Gospel City family, 

The goal of Sunday’s sermon (May 31, 2020) and conversation was, in a word, discipleship. Everything we do as a church falls under the category of, “teaching them to observe ALL I have commanded you.” Part of being a “Christ learner” is striving to understand and live, more and more, God’s heart and character of justice.     

We realize that for many, the content from Sunday was the first time you have been a part of such a conversation. And that’s okay. You may be wrestling with not only what you heard, but also “next steps”. For others, you may have been a part of such conversations for the majority of your adult life. However, for the first time you experienced it within a church setting, led by pastors. 

We understand, following such a sermon and conversation, a question that typically arises is, “what now?”

Pastor Trent’s 4-fold application of, “lament, listen, learn and love” was spot on. To that end, allow me to provide some resources that will aid in that application. These resources seek to answer 3 questions for the church:

1. How did we get here as a Church?
2. Where do we go from here as a Church?
3. How do we never return here as a Church? 

While I have read and been greatly encouraged by all of these resources, as with any book that is not the Bible, I don’t agree with EVERYTHING contained within their pages. God’s Spirit dwells within you as well so I will let you do that hard work of “chewing the meat and spitting out the bones” (my apologies for the limited metaphor if you are vegetarian or vegan). I simply ask that you read these resources with the eyes and mind of humility. 

Jemar Tisby – The Color of Compromise: The Truth About the American Church’s Complicity in Racism | Book on Amazon | Docu-series on Amazon Prime Video

Daniel Hill – White Awake: An Honest Look at What it Means to be White | Book on Amazon

Latasha Morrison – Be the Bridge: Pursuing God’s Heart for Racial Reconciliation | Book on Amazon

Eric Mason – Woke Church: An Urgent Call for Christians in America to Confront Racism and Injustice | eBook on Amazon