Last week Public Religion Research Institute published "Summer Unrest over Racial Injustice Moves the Country, But Not Republicans or White Evangelicals." The article begins with an exploration perceptions of police killings of unarmed black men over the last five years. Based on surveys conducted in October 2015, October 2018, and June 2020 the trend is toward fewer Americans believing that recent killings of unarmed Black men are isolated incidents and a greater and greater number Read More …
racial justice
Sermon: Spiritual Glue (#1577)
Sermon Text: Hebrews 8:6-13 Sermon Excerpt We are a part of the United Church of Christ, a tradition that boldly proclaims “our faith is 2,000 years old but our thinking is not.”This tradition – our denomination – is a network of around 5,000 congregations and nearly 1 million members. We also claim to be a multiracial and multicultural church, and a church that emphasizes covenant. Let me slow down here . . . Before I can even comment on whether or not we have achieved or at least Read More …
Prayers for Racial Justice (#1576)
This Sunday, August 9, 2015, is the first anniversary of Mike Brown's death. On this day the congregation I pastor (Fort Myers Congregational United Church of Christ) will join with hundreds and perhaps thousands of other congregations in the United Church of Christ by including prayers for racial justice as a part of services of worship. This shared emphasis is the direct result of a group of faith leaders who have met regularly by conference call under the leadership of Read More …