BOOK STUDY GROUP
Anti-Racism Reading Circle
WHEN: October 29, November 5, 12 and 19; 7:00-8:00 pm on Zoom
Our Education Committee is offering a book discussion group based on Dear Church, A Love Letter from a Black Preacher to the Whitest Denomination in the U.S., by Pastor Lenny Duncan.
Join us for reading, self-reflection, and conversation in the context of our faith and commitment to anti-racist action as we work together on ourselves and our congregation. Pastor Joe will lead the group, but the discussion will be open to what participants want to discuss.
Lenny Duncan is the unlikeliest of pastors. Formerly incarcerated, he is now a black preacher in the whitest denomination in the United States: The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Shifting demographics and shrinking congregations make all the headlines, but Duncan sees something else at work—drawing a direct line between the church’s lack of diversity and lack of vitality.
Part manifesto, part confession, and all love letter, Dear Church offers a bold new vision for the future of Duncan’s denomination and each community of faith. Dear Church rejects the narrative of church decline and calls everyone—clergy and laity alike—to the front lines of the church’s renewal through racial equality and justice. It’s time for the church to rise up, dust itself off, and take on forces of this world that act against God: whiteness, misogyny, nationalism, homophobia, and economic injustice. Duncan gives a blueprint for the way forward as we week to follow in the revolutionary path of Jesus.
GROUP DISCUSSION PLAN (read these chapters before each meeting):
FREE BOOKS: We have five free copies of Dear Church available. Please contact Naomi at admin@stmarkslutheranfargo or 701-235-5591 to reserve a copy and arrange pick-up. If you would rather purchase the book, a link to Amazon is below.
Join us for reading, self-reflection, and conversation in the context of our faith and commitment to anti-racist action as we work together on ourselves and our congregation. Pastor Joe will lead the group, but the discussion will be open to what participants want to discuss.
Lenny Duncan is the unlikeliest of pastors. Formerly incarcerated, he is now a black preacher in the whitest denomination in the United States: The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Shifting demographics and shrinking congregations make all the headlines, but Duncan sees something else at work—drawing a direct line between the church’s lack of diversity and lack of vitality.
Part manifesto, part confession, and all love letter, Dear Church offers a bold new vision for the future of Duncan’s denomination and each community of faith. Dear Church rejects the narrative of church decline and calls everyone—clergy and laity alike—to the front lines of the church’s renewal through racial equality and justice. It’s time for the church to rise up, dust itself off, and take on forces of this world that act against God: whiteness, misogyny, nationalism, homophobia, and economic injustice. Duncan gives a blueprint for the way forward as we week to follow in the revolutionary path of Jesus.
GROUP DISCUSSION PLAN (read these chapters before each meeting):
- WEEK 1 - Oct. 29: Introduction and Part 1: “Dismantling White Supremacy” (Chapters 1-5)
- WEEK 2 – Nov. 5: Part II: “Grace is an Ever-Widening Circle (Chapters 6-8)
- WEEK 3 – Nov. 12: Part III: The Church Can Lead the Way (Chapters 9-11)
- WEEK 4 – Nov. 19: What’s next? Reflection on the past three weeks and conversation around our anti-racist actions as individuals, as a congregation and as a denomination.
FREE BOOKS: We have five free copies of Dear Church available. Please contact Naomi at admin@stmarkslutheranfargo or 701-235-5591 to reserve a copy and arrange pick-up. If you would rather purchase the book, a link to Amazon is below.
PREVIOUS STUDIES
Why Did Jesus, Moses, the Buddha, and Mohammed Cross the Road? Christian Identity in a Multifaith World
by Brian McLaren
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When four religious leaders walk across the road, it's not the beginning of a joke. It's the start of one of the most important conversations in today's world.
Can you be a committed Christian without having to condemn or convert people of other faiths? Is it possible to affirm other religious traditions without watering down your own? In his most important book yet, widely acclaimed author and speaker Brian McLaren proposes a new faith alternative, one built on "benevolence and solidarity rather than rivalry and hostility." This way of being Christian is strong but doesn't strong-arm anyone, going beyond mere tolerance to vigorous hospitality toward, interest in, and collaboration with the other. Blending history, narrative, and brilliant insight, McLaren shows readers step-by-step how to reclaim this strong-benevolent faith, challenging us to stop creating barriers in the name of God and learn how affirming other religions can strengthen our commitment to our own. And in doing so, he invites Christians to become more Christ-like than ever before. |
