Perspective | Raphael Warnock’s Georgia Critics Don’t Understand Black Churches

The Lord knows there is much to criticize in the church, but I doubt that relentless, unsympathetic, exasperated censure against one specific people is the best way to convince them of your criticisms, let alone build them up in Christ.

Take, for example, the response to the racial reckoning in the aftermath of the George Floyd killing. You might be spending more time listening to lawyers than prophets if you’re more familiar—seven months later—with the flaws of Critical Race Theory than with the details of wealth gaps, achievement gaps, or with the systematic violations of civil

On another side of the Southern Baptist aisle, Texas pastor Tom Buck said his No. 1 priority is that he wants the SBC to rescind its previous resolution on CRT and denounce the framework in no uncertain terms. He wants a president who articulates his values and has said that he is especially bothered that Litton has co-taught the Bible with his wif

the intervening years, a religion of the powerful and the dominant, used sometimes as an instrument of oppression, must not tempt us into believing that it was thus in the mind and life of Jesus. “In him was life; and the life was the light of men.” Wherever his spirit appears, the oppressed gather fresh courage; for he announced the good news that

The Jericho March represented a different kind of Christian scandal—fanatical Christian nationalism. Vischer and Jethani argued that the American church needed to hear less from popular celebrities and more from courageous prophetic voices, from people who boldly seek justice and call us to turn, individually and institutionally, from sin.

Because a musical, cultural form that’s only about forty years old should not have more impact than the church, which has existed for thousands of years. We should be the main communicator about challenges that happen in our country on race and justice. We should be the first place that people look to for answers. We should be the ones presenting a