Episode 14: Race & The Christian Family, Part 2

10.28.20 | Making History Podcast

    LISTEN

    SHOW NOTES
    Questions we ask
    1. What has it been like for you, over the past several months, related to the race conversation?
    2. What is different about what we are experiencing now versus the past or even in other places and cultures, if any?
    3. Tell us about your daughters. Have they have been affected by recent events and how you are educating them?
    4. How do you talk to your kids about racism, considering different ages and stages they might be in?
    5. How do you encourage diversity for the family out there who may say they don’t have a lot of diversity present in their everyday lives?
    6. As parents who are trying to raise world changers and passionate followers of Christ, what is the most important thing you can teach them about this conversation?
    7. What are some practical ways  we can continue to step into this conversation even when diversity doesn’t feel like it’s a part of our everyday lives?
    Highlights:
    • 2020 has been a unique year. As we’ve lived through this pandemic and have been home more, people have had time to think and to see. For the first time, there were people who saw that there was something happening that was not right. Things that were happening for a very long time came to light. 

    • The only way you can fix a problem is by being exposed to it. The enemy always works in the dark. When there is darkness, we can’t see. When things are exposed, that’s when we see. This year has opened peoples’ eyes.
    • Racism is a global issue.
    • Unfortunately, tragic events like the deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, and others have had to happen in order for us to rise up and be like ‘this is not ok.’ Most have known racism has existed, but it’s taken these heartbreaking circumstances for the world to take notice.
    • God is bringing good out of this darkness. He’s bringing great things out of the hardships.
    • There’s an opportunity here for us, as a nation and as a church, to really press in, not to run away from this tough topic. For far too long, things have been swept under the carpet… so what do we do, now that it’s exposed? These events affected the entire world. God has a plan for that, too.
    • In America, the pain of racism is fresh. We’re only one generation removed from the horrible oppression of an entire group of people. People are still hurting. There are still systems in place that are not fair. 
    • In order to move forward, we need to know our history. Education is so important, no matter how well we think we know a topic. Don’t dismiss the past.
    • Settlers came to America seeking religious freedom, a land of blessing, a land of provision. But they came and immediately displaced the people living here. And then much of our country was built on the backs of slaves. A lot of brokenness, a lot of hurt has happened. We need to recognize that, rather than run from that.
    • Educate your children. Instill an interest in learning. Teach them to seek the truth.
    • We have to accept that people make bad choices, but continue to love.
    • Be careful what details you share, but don’t be afraid to talk to your children about what is going on in the world. Ask what they think. Answer their questions. This may mean having big conversations earlier than you’d hoped, but these conversations are necessary. Choose to be engaged.
    • We all want to protect our kids. However, if we don’t give them the truth, if we don’t lead them now, they’re going to get the information somewhere else.
    • Find children’s books that celebrate culture, diversity, and the leaders of the world’s civil rights movements. Sit together and read. Ask your children what they think about these real-life heroes!
    • When our kids see us stepping out, they follow suit. Show kindness, generosity, and an interest in others. Seek out somewhere to volunteer where you’ll work alongside people of other cultures and ethnicities.
    • The more we get to know other people that don’t look like we do, the more personal their stories and experiences become, and the more complex our worldview becomes. Jesus calls us to be in that complexity.
    • We want to train our next generation to see color – and to know that it’s beautiful. God intended us to be all different shades of color. It’s a celebration, and God gets the glory.
    • “Together you are the body of Christ. Each one of you is part of his body.” 1 Corinthians 12:27
    • Prejudice sneaks up on you… and then it multiplies. Be careful in your conversations. Are you speaking the truth of Jesus, or are you allowing your upbringing and current community to create a prejudice in your heart? The enemy is always trying to pull us away from each other and from the Truth.
    • Jesus is the perfect example of reaching and loving others - He went to where the broken people were, went to the uncomfortable places, and had the uncomfortable conversations. He put others before himself and called us to do the same.
    • Teach your kids that God wants to talk to them. Teach them how to pray, how to have conversations with God, and to learn to hear His voice.
    • Let’s not think ourselves better than anyone else, but instead look at how Jesus dealt with His community, how He loved everybody even if they were on the fringes of society. Let’s place ourselves as close to Him as we possibly can as we walk our daily life. We can’t become perfect, but we want to be as much like Jesus as we possibly can be.
    • “Do justice, love kindness, walk humbly.” Micah 6:8
    • If we fill our children up with truth, that’s what’s going to come out of them when they are under pressure.
    • In John chapter 17, Jesus prayed that we would be ONE.
    Resources:
    • Topical Index: Racial Equality
      From our Parent Resource Page, this index provides suggested scriptures, articles, kids' books, adult books, and other podcasts to help your family learn more about and tackle this tough topic.