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Reconciliation

UNITY NOT UNIFORMITY

Reconciliation is an ongoing spiritual process involving forgiveness, repentance and justice.

We Believe

Jesus died to create unity in all of His people spanning across socioeconomic status, age, and ethnicity (Ephesians 2). Anything less is not in accordance with the will of God. Biblical unity is not uniformity. Unity amongst diversity is intended to be a marker of the church and its local and global context.

What does the Bible say?

"So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them."

“The community is to have the same rules for you and for the foreigner residing among you; this is a lasting ordinance for the generations to come. You and the foreigner shall be the same before the LORD.”

"For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing. And you are to love those who are foreigners, for you yourselves were foreigners in Egypt."

"Have we not all one Father? Has not one God created us? Why then are we faithless to one another, profaning the covenant of our fathers?"

"Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

"I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me"

"Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right."

"May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ."

"I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment."

"For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink."

"For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility."

"For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit."

"So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others."

"We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother."

"And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth."

"After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands."

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Just Mercy
Bryan Stevenson
Race and the Church
Catalyst Conference
Let Justice Roll Down
John M. Perkins
Under Our Skin
Benjamin Watson

Why is this important?

God is a reconciling God. The Gospel, at its core, is a message of reconciliation. If you are human, then you are created in the image of God and therefore called by God to help steward the world.

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AACC Interconnected Panel Series
Asian American Christian Collaborative (AACC)
Urban Apologetics
Dr. Eric Mason
AACC Kairos Series
Asian American Christian Collaborative (AACC)
Reading While Black
Esau McCaulley
The New Jim Crow
Michele Alexander
Danger of a Single Story
Chimamanda Adichie
Woke Church
Eric Mason
13th
Netflix Trailer
Juneteenth
Culture Matters
Racism In America
The Liturgists Podcast

Tell me more?

The contentious racial history of the United States has infiltrated and influenced all of its institutions, including the Christian Church. The resources below shed light on the historical and current reality of these systems. If we belong to Jesus, we are part of His movement to bring more reconciliation between people and God. Not all of these resources are Christian, nor do we necessarily agree with everything in them. However, we do find them to be helpful tools in better understanding culture, race, and racism.

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Welcoming the Stranger
Matthew Soerens & Jenny Yang
GCC Justice Panel
Grace City Church
Art of Neighboring
Pathak and Runyon
When Helping Hurts
Corbett and Fikkert
Toxic Charity
Robert Lupton
Paying Privilege Forward
Christena Cleveland
Generous Justice
Timothy Keller

How do we engage?

There is no clearer or more credible witness of God’s love for all people than the witness of diverse believers walking, working, and worshipping God, together as one in and through the local church. Not all of these resources are Christian, nor do we necessarily agree with everything in them. However, we do find them to be helpful tools in better understanding culture, race, and racism.

Reconcilation for Parents & Children

Our children are our next generation of leaders - in public spaces & in the church. From an early age, we want to helping children understand God's plan of reconciliation & the part we all get to play in it.

Next Steps?

Next steps