Shalmon Radford is the Senior Pastor at Little Bethel Missionary Baptist Church in Indianapolis, IN. In this episode, Pastor Radford joins Pastor Moore and Pastor Jeff for a wide ranging conversation on the church's current state when it comes to social justice. They dive deep into the Biblical text and church history to uncover how God intends for the church to be His society for truth and justice in the world. They also discuss how the current state of both the black and the white church in North America presents barriers and opportunities for the future witness of the Gospel.

https://www.facebook.com/LBMBC/

White Too Long by Robert P Jones

https://www.prri.org/white-too-long-the-legacy-of-white-supremacy-in-american-christianity/

Todd Fisher is Pastor of Christ Church Broad Ripple in Indianapolis, Indiana (www.christchurchbroadripple.org). Todd shares with us his journey of awakening to the reality of racial injustice and how the invitation of the Gospel toward living repentantly is a roadmap for moving toward a posture of justice and healing. This is an honest and open conversation about this journey of discovery that will encourage reflection and offer hope.

Small Axe on Amazon

The Color of Compromise by Jamar Tisby

https://www.amazon.com/Color-Compromise-American-Churchs-Complicity-ebook/dp/B07BB6R827

Racial induced trauma is an often overlooked or suppressed reality in the lives of African Americans. It is also often prevalent in the church. Hazel Owens navigates this world as both pastor and therapist and shares her insights into how the church can continue to provide help for those who have experienced this trauma. She shares practical examples of how white Christian spaces can be dangerous for black and brown persons and how the church must continue to grow to provide space for everyone to be their full selves.

The Reverend John Gable leads a 140 year old church in the heart of the city of Indianapolis. Tabernacle Presbyterian Church (www,tabpres.org) has faithfully served their community through decades of intentional outreach. They are a predominately white congregation in a predominately non white neighborhood. This is an honest conversation about the complexities of homogeneous congregations and how they can work together to change the racial narrative in the church.

Jonathan C. Augustine (a/k/a “Jay Augustine”) is a pastor and professor, as well as an author and advocate. He is part of a group of national social justice leaders who speak for the equality of all human beings, while advocating for policies of diversity, inclusion, and belonging. He joins us to talk about his new book, “Called to Reconciliation: How the Church can Model Justice, Diversity, and Inclusion.”  

Dr. Jay was born in New Orleans and says gumbo is the best metaphor for how the church can lead in racial reconciliation. He writes “Gumbo is the sum of its parts. In it, all ingredients come together to create something new without losing their identity. They never compete; instead, they complement each other. We had a fantastic conversation with Dr. Jay. Follow him @jayaugustine9. https://www.jayaugustine.com/

Pastor Scott Dudley joins Pastor Moore and Pastor Jeff for a conversation on the importance of Biblical integrity in the pursuit of racial justice. The three talk candidly about how the church can and should be the leading voice in reconciliation. They unpack how the lack of transformative discipleship has affected the white church's witness. Pastor Dudley is the Sr. Pastor at Bellevue Presbyterian Church in Bellevue, WA (www.belpres.org).

We are looking forward to bringing you another season of The Shades of Hope Podcast. This season we will introduce you to friends and colleagues who are actively engaged in the work of racial justice in the way of Jesus. We would love to hear from you. Please send comments and questions to [email protected] and rate and review us wherever you access this podcast.

The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. famously lamented 11 a.m. on Sunday as "the most segregated hour in Christian America." In this episode two pastors explore the complexities of the church's racialized history. Why is the church still segregated? Is church integration the answer to our racist past and current problems? How should Christians and congregations relate across racial differences? Why should homogeneous churches lean into the work of racial justice if multi-cultural or multi-ethnic church is not the end goal? These are important questions for the church to wrestle with.

Two pastors talk openly about the complexities of racial justice work in the church. Pastor Jeff encourages white pastors and Christians to take responsibility for their own education when it comes to racial justice. He explains how we cannot put the burden on our African American brothers and sisters to educate and lead us into this space and how owning the work builds trust for deeper relationship. Pastor Moore unpacks the effects on African Americans who feel that burden to help white Christians. He encourages African American Christians to take the risk in building relationships with their white brothers and sisters and points out the beauty in embracing these relational opportunities.

Two pastors talk about the power of collaboration in moving their congregations toward a vision of racial equality in the church. They share practical tips that are helping to shape their congregational relationships such as how to build trust, who to invite to the table, what resources were helpful and how they are committed to the relationship for the long haul. They share honestly about the joys and challenges of building bridges across racial divides.