Diversity in Fellowship: Recent Episodes
diversityinfellowship
Join William Marshall and Kenny King, co-pastors of Grace Bible Fellowship, as they discuss how the gospel brings us together and keeps us together.
What does "woke" have to do with the current debates about gender? How should we respond to that as followers of Christ?
Another area of battle for the woke wars is the environment. What does being "woke" have to do with that? How should we as Christians respond?
How do we view America? How do we talk about the image of our country? How should we view and talk about it as Christians?
What is DEI and how does it impact our jobs and universities? How is the concept of woke being used in this battleground?
How has the "woke" idea impacted education? How can we think through this battle as Christians?
What is the woke war? How did we get to this point? Why should we be concerned about this as Christians?
What is going on with the merge now? How has the Lord been working in our Church? What are we excited about for the future?
Can we really have unity between churches? How can we work towards that? (The continuation of our discussion in Episode 1 of this Season, which we now know is actually Season 4)
Why do many Christians oppose the celebration of Juneteenth? How should we respond to that?
What do we do with TV shows about diversity and representation? Should we watch those as Christians?
What is virtue signaling? How is it a diversity in fellowship issue? How do we think about it biblically?
Where did the term "woke" come from? How should we as Christians respond to how it is being used today?
Does personal responsibility negate any discussion of systemic issues of discrimination? What should we think about personal responsibility when it comes to diversity in fellowship?
Does the prosperity that America enjoys mean that God is blessing us? Does this mean that our past sins are not that bad?
How should we respond to those who bring up progress in our discussions of diversity? How should we think through this as followers of Christ?
Should we compare countries when we are talking about diversity in fellowship? Is this a valid reason to dismiss criticisms against the United States?
How do we answer this question? Does this prove that police violence is not racially motivated?
Is marriage a diversity issue? How can we think through this as individuals and as the church?
Darren Casper interviews us at the "Mission Metro Quarterly" event in St. Louis, MO. The questions from the floor are difficult to hear but hopefully the answers will make sense!
Why do events like what happened to Damar Hamlin bring us together? Why does that unity not always last? What can we learn from that?
What does Deion Sanders and Jackson State football have to do with diversity in fellowship? What can we learn from this situation?
What is black fatigue and how does it impact diversity in fellowship? What can we do to prevent it?
How can the local church better love and serve immigrants? How should we address the issue of assimilation? We discuss these issues and more with our guest Joanna Mendez.
Why is representation important in movies and TV? Is representation important in the local church? How do we fight for that?
What has caused the recent uptick in antisemitism? How should we respond to this as followers of Christ?
The diversity resource for this episode is Urban Apologetics: Restoring Black Dignity with the Gospel (https://www.amazon.com/Urban-Apologetics-Restoring-Dignity-Gospel/dp/0310100941/).
**Since the recording of this episode, Kyrie Irving has been suspended by the Brooklyn Nets and has subsequently apologized (https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/kyrie-irving-issues-instagram-apology-hours-after-nets-suspend-him-for-statements-on-antisemitism/).
What is concept creep? How does it help us when thinking about diversity in fellowship?
To read the referenced tweet thread, go to https://twitter.com/profyancey/status/1580700626107138048.
A second episode in our "Whataboutisms..." series where we consider the issue of Black slave owners. How should Christians respond to this question?
People often bring up white slavery in America's history in response to discussions about Black slavery. Is this a legitimate response? How should we think through this as Christians?
We kick off Season 3 of the podcast by discussing the 3 year anniversary of our Church merge. What's the same? What's different? How do we move forward?
How is the church in America doing in regards to diversity? How can we improve going forward?
How is Youth Ministry a diversity in fellowship issue? How can we seek to be faithful in this area of ministry in our local churches?
What are some barriers to reaching the Black community? How can we overcome those barriers?
What is going on with the merge (our local church)? How does moving serve the goal of diversity in fellowship?
How should we respond to the Sexual Abuse Task Force (SBC) report that was recently released? How is this a diversity issue?
To read the report, go to https://www.sataskforce.net/updates/guidepost-solutions-report-of-the-independent-investigation.
What is the Great Replacement Theory? How should we respond to it as Christians?
The Diversity in Fellowship resource for this episode is the article "The FAQs: What Christians Should Know About the 'Great Replacement' Theory" by Joe Carter.
How will the church respond to the overturning of Roe v. Wade? How does this impact diversity in fellowship?
What are some (more) cultural differences that we need to be aware of? Everything you need to know about ironing your shirt!!
How does the recent Supreme Court nomination impact the Church? How is this a diversity in fellowship issue?
Do different cultures find offense in different statements or actions? How do we respond to that as Christians?
Kenny and William got the chance to share at the pastor's retreat for Practical Shepherding.
Practical Shepherding is committed to "helping pastors thrive in the trenches of pastoral ministry." To find out more, go to https://practicalshepherding.com/.
Recently, there have been several injustices committed against women. William and Kenny discuss two of these.
A biological male who identifies as a female won a women's swimming championship (https://www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-news/lia-thomas-becomes-first-transgender-woman-win-ncaa-swimming-champions-rcna20562). Also, Christianity Today and Grace Community Church failed to respond properly when women reported abuse (https://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2022/march/sexual-harassment-ct-guidepost-assessment-galli-olawoye.html), (https://julieroys.com/macarthur-shamed-excommunicated-mother-take-back-child-abuser/).
Should we use labels like "Uncle Tom" or "Woke" or "sellout"? How do we respond when we are labeled as such while striving for diversity in fellowship?
While we do not agree with the conclusion of this article, we thought it represented the sentiment of those who use derogatory labels to describe "race traitors:" (https://andscape.com/features/what-should-black-folk-do-with-the-word-coon/)
When a racial tragedy strikes, why is black on black crime often a talking point? Is this right?
Does work in one area mean that we cannot be racist in other areas? How do we avoid this error?
"If I'm just stating the facts, then I can't be racist." Is this true? How should we respond to this?
We are again recommending the book "Talking about Race" by Isaac Adams as our Diversity in Fellowship resource.
We are interviewing author and pastor Isaac Adams about his book "Talking about Race: Gospel Hope for Hard Conversations" (https://www.zondervan.com/9780310124429/talking-about-race/).
Isaac serves as the lead pastor of Iron City Church in Birmingham, AL, where he lives with his wife and children. He is the founder of United? We Pray (uwepray.com), a ministry devoted to prayer about racial strife--especially between Christians.
Does belonging to a minority group prevent you from being racist? How should we think through this claim?
Continuing our series on reasons people often give for why they are not racist. This episode looks at those who have different ethnicities in their family (spouse, child, grandchild, etc.)
A new series where we consider various (usually bad) reasons people give for not being racist. We start with one of the most common.
How should we respond to the Ahmaud Arbery verdict? How should we think through cases like these biblically?
What are the differences between a black funeral and a white funeral? Why do those differences (and others when it comes to death) exist?
Why are these two communities often linked together? How can we think through that biblically?
The suggested diversity resource for this episode is "Gay Girl, Good God" by Jackie Hill Perry.
How do we respond to racist emails from a public figure? How should we respond as Christians?
Do we have diversity in global missions? How can we encourage that?
The suggested diversity resources for this episode are:
1) "Race Matters: Why We Must Send More Missionaries of Color" by Doug Logan
2) The Kingdom Diversity Initiative at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary
What challenges do law enforcement face when dealing with diversity issues? How can Christians help? Listen as Kenny and William talk with local Chief of Police, Jim McMillen.
What does the Bible say about diversity and immigration? How can we faithfully apply that in our country today?
The suggested diversity resource for this episode are two ministries that deal with immigration from a Christian perspective: the Evangelical Immigration Table (https://evangelicalimmigrationtable.com/) and The Immigration Coalition (https://theimmigrationcoalition.com/).
Language can be difficult and words can be offensive. How do we navigate that while working for diversity in fellowship (or fellership)?
What lessons have we learned through the merge after two years? What has gone well and what do we need to still work on?
The suggested diversity resource for this episode is the Grace Bible Fellowship Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/GBFSikeston), where you can watch a typical Sunday service and learn more about the church.
What does the Bible actually say about slavery? How do we apply that to slavery in America?
The suggested diversity resource for this episode is "How Could Jonathan Edwards Own Slaves?" by John Piper.
Sure we are called to forgive, but do we have to seek restoration? What does that look like biblically?
The suggested diversity resource for this episode is the book United: Captured by God's Vision for Diversity by Trillia Newbell.
Should we forgive when it comes to racial reconciliation? What does the Bible command and how can we obey it?
The suggested diversity resources for this are two courtroom instances of forgiveness for perpetrators of horrendous crimes: Rachael Denhollander to Larry Nasser (https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/justin-taylor/incredible-testimony-former-gymnast-confronts-sexual-abuser-court/) and Emanuel AME survivors to Dylann Roof (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIRcGwBrdbE).
Is the idea of reparations biblical? Does it apply to racial reconciliation?
The suggested diversity resource for this episode is the article "In Likely First, Chicago Suburb Of Evanston Approves Reparations For Black Residents" from NPR.
Do we need to repent over sins related to racial reconciliation? How do we think through this biblically?
The suggested diversity resource for this episode is the article "The Sin of Racism" by Timothy Keller.
Is the fight for racial reconciliation necessary? Is this even a biblical concern?
The suggested diversity resource for this episode is One Body, One Spirit: Principles of Successful Multiracial Churches by George Yancey.
What is Juneteenth? How does it relate to July 4th? Which one should we celebrate as followers of Christ?
The suggested diversity resource for this episode is "What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?" by Frederick Douglass.
How should we respond to the current accusations against the SBC Executive Committee? How can we move forward in these discussions at the Annual Convention?
The suggested diversity resource for this episode is the Caring Well Initiative. Find out more at https://caringwell.com/.
First leaked letter by Russell Moore
Second leaked letter by Russell Moore
Response from Mike Stone
Response from Ronnie Floyd
Since the episode was recorded, secret recordings were released by Phillip Bethancourt to support the claims in Russell Moore's letters.
With the Annual Convention coming up, how should we think through diversity issues and the Southern Baptist Convention (ethnic unity, CRT, resolution 9, etc.)?
The diversity resource for this episode is the article "What Are Southern Baptists Really Fighting About?" by Trevin Wax.
Why have we struggled so long to accept interracial marriage? What does the Bible have to say about this topic?
The diversity resource for this episode is the article "Fifty Years After 'Loving v. Virginia': Celebrating the Beauty of Interracial Marriage" from Desiring God.
What should our public schools be teaching about diversity issues? How should we help in that as the church and as individual followers of Christ?
The diversity resource for this episode is "The 1619 Project" (https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/08/14/magazine/1619-america-slavery.html).
We talk with Shai Linne about his book The New Reformation, his reasons for writing this book, and his picks for Theological Voltron (you have to listen).
Our diversity resource for this episode is Shai Linne's book, The New Reformation: Finding Hope in the Fight for Ethnic Unity. Find out more at https://www.thenewreformationbook.com/.
To check out more from Shai, go to https://www.shailinnemusic.com/.
What is code switching? How can we think through this issue as Christians?
The suggested diversity resource for this episode is the book Building a Multiethnic Church: A Gospel Vision of Love, Grace, and Reconciliation in a Divided World by Derwin Gray.
We get to talk with brother Jon Nelson, pastor of Soma Church (https://somajc.org/) and president of the Missouri Baptist Convention, about his work for diversity in fellowship in the local church and in our state convention.
The suggested diversity resource for this episode is Urban Apologetics: Restoring Black Dignity with the Gospel by Eric Mason.
How do we respond to this verdict? What are some biblical ways to think through the various responses we have seen?
The suggested diversity resource for this episode is "The FAQs: Former Police Officer Convicted of the Murder of George Floyd" by Joe Carter (https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/the-faqs-former-police-officer-convicted-of-the-murder-of-george-floyd/).
When should we actually stay to help in the fight for diversity? How do we decide?
The suggested diversity resource for this episode is the "Why I Stay" series hosted by Pastor Dhati Lewis (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtIiaWVS519l7Zm54rIo4QmHjZkV0D3KD).
What is this movement? Is this a right approach?
The suggested diversity resource is "Social Justice: Breakup or Breakthrough?" by Thaddeus Williams (https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/social-justice-breakup-breakthrough/).
Find out more about #LeaveLoud at https://twitter.com/hashtag/LeaveLOUD?src=hashtag.
Why is this happening? How can we love and support the Asian American community?
For a biblical, Asian-American perspective on this and other issues, we recommend you follow Timothy Isaiah Cho (https://twitter.com/tisaiahcho).
How will this impact women? How should we respond as followers of Christ?
The suggested diversity resource "Fairness for All" (https://www.cccu.org/magazine/fairness-for-all/), which offers an alternative to the Equality Act.
Also, to appreciate the Crazy Question for this episode, here is a little context (https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/news/2021-womens-ncaa-tournament-ncaa-says-women-got-smaller-gym-than-men-because-there-wasnt-enough-space/).
Is the local church a safe place for women? If not, how can we improve?
The suggested diversity resources for this episode are: 1) the Caring Well Challenge (https://caringwell.com/), a resource designed to help churches prevent abuse and care for abuse survivors, and 2) an article by David French titled "Cruelty Is Apostasy" (https://frenchpress.thedispatch.com/p/cruelty-is-apostasy), which offers a timely reminder of our call to engage one another with love.
Continuing our celebration of Women's History Month (March), we talk with Glenna Marshall (William's wife) about her experiences as an adoptive mom of children of color.
The suggested resources for this episode are Glenna's books: The Promise is His Presence: Why God Is Always Enough (https://www.amazon.com/Promise-His-Presence-Always-Enough/dp/162995473X) and Everyday Faithfulness: The Beauty of Ordinary Perseverance in a Demanding World (https://www.amazon.com/Everyday-Faithfulness-Perseverance-Demanding-Coalition/dp/1433567296).
You can find out more about Glenna from her blog at http://www.glennamarshall.com/.
What role do women have in the ministry of the local church? Why is this a diversity in fellowship issue?
The suggested diversity resource for this episode is The Gospel Coalition's Women's Ministry page (https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/sections/womens-ministry/).
How does Black History (celebrated in February) and Women's history (celebrated in March) intersect?
The suggested diversity resource for this episode is the movie Hidden Figures (https://family.20thcenturystudios.com/movies/hidden-figures).
Why are we so divided over corporate worship? How can we fight for unity in diversity in this area?
The suggested diversity resource for this week's episode is a journal titled "Multi-Ethnic Churches" from 9Marks (https://www.9marks.org/journal/multi-ethnic-churches/).
What role does sports play in our fight for diversity in fellowship? What can we learn from sports? And GO VOLS!!
The suggested diversity resources for this episode are the movies "42" (https://www.warnerbros.com/movies/42) and "Glory Road" (https://movies.disney.com/glory-road).
Why and how should the local church celebrate Black History Month?
The diversity resource for this episode is the article "Missionaries You Should Know: George Liele" (https://www.imb.org/2018/06/26/missionaries-you-should-know-george-liele/).
When do you leave a denomination or church over diversity issues? When do you discipline a member over such issues?
The suggested diversity resource for this week's episode is The Transforming Community: The Practise of the Gospel in Church Discipline by Mark Lauterbach (https://www.amazon.com/Transforming-Community-Practise-Gospel-Discipline/dp/185792875X).
How do we respond to the recent shocking events in Washington? How do these events impact diversity in fellowship?
The diversity resource for this episode is the article "The Roman Road from Insurrection" by Russell Moore (https://www.russellmoore.com/2021/01/11/the-roman-road-from-insurrection/).
How should we handle false accusations, particularly those that are motivated by race?
The diversity resource for this episode is an article on how to deal with false accusations. You can find it here: https://www.christiantoday.com/article/heres-the-best-way-to-deal-with-false-accusations-against-you/95620.htm
What is this? How should we think about it as followers of Christ?
The diversity resources for this week's episode are two articles that tackle CRT and the controversy surrounding it. The first is an article by David French (https://frenchpress.thedispatch.com/p/on-the-use-and-abuse-of-critical). The second is by Pastor Rick Armstrong (https://sbcvoices.com/response-to-sbc-presidents-on-critical-race-theory-rick-armstrong/).
Revisiting some earlier talking points to finish up the year!
The suggested diversity resources for the year are: "Reading While Black" by Esau McCaulley (https://www.ivpress.com/reading-while-black) and "Beyond Racial Gridlock" by George Yancey (https://www.ivpress.com/beyond-racial-gridlock).
What is 'The Talk'? How do we prepare our children to respond to abuse of authority and racism?
The diversity resource for this week is the episode "Watch Man" from the Netflix series Raising Dion. The Talk begins at around the 42 minute mark. (https://www.netflix.com/watch/80117803?trackId=14170065&tctx=5%2C5%2C0ea01bdd-c2e1-40c4-90f4-2282755aadf2-459047761%2C133f47de-ad93-4e92-bbba-473f72079747_32682750X10XX1607433378354%2C133f47de-ad93-4e92-bbba-473f72079747_ROOT%2C)
Why does fatherhood matter? How does it relate to the issue of racial justice?
The diversity resource is the documentary "13th." (https://www.netflix.com/title/80091741)
How is Thanksgiving different from the black/white perspective? How can hospitality help us with diversity in fellowship?
The suggested resource for this episode is the book "The Gospel Comes with a House Key: Practicing Radically Ordinary Hospitality in Our Post-Christian World" by Rosaria Butterfield. (https://www.crossway.org/books/the-gospel-comes-with-a-house-key-hcj/)
What is the SBC? How is it doing at diversity? How can it do better?
The diversity resources for this episode are:
-"4 Reasons We Left the SBC" by John Onwuchekwa (https://thefrontporch.org/2020/07/4-reasons-we-left-the-sbc/)
-"Racial Reconciliation and Cultural Diversity in the SBC" by J.D. Greear
(https://jdgreear.com/cultural-racial-diversity-sbc/)
Are Christians divided over the issue of pro life? If so, why? How can we come together over imago dei issues?
The suggested diversity resource for this episode is the And Campaign (https://www.andcampaign.org/), which strives to take a wholistic, biblical approach on issues of human dignity.
Why are white and black Christians often divided in voting? How do we fight to maintain unity in the current election season?
The suggested diversity resources for this episode are:
- Video by Phil Vischer, "Why Do White Christians Vote Republican, and Black Christians Vote Democrat?" (https://youtu.be/W4eS2E-PoGo)
- Article by John Piper, "Policies, Persons, and Paths to Ruin: Pondering the Implications of the 2020 Election" (https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/policies-persons-and-paths-to-ruin)
- Article by Wayne Grudem, "A Respectful Response to My Friend John Piper about Voting for Trump" (https://www.christianpost.com/voices/a-response-to-my-friend-john-piper-about-voting-for-trump.html)
- Book by Jonathan Leeman and Andy Naselli, "How Can I Love Church Members with Different Politics?" (https://www.crossway.org/books/how-can-i-love-church-members-with-different-p-tpb/)
Recorded live at the Missouri Baptist Convention, we talk with Bill Victor about his book on diversity and racial reconciliation in the church.
Bill Victor is the author of "One Church, All People: Biblical Truth About Diversity and Reconciliation." Bill is a leader in the Developing Leaders/Resound Network of the MBC, which is committed to revitalizing and replanting churches. To find out more about the work of the Resound Network, go to https://resoundnetwork.com/.
The suggested diversity resource for this episode is Bill's book, "One Church, All People: Biblical Truth About Diversity and Reconciliation." You can get the book on Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/One-Church-All-People-Reconciliation/dp/1733849920) or by contacting Bill directly at bvictor@mobaptist.org.
Chicken, barber shops, and shotguns! All featured in this week's episode!
The suggested resource for this week's episode is an article titled "Enjoy a Good Laugh, Like God" from Desiring God. You can read it here: https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/enjoy-a-good-laugh-like-god.
Should we cancel those we don't agree with? How should we think about controversial figures from the past?
The suggested resource for this episode is a 2017 article by John Piper about how to deal with Confederate memorials and other controversial figures. You can read the article here: https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/charlottesville-confederate-memorials-and-southern-culture
What do we really know about Columbus? Why have we been given an incorrect and incomplete view of historical events and figures?
The suggested resource for this episode is "The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration" by Isabel Wilkerson.
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/190696/the-warmth-of-other-suns-by-isabel-wilkerson/
Should Christians be involved in protests? How should we respond to those that are currently taking place in our country?
The suggested resource for today is an interview between Ed Stetzer and Esau McCauley. You can read it here: https://edstetzer.com/blog/esaupart3
How do we decide which group we will support as followers of Christ?
Resource: Sermon "Why All Lives Matter" by Pastor Kenny https://www.facebook.com/123290327746211/videos/539620496642462
Is this a real thing? Should all white people feel guilty? How do we respond to this as Christians?
Is this idea real? If so, how should we respond as Christians?
Suggested Resources for this week: Phil Vischer, "Race in America" (YouTube videos) https://youtu.be/AGUwcs9qJXY, https://youtu.be/u-yun74BJEc
The 13th (documentary): https://www.netflix.com/title/80091741
How do we go about building diverse friendships? Are they organic or intentional? What are some mistakes to avoid?