Can the church help America emerge from its racist shadows empowered to heal racial divides? Church pastor and former police officer Terrell Carter says yes.
While our faith inarguably calls Christians to unity, the hard fact remains: we're still tragically divided when it comes to race, even - and especially, many say -- in our churches. Racism pervades our faith, our relationships, and our institutions in deep, often imperceptible ways. In Healing Racial Divides, Terrell Carter, a pastor, professor and former police officer takes us on a revelatory journey into the abyss of the racial divide and shows us how we've arrived at this divisive place. Understanding racism's roots - and our place in it - we surface more committed and empowered to defeat racism once and for all.
Drawing from the Bible, scholarly research, and personal experience as a both a former police officer and a black pastor serving white congregations, Carter unpacks the deep roots of racism in America, how it continues to be perpetuated today, and practical strategies for racial reconciliation. Looking forward, he shapes a bold and faithful vision for healing racial division through multicultural communities focused on relationship, listening, and learning from each other.
With a pastor's heart and an academic's head, Carter invites us to look at where we've been-and where God calls us as spiritually mature Christians, seeking healing and true unity on earth.
In Healing Racial Divides, Terrell Carter helps us:
· Understand the roots of racism in the world, the church, and ourselves
· Gain a biblical perspective on the sin of racism, as well as the biblical call to Christian unity
· Examine how racism continues to be perpetuated in America today
· Explore the concept of "white normality" and its aftereffects
· Discover a way across the divide through the creation of multi-cultural relationships, churches and communities
Review
In Healing Racial Divides, Dr. Carter touches on the pulse of racialized issues challenging society and our sense of community. Carter uses thorough definitions and insightful examples of lived experiences to raise undeniable incongruities in perceptions that create border walls among humanity. Whether leader or laity, readers are convicted to ponder How did we move so far from God s loving-kindness? Achieving solely that reflective outcome is worthwhile, yet Carter astutely moves us to hold up the mirror and ask What about me? --Valerie Miles-Tribble, Graduate Theological Union/American Baptist Seminary and author of Change Agent Church
Dr. Terrell Carter is an artist, pastor, educator, and former police officer. He combines these experiences with the insights of theology, the social sciences, law, and cultural analysis to address the key issue in America--the racial divide that inhibits our interactions and poisons public discourse. Carter s very personal engagement with the topic encourages us to find strength rather than division in our diversity. His approach is fresh, informative, and a source of healing. --Ircel Harrison, Central Baptist Theological Seminary and Pinnacle Associates
Healing Racial Divides is a needed book. For some privileged communities, the racial divide is the third rail. Seek a closer look, get too close, and the community of polarized privilege will create more heat than light. Terrell Carter walks the racial divide with some ease as he seeks the light of understanding. This is a strong voice where the lines are drawn. Carter s closing chapter, Finding Common Ground, shines brightly in the dark with its sense of wisdom and hope. --Dr. Keith Herron, St. Lucas United Church of Christ (St. Louis, MO), author of Living a Narrative Life
About the Author
Terrell Carter is an author, artist, pastor, professor, and former police officer specializing in addressing issues of race relations in the church and community. He is director of contextualized learning and assistant professor of practical theology at Central Baptist Theological Seminary in Shawnee, Kansas, and is the pastor of Webster Groves Baptist Church in St. Louis, Missouri.
Carter is the author of several books, including Leadership in Black and White: Practical Suggestions for the Church to Become a Healing Presence within Divided Communities and Walking the Blue Line: A Police Officer Turned Community Activist Provides Solutions to the Racial Divide. He is also a regular contributor for Ethics Daily, Baptist News Global, Word and Way, and Huffington Post. Carter was named an Emerging Scholar of the American Baptist Churches USA in March, 2016. He lives in St. Louis with his wife and children.
Product details
Paperback: 160 pages
Publisher: Chalice Press (January 8, 2019)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0827215126
ISBN-13: 978-0827215122
Product Dimensions: 5.4 x 0.6 x 8.4 inches
Shipping Weight: 7.4 ounces
