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Since the deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd, many church leaders and other committed Christians (including this one) have engaged in conversations about racial reconciliation. And, it is important to take time to listen and to empathize. But, at some point, these discussions should turn into action steps. This is one of the key reasons I started this podcast. I want to know how to think about key issues in public life, but I also want to know what to do to impact them.
As I have engaged in conversations about racial reconciliation, I have encountered a hurdle or impasse of sorts. Many black Christians and white Christians (and many black Americans and white Americans more broadly) see this issue from different cultural lenses, and finding middle ground from which to take action is difficult. So, where do we go from here? The church, equipped with the gospel, should lead on the issue of racial reconciliation, but we need a first step forward.
This is why I am so grateful for Pastor Mark Vroegop and his new book Weep with Me: How Lament Opens a Door for Racial Reconciliation (release date: July 14, 2020). Mark is the Lead Pastor of College Park Church in Indianapolis, Indiana, and the author of Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy: Discovering the Grace of Lament, which won the 2020 ECPA Book of the Year Award. In this interview, Mark explains the Biblical concept of lament (taken from Romans 12:15) and how this shared language can lead to important conversations and, ultimately, racial reconciliation.
Key Takeaways:
- Mark’s personal journey on the issue of racial unity and justice.
- The steps he has taken (along with staff and members of his congregation) to build racial unity at College Park.
- The idea of a Civil Rights Vision Trip and how this impacted his church.
- A description of the National Memorial for Peace and Justice (if you have not heard of this before, please take time to follow the link; it is powerful), which includes the last known lynching in Indiana in 1930. If you are unfamiliar with this horrific story, see this article.
- An explanation of the five steps to Biblical lament: love, listen, lament, learn, leverage.
- A high-level overview of books on racial reconciliation and justice.
- A fascinating story about Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s time at Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem and how that experience influenced him when he returned to Germany.
- How to lead your church or community in the first step toward racial reconciliation.
Mark’s website: http://markvroegop.com
College Park Church website (with a number of resources): https://www.yourchurch.com/
Purchase the book on Crossway here.