I aim to use this article to respond to frequent questions I hear from within our community about race and racism. My hope is for this to be updated as new questions are raised. (For a foundational understanding of why we should talk about racism in the church, check out this article.) What if I…
Why talk about racism in the church?
On occasion I get the question “Why do you talk about racism and the church so much?” In this brief article, I hope to lay out an answer to that question and give the ‘why’ behind my conviction to frequently engage this topic head on. Jesus’ vision and design for the church is that it…
Resources on Race & Racism
Sermons, Interviews and Conference Sessions Matt Chandler (A House Divided Cannot Stand)Thabiti Anyabwile (Racism of Forefathers) (1 thing about racial reconciliation) Efrem Smith (Interview w/ John Ortberg)Austin Channing Brown (Interview w/ Brene Brown)Anthony Bradley (Making sense of race and justice)John Piper, Tim Keller & Anthony Bradley (Race and the Christian)Eric Mason (Woke Church at Dallas Theological…
Ethnicity in Acts – Part I
The church is, by design, a multi-ethnic community. A diverse local church, living in unity, serves as a witness to the reconciling power of Jesus and the inclusion of all peoples in God’s kingdom. Jesus calls all people to follow him, and the local church is meant to be a physical manifestation of this reality…
Justice For All
The evangelical church finds itself embroiled in a heated debate about whether the pursuit of “justice issues” is a primary concern for the local church. The current debate is framed as a false choice between ‘proclaiming the gospel’ and pursuing justice, with some even calling the pursuit of justice within society a distraction from ‘the…
Sabbatical Highlights
In the Fall of 2021, the Board of Directors at DSBC gifted me and my family a three month sabbatical. This extended time away was designed to provide an opportunity for me to invest more in my marriage and family, to rest and reflect, and to heal from some of the pain that I have…
Justice in Church History – Saint Basil
Those that followed in the apostles’ footsteps continued to maintain a strong emphasis on biblical justice, often expanding its application to different forms of injustice. One of the key Christian figures in the fourth century was St. Basil the Great (330-379). He believed that Christians were called to live out the teachings of scripture in…
Justice in Church History – The Puritans
The Puritans, a movement of Christians that came out of the Church of England in the 16th and 17th centuries, sought to practice justice in all aspects of life. Their understanding and applications of justice took on new expressions as many of them had the capacity to reform their governments, and, in the case of…
Justice in Church History – Modern Evangelicalism
Like our Patristic and Puritan forebears, many modern American Christians have sought to apply justice to all aspects of life. While our Roman Catholic[1] and Orthodox[2] brothers and sisters are often known for their pursuits of justice, evangelicals have long been recognized as activists[3], holding a deep commitment to put one’s faith into practice, obeying…
Justice in Scripture
Much of the modern debate about justice is a matter of definitions. For Christians, the proper starting point in our understanding of justice is scripture. The Hebrew word that is usually translated as justice is mishpat (מִשְׁפָּ֥ט). This word appears over 200 times in the Hebrew scripture and frequently relates to a person’s relationship to…
Christlike in the Midst of Chaos
An open letter from Pastor Caleb Campbell To my DSBC Church Family, Over the last year there has been a lot of hurt and offence in our nation, community and church family. Ideologies have passionately been promoted that can feel confusing and frustrating. Most of us have experienced sadness, outrage, anger and fatigue in this…