becomes a safe platform for real conversations between the diverse body of Christ, it will only be a party platform for your general consensus, and become very myopic.

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