In the final chapter (eleven) of The Color of Compromise, Luke and Lamont welcome Pastor Adrian Crawford of Engage to discuss what tangible actions the church in 2020 can do to right the racial wrongs of our past. They discuss the validity of church-based reparations, incorporating black perspectives into our theological framework, and what type of servitude being in a family of believers is asked of us.

In chapter 10 of The Color of Compromise, Luke and Lamont are joined by DCC’s very own Monica Sanchez to discuss the Black Lives Matter movement, and what the church’s level of involvement should be within it. In addition, they ask the question, “Why have things like scripture reading and prayer been non-negotiable aspects of Christian discipleship, while seeking justice seems optional at best?”

In chapter 9 of The Color of Compromise, Luke and Lamont start to reach the part of American history that many of us lived through: the formation of the Religious Right from the 1970’s to the 1990’s. They discuss the intersection of nationalism and Jesus, and how it breeds a toxic form of “bare-minimalist” Christianity.

In episode 8 of The Color of Compromise, Luke and Lamont are joined by Dr. Jamil Drake of Florida State University to break down how racial justice was perceived by two American icons: Martin Luther King Jr. and Billy Graham. This leads them to investigating the tension between the Christ’s call towards non-violence and our duty to empathize with the oppressed.

In chapter 7 of the Color of Compromise by Jemar Tisby, Luke and Lamont discuss how racism is not a regional phenomenon, uncovering the racial sins of the northern United States. Also, they ask why justice has become a negotiable to the Christian faith, wondering how we can fully relate to our God if fighting for justice isn’t an essential part of our spirituality.

In chapter 6 of the Color of Compromise by Jemar Tisby, Luke and Lamont dive into the reconstructed south after the Civil War, where the promises of freedom from the 13th Amendment were far less secure than they were promised. The freed slaves find themselves as terrorized as before, all in the name of the “redeeming” power of southern, Protestant theology. 

In Chapter Five of The Color Of Compromise, Luke and Lamont begin to untangle the theological defenses for slavery as the American Civil War reached its climax. Pastor David McNeely joins the show to add further insight into the split of the Presbyterian church during this time, as well as to inject much needed context to particular scriptures that address the institution of slavery.

In chapter four of The Color of Compromise, Luke and Lamont are joined by Executive Pastor of Engage TLH, Derrick Hayes, to discuss how Jesus went from being used to rationalize slavery to JUSTIFYING slavery in early America. With this, they break down the concept of paternalism, and how this sin permeated both the south and the north at this time.

In chapter three of The Color Of Compromise, Luke and Lamont are joined by our lead pastor, Ben Kaempfer, to discuss how the roots of our country reek of compromised humanity, all done for the “greater good.” Within this, they further the discussion of how a spiritually skewed evangelical framework enabled slavery to peacefully exist alongside Christianity for so long.

In chapter 2 of The Color of Compromise, Luke and Lamont discuss how race in America was constructed to preserve the power structures of those who stood to benefit from it. Then, Greg Hutchins of Four Oaks East Church joins the discussion to explain the dangers of reading ourselves into biblical narratives without understanding where we fit into the story.