The call of reconciliation requires us to lament these historic wrongs, giving voice to the groaning of our soul. \u201cI believe strongly that the church in America has much to lament,\u201d Perkins declares, inviting us to \u201cdig up the deep wounds of our history\u201d and insisting that the church must \u201ctake more ownership for our collective sin.\u201d He leads us to lament numerous failures from our collective past: the enduring racial segregation of our local churches, the egregious misuse of Scripture to defend slavery and protect the interests of slave-owners, our neglect of ministry to (and with) the poor and marginalized as a crucial aspect of biblical reconciliation, the prioritizing of global missions at the expense of local mission, and our lack of remorse for the sin of racism in the church.<\/p>\n
Lament, which \u201crequires that we acknowledge that something horrific has happened,\u201d must also lead to confession. Our racial wounds will not be healed without first being exposed. As he provides examples for corporate confession, Perkins is notably inclusive in his approach. He names areas of common failure: the sin of creating Jesus in our own image, our debilitating fears around the issue of race (1 John 4:18), and our unwillingness to endure suffering (1 Pet. 1:6\u20137). But he also identifies specific areas of confession for black Christians and white Christians.<\/p>\n
Perkins clearly acknowledges that \u201cracism still haunts\u201d the black community. Nevertheless, \u201cfor many of us black folks, there has been an anger that has not always been managed well.\u201d Prior generations channeled that anger into nonviolent resistance and the building of black institutions (colleges, hospitals, churches), but now \u201cwe have turned that anger on ourselves, and our cities and communities have become unsafe places.\u201d White brothers and sisters, on the other hand, \u201cmay need to confess denying that racism exists, choosing to ignore the implications of privilege, and at times acting to reinforce a double standard.\u201d Some will resist the idea of a historically oppressed group having any obligation to admit wrongdoing, while others will resist the notion of privilege, but Perkins will have it no other way. We must revisit our past sins in order to grow in reconciliation.<\/p>\n
Read it all<\/a>.<\/p>\n At the age of 87 and after a lifetime of ministry, John Perkins writes down the 9 principles he believes are "vital to a complete ministry of reconciliation\u201d — Christianity Today (@CTmagazine) April 5, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n
https:\/\/t.co\/hApbzsYXRj<\/a><\/p>\n