From: Reconciliation Ministry [Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)]
Social Enterprise Resource Bank – June 3, 2019
Reconciliation Ministry is an Initiative of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) to practice faithfulness with regard to the elimination of racism, which exists in all manifestations of the church, to discern the presence and nature of racism as sin, to develop strategies to eradicate it, and to work toward racial reconciliation.
The initiative is based on several premises.
- Racism is a spiritual and theological dilemma as well as a social evil;
- Racist practice exists throughout the life of the church and needs to be addressed. The church needs to get its own “house” in order even as it looks toward being a transformational agent in the larger world;
- Racism is a systemic problem with historical root causes;
- Racism can be defined in many ways. This initiative is based on an analysis of racism that understands racism to be a combination of racial prejudice and institutional and/or economic power.
- When conceived the initiative was based on a vision for the church as a place “where brothers and sisters of all races, languages, and cultures will grow towards God’s glorious realm, where all have a place at the table and none shall be turned away.”
Reconciliation Ministry provides several resources including study guides, videos, sermons, and written materials. Here is the link to the Racism Study Packet, a zip drive document, which includes chapters on A History of Racism in the United States and Bible and Racism, among other topics.