How should pastors address the issue of race in their churches? This is exactly what Andrew and Alastair are talking about with Dr. Matthew Kim on this episode. Dr. Kim has both academic expertise and practical experience with this issue. He is a contributor to Ministers of Reconciliation: Preaching on Race and the Gospel. In this conversation you will learn about preaching the Gospel in a climate of racial tension, the boundaries of the act of preaching, and advice for pastoring diverse congregations.
Mere Fidelity is sponsored by Lexham Press, featuring the Mere Fidelity Book of the Month for August, which is also the subject of this episode: Ministers of Reconciliation, edited by Daniel Darling. You can save 40% on this book with the promo code MEREFIDELITYAUG21.
Mere Fidelity listeners enjoy exclusive monthly discounts on books from Lexham Press. To see this month’s featured book (as well as those from previous months) visit www.lexhampress.com/merefidelity.
This episode of Mere Fidelity is also sponsored by our friends at Western Theological Seminary, a Reformed seminary in Holland, Michigan, where friends of the show like Todd Billings and Wesley Hill teach. Western is committed to helping its students engage in the work of racial reconciliation and justice, and has two new scholarship opportunities available: the Samuel Williams Award for Faithfulness in Justice and Reconciliation, which is a full-tuition scholarship awarded to an M.Div. student of color, and the Justice and Reconciliation Awards, which are worth 75% of tuition for up to three students. If you're interested in either of these opportunities, visit Western's website at westernsem.edu to learn more.
Timestamps:
Book of the Month AND Scholarship Opportunities [0:00]
Dr. Matthew Kim and His Work [1:55]
Should pastors preach about racial reconciliation? [6:09]
More Than Just Sermons [15:34]
Emotional Intelligence in Church [17:49]
Sourcing Stories in Scripture [20:41]
The Biggest Obstacles to Talking About Race [25:04]
An Example of Doing It Well [32:52]
How can the church participate in the world’s conversation on race? [36:03]
To support Mere Fidelity financially, visit our Patreon here.
Follow Derek, Andrew, and Alastair for more tweet-sized brilliance. Thanks to Timothy Crouch for keeping us organized. Thanks to Tim Motte for sound editing. And thanks to The Joy Eternal for lending us their music, which everybody should download out of gratitude for their kindness.