Racial Justice

"But let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream." Amos 5:24

In his book Generous Justice, Tim Keller argues “To do justice is to be concerned about the most vulnerable, poor, and marginalized members of society, and to make long-term personal sacrifices in order to serve their interests, needs, and cause.” When we take up the cause of justice, we join our Father in heaven, our King, Christ Jesus, and the Spirit in the mission to set the captives free. (Luke 4:16-19) In other words, we care about addressing injustice because God cares about addressing injustice.

Clearly, racism and racial injustice have plagued our city and nation for centuries. While there are certain inflection points in our country’s past we could point to when we have made strides in confronting racial injustice, there is still a great deal of room for us to work. Here are some opportunities for learning:

Where do I begin?

In his book The Color of Compromise, Jemar Tisby suggests three areas where a Christian should seek to move towards racial justice. He uses the acronym ARC, which stands for Awareness of racism, Relationships that are cross-cultural, and Commitment to Action. These three categories are not sequential and steps can be taken simultaneously in each. In other words, you can advance in one or more categories at any time, but to ignore one category long-term may cause a stunted pursuit of racial justice.

At Lakewood Fellowship, we are seeking to make strides in building cross-cultural Relationships as individuals, but also in our relationship with Victory Baptist Church, a church plant in South Dallas led by Senior Pastor Mark Murrell. And we will seek Commit to action from time to time as the Spirit leads and as opportunities present themselves. As it pertains to Awareness, the following resources might help you as you seek to investigate racial injustice in your life, in our city, and in our country. A brief encouragement: Don’t get so caught up in building awareness that you never move to a place of action. Learning best takes place in action.

Address Racism in your heart

Here are some activities you can undertake to investigate racism in your own heart:

  • Read Psalm 139. Spend some time in prayer, asking God to unveil any area of your heart that may be offensive to God and others. This activity is not exclusive to the sin of racism, although it may be helpful to ask God about the sin of racism, specifically.

  • Construct a personal history of race. Make a list of every time you can remember the subject of race presenting itself in your life, as far back as you can remember. Was it something someone said? Something you thought? Something that you witnessed? Arrange the list in chronological order and try to articulate your understanding of race growing up and how your perspective on race has transformed over time to the stance you have today.

  • If you are active in social media, seek to follow other voices who may help expand your perspective on race and racial injustice, specifically from individuals who are faithful to God’s inherent written Scripture and who glorify Christ with their influence.

Learn about Racial Injustice in Dallas

The History of Race in Dallas
This video produced by Jerry Hawkins of Dallas Truth, Racial Healing, & Transformation gives a brief history of injustice Dallas from the massacre of the Caddo people nearly 200 years ago up through the beginning of the COVID pandemic.

Other Dallas-Specific Resources
This is a link to a long list of resources from Dallas Truth, Racial Healing, & Transformation offering ample opportunities for learning. As the list is so long, not all of these resources have been vetted from a Christian point of view and/or for a Christian audience. As with all things, use discernment as you engage with these resources.

Learn About A Christian Response to Racism in the United States

There are plenty of resources to which one could turn to learn about a history of racial injustice in the American Church and in our country. But we recommend you begin here:

IF ONE MEMBER SUFFERS, ALL SUFFER TOGETHER... 1 Corinthians 12:26

Because we are all equal in the eyes of our Creator (Genesis 1:26-27; Genesis 5:1-2; Galatians 3:28), we are committed to treat one another with dignity and respect (Romans 13:8-10); we are committed to speak up and protect the vulnerable among us (Proverbs 31:8-9); we are committed to provide for the needy among us (James 1:27); we are committed to live righteous lives (Proverbs 14:34); we are committed to stand for truth and justice (Psalm 82:3,4); and we are committed to love and to forgive (Ephesians 4:32-5:2).