Personal Work of Antiracism

“No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, background, or religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can learn to love.”
-Nelson Mandela

If you’ve ever said, “I’m not racist and I don’t know anyone racist,” you’re probably ignorant and need a lot of antiracism education. This is why we organized this webinar of insightful and wise individuals to have an honest dialogue on the “personal work of antiracism.” Dr. Sandy Sohee Kim is Professor of Ethnic Studies and founder of AAJIL (Asian American Justice Innovation Lab), Amber Height is a grad student and staff at Fuller Studios, Emily Bodet is a recent foster mom and member of Perch.Church, and Al Han is founding pastor of Perch.Church. Each panelist comes from different backgrounds and provides unique perspectives. We hold nothing back in this candid dialogue about antiracism... we discuss colonialism, commonalities and distinctions in racism towards dif’t BIPOC, and ways the Church has failed in the work of racial justice... because if we truly want to improve as a people of God, we need to be willing to criticize ourselves.

References during the dialogue webinar.
Claire Jean Kim’s Racial Triangulation
Ibram X. Kendi’s “How to Be An Antiracist” Book
William C. Rhoden’s “40 Million Dollar Slaves” Book
Willie Jennings, Professor at Yale Divinity School and author of
“The Christian Imagination” and “Acts: the Revolution of the Intimate”

Hopeful Faith Floats

Matthew 14:22-33

Do you feel trapped on a little boat in the middle of the sea storm? This season of Covid, racial injustice, and economic collapse has made many people fearful for what's the come. But knowing that God is with us gives us a hope and assurance of the future despite the violent storm that surrounds us.

Justice In the Time of Corona

Micah 6:1-8

What does it mean to live justly? That's a harder question than you might think. Everyone wants justice, but the way people understand and define justice looks different. What's "just" for a White Supremest will look different from what's "just" for a BIPOC. But what does God have to say about justice? Because God cares deeply about justice, mercy, and humility, as we see in the ancient Book of Micah. And what God shared with the Israelites thousands of years ago is still very relevant for the American in June of 2020.

Neighbor of Justice

Luke 10:25-37

Proclaiming “Black Lives Matter” is good, but it’s not enough. Donating money to a cause is better, but it’s not justice fully realized. By looking at the example of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10, we get a great example of what a 'neighbor of justice' looks like.

Love of the Father

How has your relationship with your earthly dad impacted your view of God? For me, my dad was a disciplinarian, distant, and disinterested in my life unless I got in trouble, so that's how I viewed God. So the idea of God the Father was always difficult for me to embrace. That was until I realized that God was Father to the fatherless, God the Father is relational, and God the Father is present. In these chaotic and tumultuous times in our nation, God is the Father that this world so desperately needs.

Mother Spirit

Various Passages

Should the male pronoun have a monopoly on the Holy Trinity? While many people might correctly understand God as not being bound by human restrictions like gender, God has been historically depicted as male. Not only that, all Three Persons of the Trinity were understood as males. God the Father is understood as a male figure, Jesus Christ the Son was historically male, but what about the Holy Spirit? Most of the Church references the Holy Spirit as a "he/him/his," but the very first mention of the Holy Spirit in the Creation story refers to the Holy Spirit as a female. In Genesis 1:2, Scripture says that the "Spirit of God hovered over the waters." The Hebrew word for "Spirit" is Ruach, which is a feminine word. And it makes logical sense that the Holy Spirit would be female because the Holy Trinity can be understood as a Holy Unified Family, God the Father, Holy Spirit the Mother, and Jesus Christ the Son.