Believe it? Then live it! By Andrew Smith
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Excerpt:
The issue of racial inclusivity, multi-ethnic accommodation, or whatever you would like to call it is not simply a matter of preference among the 3%-7% intentionally racially diverse churches in our country. Rather, it strikes at the very heart of the gospel we profess to believe. In his second letter to the Corinthian church, the Apostle Paul writes:
"All this is from God, who, through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation." — 2 Corinthians 5:18-19 (ESV)
At the heart of the gospel is the message of reconciliation. The American Heritage Dictionary associates reconciliation more closely with penance – an act of devotion performed voluntarily to show sorrow for a sin or other wrongdoing. Our need to demonstrate reconciliation culturally and ethnically within our churches is not about pursuing uniformity or cultural and ethnic dismantlement. Reconciliation is a message of togetherness and oneness. Intentional or unintentional exclusivity is not simply a matter of personal preference…it is sin that needs to be set right.
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