GOSPEL & CULTURE
GOSPEL & CULTURE VIDEO DISCUSSION SERIES
NEXT SESSION ON AUGUST 3 FROM 7:00–8:00PM ON ZOOM
Interested in exploring how the gospel informs how we think about issues of culture, race, and justice? The newly-formed “Gospel & Culture” team will host a series of no-preparation summer discussion sessions on July 20, August 3, August 17 and August 31 at 7:00pm. We’ll watch a short video together and then discuss the implications of the ideas presented. In this group we’ll work to talk through these challenging concepts together with grace. Questions? Email Liz Nilsen.
WEEK 1 DISCUSSION RESOURCES
Week 1 Video – Watch it here
  • A longer video from Latasha with some of her own story
  • Latasha's book - "Be the Bridge: Pursuing God's Heart for Racial Reconciliation"
  • Be the Bridge website (in particular, check out the "We Recommend" page)
  • Be the Bridge to Racial Unity Facebook group - you won't agree with everything, but many people post interesting articles, videos, etc.
  • One of Latasha's key principles is that of listening to people whose experiences are different than our own. If you'd like to "practice," here's a few videos of Christian brothers and sisters telling their own stories:
  1. Soong-Chan Rah teaches at Fuller Theological Seminary, but here tells the story of growing up as a Korean immigrant in Baltimore
  2. Kevin Smith is a Black pastor, professor and now leader of the Maryland/Delaware Baptist convention
  3. Melyssa Colón Cordero is a Puerto Rican believer of many ethnicities; she leads Latino initiatives for InterVarsity Christian Fellowship
  4. Richard Twiss was a Lakota Christian. This video is from presentation at Gordon College.
Here are a few books if you’d like to listen more intensively:
  • "I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness" by Austin Channing Brown
  • "We Speak for Ourselves: How Woke Culture Prohibits Progress" by D Watkins
Finally, several of us were struck by the exhortation to identify/explore our blind spots. This resource is not from a faith perspective, but is interesting: the Harvard Implicit Bias Assessment Tests. There are actually many tests, including one related to Black/White bias, another related to White/Asian bias, and a third related to dark/light skin tone bias.