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The role of Christianity in the formation of white supremacy has been embedded and hidden in the Church far too long. The objective of this project is to provide comprehensive data that articulates the evolution of racism in the Church in a manner that evokes conversation and heart-to-heart sharing between Blacks and Whites of faith. The goal is to pave the way for repentance, healing, and reconciliation. Research led to the development of the Overcoming Racism in the Church Small Group Study Guide class. The class is an online course with eight content sessions. It provides laser-focused video lessons and supplemental resources, laying a foundation for reflection and in-depth discussions. Because the dialogue on race and the identity of various ethnic groups is being co-opted by ideologies contrary to God’s original plan for humankind, the Church must begin to influence the narratives.
Utilizing the techniques of small groups, a blend of pedagogical strategies, and various multi-media technologies, the project aims to deliver a model for the Church to fulfill 21st-century community engagement in racial healing. This doctoral research project tackles the issue of how the Christian Church devalues people of color based on conscious and unconscious racial biases. The research these past three years sought to answer the question: What theological frame, mindset, and method might help heal and reconcile the relationships between people of color, particularly Black people, and the Christian Church?
Once the research for this project began, it became apparent that in overcoming racism, culture has been leading the narrative in bringing people together for meaningful conversations. Additionally, the Church views the race issue as external to its four walls. In short, the Church has a tremendous opportunity to accept the call to lead the racial healing, repentance, and reconciliation dialogue

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Digital Commons @ George Fox University Doctor of Leadership Theses and Dissertations 2024 Overcoming Racism in the Church Small Group Study Guide Audrey E. Robinson Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.georgefox.edu/dld  Part of the Christianity Commons, and the Race and Ethnicity Commons  GEORGE FOX UNIVERSITY    PROJECT PORTFOLIO: OVERCOMING RACISM IN THE CHURCH SMALL GROUP STUDY GUIDE  IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF LEADERSHIP PORTLAND SEMINARY    BY: AUDREY E. ROBINSON  PROJECT FACULTY: DR. CHRISTINE ROUSCH   PORTLAND, OREGON FEBRUARY 2024        CERTIFICATE OF APPROVAL  ________________________________   This certifies that the doctoral Project Portfolio of      Audrey E. Robinson    has been approved by the Evaluation Committee on March 12, 2024 for the degree of Doctor of Leadership in Global Perspectives.      Evaluation Committee:  Primary Project Faculty: Christine Roush, DMin Second Project Faculty: Trisha Welstad, DLd Lead Mentor: Jason Swan Clark, DMin, PhD Evaluation Committee Referee: Darcy Hansen, DMin ii                      Copyright © 2024 by Audrey E. Robinson All rights reserved.   iii Dedication This body of work is dedicated to Hiro Zariah, Chase, and all Generation Alpha children who will be affected by the decisions made regarding the content of this work.  I would not have had this opportunity to pursue my lifelong dream of obtaining a doctorate if not for my husband, Dan, and his encouragement every step of the way.  My deepest gratitude to James Marques for his devotion to Yeshua and his commitment to passing on our spiritual legacy. And for Ro for being the wind beneath his wings and for showing us what family is all about.   iv Acknowledgments To the ladies in the Raleigh Racial Reconciliation group. Thank you for sitting at the table.  To the Encouraging Place, continue to be a beacon of light and swimming against the tide to bring all people together in one accord.   v Epigraph Generation after generation stands in awe of your work; each one tells stories of your mighty acts.   ~Psalms 145:4 The Message Bible  “What I have said respecting and against religion, I mean strictly to apply to the slaveholding religion of this land, and with no possible reference to Christianity proper; for, between the Christianity of this land, and the Christianity of Christ, I recognize the widest possible difference—so wide, that to receive the one as good, pure, and holy, is of necessity to reject the other as bad, corrupt, and wicked. To be the friend of the one, is of necessity to be the enemy of the other. I love the pure, peaceable, and impartial Christianity of Christ: I therefore hate the corrupt, slaveholding, women-whipping, cradle-plundering, partial and hypocritical Christianity of this land. Indeed, I can see no reason, but the most deceitful one, for calling the religion of this land Christianity.” ~Frederick Douglass, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass   vi Table of Contents Dedication .............................................................................................................................................................................................. iii Acknowledgments ........................................................................................................................................................................... iv Epigraph .................................................................................................................................................................................................... v Table of Contents .............................................................................................................................................................................. vi List of Figures ...................................................................................................................................................................................... vii Research Method ............................................................................................................................................................................ viii Abstract ................................................................................................................................................................................................... ix Introduction ............................................................................................................................................................................................. 1 Doctoral Project .................................................................................................................................................................................. 8 Project Launch Plan ....................................................................................................................................................................... 95 Appendix A— Milestone 1 The NPO Charter ................................................................................................................. 99 Appendix B— Milestone 2 NPO Topic Exploration Essay ................................................................................... 123 Appendix C—Milestone 3 Design Workshop Report ........................................................................................... 148 Appendix D—Milestone 4 Design Research Report .............................................................................................. 164 Appendix E—Project Appendix Documentation ..................................................................................................... 194 Appendix E:  Project Documentation .............................................................................................................................. 195 Bibliography .................................................................................................................................................................................... 200    vii List of Figures Figure 1: Table Of Contents. ........................................................................................................................................................ 11 Figure 2: Course Description. .................................................................................................................................................... 12 Figure 3: How This works. ............................................................................................................................................................ 13 Figure 4: Things to consider. .................................................................................................................................................... 14 Figure 5: Section ONE Review. ............................................................................................................................................... 28 Figure 6: Section ONE Apply the Life Lessons Reference Guide. .................................................................. 29 Figure 7: Section TWO Review. .............................................................................................................................................. 42 Figure 8: Section Two Apply The Life Lessons Reference Guide. ................................................................... 43 Figure 9: Section THREE - Lesson 1: Prof. Geraldine Heng Excerpt. ............................................................. 45 Figure 10: Section THREE - Lesson 2: Prof. Anne Bonds Excerpt. .................................................................. 46 Figure 11: SECTION THREE - LESSON 3: Assoc. Prof. William James Jennings Excerpt. ................. 48 Figure 12: Section THREE Review. ........................................................................................................................................ 50 Figure 13: Apply The Life Lessons Reference Guide. ................................................................................................. 51 Figure 14: Section FOUR - Lesson 1: Prof. Kristopher Norris Excerpt. ........................................................... 53 Figure 15: Section FOUR - Lesson 2: Prof. Mark Hearn Excerpt. ...................................................................... 54 Figure 16: Section FOUR - Lesson 3: Richard Rothstein Excerpt. ................................................................... 56 Figure 17: Section FOUR Review. .......................................................................................................................................... 58 Figure 18: Section FOUR Apply The Life Lessons Reference Guide. ............................................................. 59 Figure 19: Section FIVE Review. ............................................................................................................................................. 79 Figure 20: Section FIVE Apply The Life Lessons Reference Guide. ............................................................... 80    viii Research Method This Doctoral Project utilized a blended research and design methodology called ‘Collaborative Design for Ministry and Nonprofit Contexts’. In Collaborative Design, practitioners work with stakeholder representatives to address a Need, Problem, or Opportunity (NPO) in their context. Using a combination of bibliographic resources, local knowledge derived from stakeholder Workshops, and an iterative process of continuous adjustment using ‘just enough’ feedback information at each juncture of development, practitioners produce an application-oriented Project that seeks to effect Christ-centered change.  ix Abstract The role of Christianity in the formation of white supremacy has been embedded and hidden in the Church far too long. The objective of this project is to provide comprehensive data that articulates the evolution of racism in the Church in a manner that evokes conversation and heart-to-heart sharing between Blacks and Whites of faith. The goal is to pave the way for repentance, healing, and reconciliation. Research led to the development of the Overcoming Racism in the Church Small Group Study Guide class. The class is an online course with eight content sessions. It provides laser-focused video lessons and supplemental resources, laying a foundation for reflection and in-depth discussions. Because the dialogue on race and the identity of various ethnic groups is being co-opted by ideologies contrary to God’s original plan for humankind, the Church must begin to influence the narratives.  Utilizing the techniques of small groups, a blend of pedagogical strategies, and various multi-media technologies, the project aims to deliver a model for the Church to fulfill 21st-century community engagement in racial healing. This doctoral research project tackles the issue of how the Christian Church devalues people of color based on conscious and unconscious racial biases. The research these past three years sought to answer the question: What theological frame, mindset, and method might help heal and reconcile the relationships between people of color, particularly Black people, and the Christian Church?  Once the research for this project began, it became apparent that in overcoming racism, culture has been leading the narrative in bringing people together for meaningful conversations. Additionally, the Church views the race issue as external to its four walls. In short, the Church has a tremendous opportunity to accept the call to lead the racial healing, repentance, and reconciliation dialogue.  1  Introduction More than a few who have recently delved into the issue of race in America began their journey because of the murder of George Floyd. I started my race journey during the hot summers when I would go to the Atlantic City boardwalk with my mother and had to drink from the Negro fountain. The concept of racism, racial injustices, and systemic inequalities has always been with me. From 2008 to 2016, my experiences with my White brothers and sisters in Christ began to change subtly. The deep racial divisions that were once again surfacing in the country were also permeating from several White pastors. By 2016, many White friends I served with for those eight years broke relationships over heartfelt conversations on race rather than acknowledging racial disparities existed. Because of these encounters, my eyes were opened to the inherent racial biases of some of my White friends in the Church. It was then that I had an inkling that my assignment was to help bring Blacks and Whites to the table for racial healing and reconciliation. Racism in the Church was pervasive, but would I be courageous enough to tackle the potential issues if the research substantiated my intuition? Discover My first NPO was to view racism in the context of education and job training because of the disparities observed while working within a community college system. The original NPO statement was, 'People of color do not have equal access to standard education, job training programs, or jobs to successfully provide a lifestyle comparable to the dominant culture.' The Discovery Workshop was held over Zoom with a racially diverse group of stakeholders, primarily from an educational and ministry setting. There were three insights from the Discovery Workshop. The first was that wealth disparities existed. Secondly, unequal access contributed to systemic racism. The third and most critical insight was that the Church has some responsibility for correcting the problems of unequal access. One recommendation was to conduct additional research on the role of the Church in contributing to unequal access.  The one-on-one interviews raised the issue that the Christian Church has lost its voice and trust in speaking to poor people and people of color. It was highly recommended that I consider researching the conscious and unconscious biases in the Church. By the Spring 2022 semester, I realized I was not satisfied with my original NPO focus. With my Peer Mentor's support, I changed my NPO to focus on the issues raised regarding the Christian Church. I revised my NPO to 'The Christian Church contributes to devaluing people of color based on conscious and unconscious biases' and was able to concentrate my research for the Topic Expertise Essay. There were two key insights from the research. The first insight was that the Church is normalizing racist behavior and has done so throughout history. One source used for my research was Professor Kristopher Norris's book Witnessing Whiteness: Confronting White Supremacy in the American Church. He contends that "beyond fragility, systemic racism and universalized (White) ethnic," the most entrenched roadblock to racial justice is the Christian community's inability to admit that White supremacy originated within 2  its theological constructs."1 Secondly, the role of the early Church in orchestrating the racial constructs that still impact us today is far more pervasive than I imagined. In his work, The Christian Imagination Theology & The Origins of Race,2 author William James Jennings writes:  Christians in the Western world are living in a diseased social imagination…he attributes this state to the lack of recognition by Christians to understand the deep theological roots and patterns that shaped the generative perspectives on people, places, societies, and the like…The history of this type of Christian theological thinking stems from the intertwining of Christianity and colonial dominance – a way of life internalized and normalized by Christians. Design My goal for the Design Workshop was to bring together a small group of Christians to prototype three concepts for determining the Most Valuable Prototype (MVP). The stakeholders who participated in the Design Workshop were from different churches, careers, ethnic, and socio-economic backgrounds.  The three concepts I identified focused on providing training materials for pastors, small groups, and individual members. The foundational material would consist of the following: biblical history of racism and social justice in the Church – tracing roots from Genesis to the current American Church culture, the historical impact of systemic racism in the United States on People of Color (POC), and recommendations for proactively dismantling racism within the local Church and community. The first concept pitch was an individual study guide promoting racial healing and repentance. The audience would be a Christian seeking information on racial issues and social inequities from a biblical perspective. This big idea was eliminated because it needed peer engagement.  The second concept was a small group study guide promoting racial healing and repentance. The ideal audience is 10 -15 people within a local church or formed independently of a Church. This option incorporates the interaction among the group participants and provides the opportunity for deep listening and sharing. There were recommendations for a facilitator guide and personal reflection questions, and all agreed that both would be integral to the participants' learning experience.  The final concept tested was a pastor's step-by-step guide for walking members through the racial discussions (in a sermon mini-series format). Because there was concern that some mainline denominations already had racial training materials but had yet to use them - this concept got little traction during the workshop. To explore this option further, I followed up with two pastors of medium-sized congregations to research this big idea. I created a survey to ascertain possible interest in the topics to include in a pastor's guide and conducted follow- 1 Kristopher Norris, Witnessing Whiteness: Confronting White Supremacy in the American Church (United States, Oxford University Press, 2020), 34. 2 William James Jennings, The Christian Imagination Theology & The Origins of Race (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2010), 104. 3  up interviews. Both pastors stated they would welcome a guide to assist with race conversations in their Church. However, one pastor did state that his Church does not have any people of color, and he didn't think his members would welcome the race conversation. I will re-evaluate the pastor's guide a year after launch.  I interviewed four stakeholders in one-on-one interviews: two pastors, an author, and a dean at a large community college. The conversations with the stakeholders primarily re-examined the need for race conversations in the Church and who might be inclined to participate. Secondarily, I explored the likability of an online delivery method for the small group study guide materials.  The key takeaways from the Design Workshop and interviews: race relations in the Church are as divided as it is in culture, any pastor who undertakes the task of starting the race conversations must be willing to see members leave the Church, and race conversations are necessary for the Church to heal. Two additional topics were identified for research and inclusion. The health impact on Black people and other people of color because of systemic racism. And research on the topic of God's original plan for humankind. I subsequently researched both issues and incorporated them into the class.  The final research phase included creating, developing, and testing the small group study guide MVP prototype. There were two critical elements for the development of the MVP prototype. The first was to incorporate best-of-breed features and functions that are standards for online course design. The second element was replicating the type of participant collaboration, peer learning, and deep personal reflections I was accustomed to in the racial reconciliation meetings I facilitated.  Comprehensive surveys were created to capture feedback to help ascertain the viability of the class. Five stakeholders participated in the evaluation. Based on the survey feedback, a few content recommendations have since been addressed. There were also two areas of concern. The first concern mentioned is that getting a racially diverse group to participate in the class may be difficult. The second concern is whether the dominant people group will admit there is a race issue.  As the design phase concluded, I was encouraged by the receptivity of the concept of Overcoming Racism in the Church Small Group Study Guide class. It has become clear that there will be those who will not adopt the premise that there is racism in the Church. And for those championing the need for race conversations in the Church, committing to a life-long process of working toward racial healing and reconciliation in the Church will be of the utmost importance. The conscious and unconscious racial biases are deeply embedded in our psyche and institutional systems.  Delivery In the project's delivery phase, over 62% of the Overcoming Racism in the Church Small Group Study Guide class was created. The class provides a broad range of topics culled from the Topic Expertise Essay designed to provoke thoughtful conversations on race relations, particularly between Blacks and Whites, within the Church. The subjects are complex and multi-faceted, and equally challenging is the subject of race itself. The study guide was designed to ignite 4  conversations rather than provide in-depth research on each topic. Also, since the audience is primarily the congregants, lay leaders, and elders, the intent was to deliver brief, laser-focused lessons that are easy to understand.  One reason for choosing to deliver a class versus a book is that there are many books about race. However, few classes (excluding DEI classes) and even fewer still focus on race conditions specifically within the Church. The second and more important reason is that reading a book can be helpful – but it is through conversations and wrestling together on the complexities of race relations that real change and growth occur.  The strategy to create video content was intentional because it lends itself to being more personal and the ability to repurpose videos into even more bite-sized pieces. The shorter videos can then be promoted to various social media platforms. More details on the distribution to social media platforms can be found in the Project Launch section. There were three key performance indicators to benchmark during testing. The primary goals established for the testing were to focus on the content, i.e., the usefulness of the topics, organization, and reflection questions; secondly, to evaluate the active engagement component of the class; and third, to evaluate the user-friendly aspect of the online class.  The final three benchmarks used during the testing were: ● Benchmark 1: Create an Overcoming Racism in the Church Small Group Study Guide class to encourage racial discussions between racially diverse members to facilitate repentance, healing, and reconciliation.  Assessment:  Participant feedback was recorded on a 5-point Likert Scale. The participants rated the class with a score of 80% in two or more key performance indicators in each category.  ● Benchmark 2: The small group class will increase participant awareness of racism and knowledge of racism in the Church by 20%. Assessment: Feedback was collected from five participants using a 5-point Likert Scale and a pre- and post-assessment survey. 80% of the participants stated an increase in awareness and knowledge of racism by 20%. ● Benchmark 3: The course design and curriculum will become the template to expand follow-up sections or additional components based on user experience satisfaction.  Assessment: Feedback was collected using a 5-point Likert Scale. Participants' feedback garnered an 80% likeability score on design and multimedia components. Nine stakeholders participated in the overall project evaluation. Participant selection was based on their pedagogical background, racial healing experiences, digital media, and social science teaching experience. Four content sections were uploaded to the web platform at the start of testing. The participants created accounts on the web hosting platform and were able to evaluate the content in a live test environment. The surveys were comprehensive, and the data was collected and reviewed with each participant. Concurrently, five participants were 5  formed into a subgroup to conduct a small group session (I was the facilitator) utilizing the content from section two – the historical perspective. The participants provided specific feedback on the lesson and used the small group questions in discussion mode. The long-term strategic goal of the Overcoming Racism in the Church Small Group Study Guide class is to significantly influence the racial conversations in the Church to the extent that there are documented instances of repentance, healing, and reconciliation among the participants. The roll-out of the class is conservative, given that portions of the class still need to be built while the early adopters are being established simultaneously. Once the digital marketing firm and faith-based learning organizations are engaged (2Q24 and 3Q24, respectively), the plan to schedule additional small group classes will be more aggressive.  Summary Reflection The number one challenge during the first two years of conducting research with stakeholders was that I had moved into a different state during COVID-19 and did not have a support system, Church, or network within the state to rely on. After the first year, I decided to go to where my stakeholders lived (in N.C.) to conduct subsequent meetings in person.  One of the potential shortcomings of the project is that I developed the script and did the filming and editing of the video content. I took a risk because the financial cost of hiring a professional company did not fit our budget. The video quality may be a detractor to some because professionally created online course content could be better. Consequently, users have incredibly high expectations for the online content consumed. Happily, my video quality has not been a detractor during any of the evaluations – but I would be remiss if I neglected to make professional improvements soon. Additionally, I created lesson slides and supplemental resources. The combination of making videos and slides at times was overwhelming, especially when edits were needed. Because I envision this small group class as a living product, i.e., annual updates and revisions, the goal is to outsource to a professional media production company to perform the ongoing maintenance by the end of 2025.  The apparent alternative to developing the small group online class would have been to write a book. The main reason for not selecting a book as an alternative is that it could detract from small groups forming to discuss the content. Another viable alternative could have been to develop the course for a non-Christian setting and market it to a broader audience. However, this option would allow the Church to continue to hide behind the excuse that racism is outside the Church and not within. Four fundamental discoveries emerged from the research journey. The first discovery that emerged is the extent to which the Church contributed to creating and normalizing the White dominant racist attitudes. Historical research opened a portal to the information that documented the Church's complicity to ensure the racial constructs and corresponding systems were implemented. Secondly, the preponderance of Christians who hide behind a color-blind lens of racism was equally revealing. Thirdly, how few Christians are unaware of the inequalities that exist between Blacks and Whites. The unwillingness of some Christians to consider whether they are racist or see the disparities were evident after reading Mark Hearn's 6  article on 'Color-Blind Racism, Color-Blind Theology, and Church Practices.' His definitions of color-blind racism and his argument that many Christians do not believe that racism is systemic3 – hence negating inequalities - confirmed many of the attitudes I witnessed first-hand. The last discovery is that many Christians will leave a Church if or when there is a conversation on race. The concepts embodied within the discoveries are not new –– my awareness of them is a part of my experience. However, to uncover the extent to which the Christian faith has been used to establish control and dominance over people of color was shocking. The Horizon The project's number one and two tasks are to build the remaining content sections and complete the facilitator guide. The target for completion is July 30th. The only section requiring minimal additional research is section six of the small group class, which is the topic of anti-racism.  After graduation, my plans for the project, as outlined in the Project Launch section, are to solidify early adopter small groups (2Q24), engage a digital marketing company (2Q24), and establish a tax-exempt non-profit to bring the class and podcast under its umbrella (2Q24). Another goal is to contact faith-based organizations that host teaching content that would offer the small group class on their platform by 3Q24. By 4Q24, the plans are to launch a podcast to cross-market the small group class and establish a fee-based pricing structure. 2025 will be the year to expand the audience for the small group through contractual agreements with faith-based learning platforms, offering facilitator training (for a fee), and partnering with Bible training organizations to incorporate the small group into their curriculum. The end of 2025 is the target for hiring a professional media company to continue the annual maintenance and revisions of the class and facilitator guide. Conclusion I had one disappointment over the three years. The disappointment resulted when two people who participated in the Design Workshop were unavailable for the MVP prototype testing. However, the feedback from those who did participate was highly beneficial. The joy over the project came from several pastors and an ardent champion of the work. Their encouragement and belief in the work brought great joy and were equally inspiring. Looking back, it perfectly orchestrated the intersections of our conversations over the three years and my need for their life-filled joy.  A tremendous surprise happened during the in-person debriefing of the benchmark test. The five participants who had conducted a small group session using the materials asked if they could continue testing the subsequent sections as they were being developed. At that point, I had not planned for future testing, but the idea was brilliant. The group's support of the project  3 Mark Hearn, "Color-Blind Racism, Color-Blind Theology, and Church Practices," Religious Education Vol. 104, no. 3 (2009): 272. 7  and continued testing (even allowing for the development of future sections) will provide first-hand feedback before the early adopters start the small group class.  I have not been able to assess the full impact on my personal development. I recognize an increase in my confidence regarding the research, the content, and the planned direction for the project. However, the full impact will be more evident as I sit across from early adopters and faith-based organizations and interact with those who will hear the podcast. I have developed confidence because of the urgent need for this content to be presented to Christian audiences. I anticipate primarily positive feedback, but I would be remiss if I underestimated the hateful divisions that exist between Blacks and Whites – even in the Church. I am confident that I dare to withstand any negativity. My singular focus is establishing a ministry and vocation to promote racial repentance, healing, and reconciliation in the Church and to aid in dismantling the racist beliefs that have diseased our religion and relationships.  My dream for this project is that Church members across the U.S. begin to utilize the contents in the class to facilitate racial healing conversations – and in the not-too-distant future – it will be used globally to change the race paradigm in the Church and our culture. 8  Doctoral Project9  Introduction Overcoming Racism in the Church Small Group Study Guide is a Christian-based online class designed to inform, challenge, and engage participants who desire to change the race paradigm through healing and reconciliation within the local Church and community. This course aims to ignite the uncomfortable conversations on racism among diverse small groups within the Church at large. The goal is to break down stereotyped racial walls through small group discussions in a non-judgmental way. Presentation of Project The Overcoming Racism in the Church Small Group Study Guide project includes thirty-three lessons on topics ranging from biblical theology and foundational principles, historical perspectives on Church history and racism, relevant voices that help in the analysis of historical implications and positioning the Church in the 21st century, mental health implications of racial trauma, anti-racism strategies, call to action messages, and finally, a conclusion with sample assessments. Each lesson includes thought-provoking reflection questions, small group discussion questions, and a journal exercise for final thoughts. There are eight content sections; each section has an end-of-section review (test) and a life application exercise. At launch, there is a plan for a Facilitator Guide to aid in group discussions; however, a sample of the Facilitator Guide is included.  Introduction The race issue is complicated and has taken thousands of years to morph and adapt to cultural changes. At times, it is emboldened, and its actions are seared into the minds of its intended victims. Then there are those subtle forms of racism that try to disguise themselves within the Sunday sermon messages. To young Black Americans, the Church has lost relevance. And among the young (Black and White), Church hypocrisy is causing them to seek alternative forms of spirituality. 4 The goal of this research is to present a clarion call for the Church to begin to look within, to uncover the wounds that have tainted all of us, and to find ways to love one another, to be in ‘community,’ and to be our brother and sister’s keeper. The assignment is simple: invite believers to sit at the table and engage in authentic, open, and honest conversations. Commit to continue to come to the table and lovingly engage even when negative implicit biases are uncovered and even when stated individual beliefs do not align with explicit negative behaviors. Repentance and reconciliation between Blacks (and other people of color) and Whites is the desired outcome. The study is premised on presenting academically researched evidence of the Church’s complicity in undergirding racism and contributing to the domination and race hierarchical  4 Besheer Mohamed, Kiana Cox, Anna Schiller, and Kelsey Beveridge, “Faith Among Black Americans,” Pew Research Center, (Feb. 16, 2021: 15, https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2021/02/16/faith-among-black-americans/. 10  structures contrasted with the biblical framework of God’s plan for humanity. Participants are encouraged to do further research but, more importantly, to discuss and wrestle with the lessons with a diverse group of individuals either from their local Church or the Church at large. The online Small Group Study Guide class is intended to meet the technology needs of Baby Boomers to Gen Z young adults by utilizing core principles for designing an online class such as user-friendly navigation, less than 15 minutes video, and questions designed to facilitate engagement, and the ability to download some content in PDF format. Because it is structured like an online class, additional elements include homework assignments, Section Reviews, and encouragement to explore outside resources to enhance the learning experience.  Small Group Study Guide Online Class Content Descriptions The following summaries provide an in-depth overview of the course material for the entire curriculum. SECTION AND LESSON SUMMARIES There are nine sections in the Overcoming Racism Small Group Study Guide class which includes the Welcome and Introduction section. The eight major content sections contain several mini lessons. Each section and its corresponding lessons are detailed below.  Welcome and Introduction to the Overcoming Racism in the Church Small Group Study Guide Class:  The welcome and introduction is designed to help participants quickly review instructions for progressing through the content. The goal of the video is to inform participants about what to expect by taking this small group class. The creator and moderator steps you through the class introduction, table of contents, course description, and how to approach and use the materials provided in the online class. Following are highlights of the script used for the introductory materials. Introduction Script:   We are to be ambassadors for Christ, and we have the ministry of reconciling others to Christ (2 Cor. 5:18-20). However, as early as Genesis chapter four, shortly after the fall, Cain killed Abel. This sin represents a sin of injustice. The “sin of injustice is when one person uses their power to take the life or liberties away from another…. God’s reaction demonstrates his anger over taking another person’s life…justice belongs to God alone….it is built into his character.5 This small group study guide will explore theological and cultural mindsets that will lend themselves to the deep inner healing and reconciliation between people of color and the Christian Church. Table of Contents:  5 Abraham George and Nikki A. Toyama-Szeto, God of Justice: The IJM Institute Global Church Curriculum (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2015), 15. 11  The moderator reveals that early testers recommend that participants proceed through each section sequentially as the content builds as one progresses through the material.  FIGURE 1: TABLE OF CONTENTS. Course Description: In a culture where Christian racial biases seem to dominate rather than the real gospel message of Jesus Christ, there is an opportunity for the Church to repent and change its racist attitudes and behaviors. An opportunity for the Church to heal racial schisms and encourage healing and transformative action that can become a catalyst in dismantling racism against people of color in our Church and in our culture. The objective of this course is to begin the difficult conversations centered on race relations. We will explore deep seated fears, hurts, anger, and racial biases in a non-judgmental environment and learn ways to begin the healing process.    12   FIGURE 2: COURSE DESCRIPTION. How This Works: The course can be completed individually, but the maximum benefit is derived in a small multi-ethnic and multi-cultural setting, where the participants are fully invested in the reading, the reflection questions, and the small group discussions. At the end of each mini lesson there are three steps that are labeled Next Steps to help you process the information and reflect on any insights. Complete the lessons. Each video lesson is less than 10 minutes. The purpose is to be mindful of your reactions, make notes, and journal your thoughts. Do the homework. Review the discussion questions and any supplemental materials. Prayerfully consider any implicit biases that may be present. Be prepared to listen, ask questions, and share your personal insights in the group discussions. Apply the lifework. At the end of each Section is an Apply the Life Lessons Reference Guide that provides helpful suggestions for how to engage with others outside of the small group.  To really see your life change, you will need to do the work to apply what you learn.  13   FIGURE 3: HOW THIS WORKS. Things to Consider: The slide is presented in the accompanying video and listeners are informed that it is a sample of the types of questions in the upcoming lessons but also the first homework assignment to establish a personal baseline of attitudes toward racism. 1.What are your thoughts concerning racism in the Church? If it exists, do you have specific examples to share?  2.Is there a difference in attitudes towards people of color in the Church from what we see in our culture?  3.How would you describe your biases towards others? If any biases exist, what has helped you process these biases in a godly fashion? 4.How would you describe the Christian responsibility to be ministers of reconciliation? 5.What are your goals for taking the course? 14   FIGURE 4: THINGS TO CONSIDER. Section ONE: Biblical and Theological Foundations Introduction and Overview In this Section the narrator underscores that the biblical and theological foundation is integral for understanding several major topics that represent how we are to treat others.  There are six mini-lessons in this section.  The topics are listed below.   Biblical and Theological Foundations ● Human Tendency to Overlook Less Fortunate ● Spiritual Leaders Contribute to Social Injustice ● New Testament Model for Community ● Ministry of Reconciliation ● How Believers Are to Demonstrate God's Love ● God's Original Plan for Humankind Although the topics are familiar to most Christians, participants are encouraged to go through each lesson sequentially because each builds on a biblical foundation and establishes baseline definitions. Section ONE – Lesson 1:  Human Tendency to Overlook Those Less Fortunate. The lesson explores what God's perspective is and how no one is exempt from helping those less fortunate. Foundational Scripture: Isaiah 58:1-12  In the opening the moderator sets the stage by referencing the major themes of the prophetic books.  15  Prophetic books repeatedly charged Israel with three things: idolatry, lack of social justice, and reliance on religious ritual rather than true relationship.6  ~ Author J. Daniel Hays Message of the Prophets The lesson highlights that God was concerned with Israel’s lack of compassion for caring for the oppressed, from those in authority and individually, everyone had a responsibility. The people are critiqued because of religious rituals and lack of social justice. Keywords are righteousness and ordinances of justice. Definitions on righteousness and ordinance of justice are explained in detail to establish baseline definitions because the terms have been misused to influence current thinking about Christian responsibility.  Author John Goldingay's works in the Theology of Isaiah is used to define what is meant by righteousness and justice. Goldingay ultimately concludes from his analysis of the passages that righteousness and justice "suggest the faithful exercise of power in the community."7 Concluding remarks reiterate the lack of social justice and religious ritual brought a strong rebuke from God. Righteousness and justice expect those in power who have influence and wealth to make decisions about the community and its inhabitants that will benefit the masses. We see a hierarchy of care for the less fortunate. Governmental (power, influence, and wealth) focused on judgments, on a personal basis, is sharing your bread and covering the naked. Despite the Babylonian invasion and the many Israelites being in captivity, Judah's citizens continued to overlook Jehovah's requirement of caring for one another. The moderator explains the objective of the three Next Steps in detail since this is the first occurrence in the Small Group Study Guide class.   Below are the Next Steps for Section One – Lesson 1:  Human Tendency to Overlook Those Less Fortunate. The Next Steps will continue to be a part of the videos and available as a PDF download. In addition, the Facilitator Guide will be available to assist with the processing of information and subsequent discussions. Each lesson has its own unique set of Next Steps. Next Steps The Things to Consider questions are primarily for personal reflection after the participant has viewed the video lesson or completed the reading assignment. Ideally, this is when deep prayer and self-awareness occurs and further research on a topic or concept from the lesson occurs.   6 Daniel J. Hays, The Message of the Prophets: A Survey of the Prophetic and Apocalyptic Books of The Old Testament (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Press, 2010), 137. 7 John Goldingay, The Theology of the Book of Isaiah (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2014), 20. 16  Things to Consider 1.What other Scriptures can you identify that confirms teaching on caring for the less fortunate?  2.How would you define those less fortunate in the U.S?  3.What does God mean in Scriptures when He speaks to his people about righteousness and justice?  4.How would you describe your attitudes towards those less fortunate?  5.What is the Church's responsibility towards those less fortunate? The second Next Step is the Small Group Discussion Questions. It is recommended that participants prepare by reviewing the questions ahead of time. Periodically the moderator will encourage the participants to feel free to interchange the questions from the personal reflections and the small group questions or discuss new questions with their small group. Small Group Questions 1.What is the current thinking in your family of origin about those less fortunate?  2.What is the current thinking amongst your circle of friends about those less fortunate, specifically black people?  3.Identify and discuss your understanding of the issues surrounding the following social justice issues: access to equal education, healthcare and housing and the justice system?  4.How might Christ respond to the issues listed above today? The third Next Step is the Final Thoughts journal questions. The questions are meant to help participants identify and journal lessons learned, and insights gleaned from the overall lesson to memorialize the meaning.  Final Thoughts ● What was the most important lesson learned regarding your self-awareness on human tendency from a theological perspective?  ● What, if any, lesson did you learn from the Scriptures used by Isaiah?  ● What lesson did you learn from the people in your group that are of different ethnicities?  ● How will/does this lesson impact your relationship with Christ and with others?  17  Section ONE – Lesson 2:  Spiritual Leaders Contribute to Social Injustice. The focus in the second lesson is on how spiritual leaders contribute to social injustice.  Based on Jeremiah 5:28-31 and 22:16-17. By the time Jeremiah began his ministry, the "relationship between God and Israel was strained...God declared the covenant was broken," according to the Baker Commentary on the Bible based on the NIV. Jeremiah 5:4-5 NKJV Jeremiah expects great spiritual leaders who know the commands of God to be honest and upright. He's searching for one to prevent God's judgments against Judah. But, alas, he could not find one. They all, with one mind, took off the moral restraints of God's laws and broke the covenant relationship. Jeremiah 5:28b-31 NKJV We are informed of the evil deeds that result when the spiritual leaders throw off restraint. They overlook those less fortunate. And in verse 31 and we discover it is not just the religious leaders or priests but also the prophets who have cast off all restraint. And ultimately, the people have been led astray.  According to Baker Commentary, verse 29 is expanded to reflect God's sentiment that any nation would be judged for this evil, including Judah.8 Jeremiah 22:13, 15 - 17 NIV is a stunning indictment of the king. During a time when the people of Judah were struggling with the Babylonian invasion and some were in captivity, the king built his palace on unrighteousness and the upper rooms on injustice. Connection once again between righteousness and justice.  King Jehoiakim is compared to his father, King Josiah. His father did what was right by defending the poor and needy and all was well during his reign. In conclusion, Jeremiah's attempt to find just one honest person in all of Judah had failed. He surely thought the spiritual leaders, those entrusted with the safekeeping of God's commands and His people, would know the Lord's ways, and walk in honesty. But as one - the leaders had thrown off God's laws. Next Steps: Things to Consider  8 Walter A. Elwell, Baker Commentary on the Bible Based on the NIV (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1989), 518. 18  1.What other Scriptures can you identify that confirms teaching on how spiritual leaders contribute to a lack of social justice and a moral bankruptcy towards God's commands?  2.How would you describe the spiritual leadership of the Church in the West or U.S. today?  3.What are current issues surrounding those less fortunate that you are least familiar with in your own church or local community?  4. What issues are you most familiar with in your own church or local community? Small Group Questions 1.What are the leadership characteristics you look for in leaders of your Church?  2.How much influence does the leadership have in your congregation and in general in the formation of attitudes towards others less fortunate?  3.Identify and discuss your understanding of the leadership role the Church plays in regard to social justice issues in our culture?  4.How might Christ respond to the issues listed above today? Final Thoughts ● What was the most important lesson learned regarding your awareness of spiritual leaders in the Church today from a theological perspective?  ● What, if any, lesson did you learn from the Scriptures used from Jeremiah 5 and Jeremiah 22?  ● What lesson did you learn from the people in your group that are of different ethnicities? How will/does this lesson impact your relationship with Christ and with others? Section ONE - Lesson 3: Exploring the New Testament Model for Community Exploring the New Testament Model for Community covers a discussion of Matthew Henry's view of the unity of love in the ACTS early church and Dietrich Bonhoeffer's definition of 'community.'   "Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul." ACTS 4:32 NKJV Matthew Henry's Whole Bible Commentary: Confirms verse 32 is a beautiful picture of oneness and unity of the spirit. Describes the church in ACTS as primitive and in its infancy. Is this a primitive view or a model for believers to follow?9  9 Matthew Henry, Matthew Henry’s Bible Commentary (Concise) https://Www.Christianity.Com/Bible/Commentary/Matthew-Henry-Concise/Jeremiah/22. 19  According to Bonhoeffer: Fellowship between Jesus and his disciples covered every aspect of their daily life…. the life of each individual was part of the life of the brotherhood.10  ”In the Christian life, the individual disciple and the body of Jesus belong inseparably together. "All this is confirmed in the earliest record of the life of the Church in the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 2:42-47; 4:32-37).”11  Dietrich Bonhoeffer continued. ● Bonhoeffer watched his country torn apart by Hitler’s Nazi Germany.  ● He witnessed first-hand the atrocities carried out on his fellowman while many Christians stood by.  ● But Bonhoeffer spoke out about ‘community’ and that we are called to live connected to Jesus and to one another. ● Bonhoeffer references ACTS 2: 42-47 as well as ACTS 4:32-37 to substantiate his understanding of the 'community.'  ○ v44 ... were together and had everything in common. v45 ... give to anyone who had need.12 ● He lived in the 20th century and his interpretation of the life of the individual was more in line with the original Bible text - one heart and one soul - living inseparably together - versus Matthew Henry's summation.  ○ Primitive church in its infancy.  Reviewing the foundational scriptures in ACTS 2:42 - 45 NIV and ACTS 4:32 - 35 NLT ● In the NLT the early believers did not regard their belongings as their own.  ○ As a result, there were no needy people among them.  ● The NLT Life Application Bible notes the following:   10 Charles E. Moore, ed. Called to Community: The Life Jesus Wants For His People (Walden: Plough Publishing House, 2016), 44. 11 Ibid. 12 Ibid. 20  ○ "None of these Christians felt that what they had was their own, so they were able to give and share, eliminating poverty among them. They would not let a brother or sister suffer when others had plenty."13  In conclusion. How does this differ from a communist society? This living is different from communism because (1) the sharing was voluntary; (2) it did not involve all private property but only as much as was needed; (3) it was not a membership requirement to be a part of the Church.14 Next Steps: Things to Consider 1.What are your beliefs regarding the concept of community from a Christian perspective? How does your concept differ, if at all, from Bonhoeffer's Called to Community?  2.Describe the specific ways your church is living out 'community'? Are there potential ways to improve? If so, how and why?  3.What intersections or points of commonality are there between 'Christian community' and social justice? Small Group Questions 1.How can we apply the principles of love, forgiveness, and reconciliation from the New Testament model for community in our diverse society today?  2.How does the N.T. model for community address issues of social justice and equity?  3.What role does faith play in the N.T. model for community? How can we create spaces where individuals of different ethnic backgrounds can feel welcomed and included?  4.In what ways can the N.T. model for community inspire us to challenge societal norms and systems that perpetuate injustice? How can we actively work towards transformation and healing? Final Thoughts ● What was the most important lesson learned regarding your awareness of how the Church today does 'community' from a theological perspective?   13 Tyndale House Publishers, Life Application Study Bible: New Living Translation (Carol Stream: Tyndale Publishers, Inc., 2004), 1823. 14 Ibid. 21  ● What, if any, lesson did you learn from Scriptures used from ACTS 4:32-35 and ACTS 2:42-47 related to giving to those in need? What lesson did you learn from the people in your group that are of different ethnicities?  ● How will/does this lesson impact your relationship with Christ and with others?  Section ONE – Lesson 4: A Brief Review of the New Testament Believers’ Ministry of Reconciliation. This lesson is a brief review of how New Testament believers are to reconcile others to Jesus Christ. This ministry is at the heart of how we treat others and God has committed us to this message. Learn how this ministry helps us to understand race relations between Blacks and Whites in the church.  Foundational scriptures from 2 Corinthians 5:11 - 20 The Ministry of Reconciliation, in verse 18, All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation. Verse. 19, that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. ● The first aspect of the doctrine of reconciliation has to do with the restoration of fellowship between God and man.  ● The second aspect is that God committed the message of reconciliation to us.  ● One translation states, 'We have the privilege of encouraging others to do the same.' Using 2 Corinthians 5: 16-20 The MSG to expand on the concept. 16-20 Because of this decision we don’t evaluate people by what they have or how they look. We looked at the Messiah that way once...Now we look inside, and what we see is that anyone united with the Messiah gets a fresh start, is created new. The old life is gone; ...called us to settle our relationships with each other... God has given us the task of telling everyone what he is doing. We’re Christ’s representatives. God uses us to persuade men and women to drop their differences and enter into God’s work of making things right between them. We’re speaking for Christ himself now... Several key points from The Message Bible:  ● We no longer evaluate people by what they have or how they look.  ● Everyone united to the Messiah gets a fresh start.  ● We are to settle our relationships with each other. God uses us.  22  An integral part of the ministry of reconciliation is to put aside differences and our unbiblical attitudes toward one another. Since Christ has died for us all, then a purely human perspective can no longer form the basis for judgments about the worth of his actions or the value in his plan of any man or woman. "For too long, many in the Church have argued that unity in the body of Christ across ethnic and class lines is a separate issue from the gospel. There has been the suggestion that we can be reconciled to God without being reconciled to our brothers and sisters in Christ. Scripture doesn't bear that out...It's going to take intentional multi-ethnic and multi-cultural churches to bust through the chaos and confusion of the present moment and redirect our gaze to the revolutionary gospel of reconciliation." John M. Perkins, One Blood: Parting Words to the Church on Race and Love (Chicago: Moody, 2018), 32, 29. Next Steps: Things to Consider 1.How easy or difficult is it for you to regard no one after the flesh?  2. How does the ministry of reconciliation apply, if at all, to the perceptions many in the White culture have towards black people? Please journal your thoughts in as much detail as possible.  3.Describe the specific ways your church is living out the 'ministry of reconciliation'? Are there potential ways to improve? If so, how and why?  4. How does the concept of race as a 'human' attribute support or nullify God's view of humanity? Small Group Questions 1.In what ways can the ministry of reconciliation promote understanding, empathy, and unity among diverse ethnic groups within the Christian community?  2.What are some practical strategies that can be employed to actively promote racial healing and reconciliation within our Christian communities?  3.How can the ministry of reconciliation help us navigate conversations about racial reconciliation in the face of disagreement or resistance? How do we balance grace and truth in these discussions?  4.How can the ministry of reconciliation extend beyond individual relationships and affect broader societal change in terms of racial healing?   23  Final Thoughts What is the most important lesson regarding the ministry of reconciliation based on Christian theology?  ● What does it mean in2Cor. 5:16 to "view no one from a worldly view?" How can the Church promote God's view of others?  ● What lesson did you learn from the people in your group that are of different ethnicities?  ● How will/does this lesson impact your relationship with Christ and with others?  Section ONE - Lesson 5:  How Believers Are to Demonstrate God’s love. This is the fifth lesson in Section ONE Overcoming Racism in the Church Small Group Study Guide. Learn how we are to love based on 1 John 3:6-18 and how this Biblical foundation impacts our relationships with others today. 1 John 3:16 - 18 The Cross symbol represents the type of love every Believer should pray is wrought in their lives through the work of the Holy Spirit. It is not the type of love obtained through sheer will or other human efforts. 1 John 3: 16 - 18 AMP ● We are to lay down our lives for others - not to a physical death - but a death to inconveniences or to having it our way.  ● According to the Baker Bible Commentary, having ordinary temporal possessions obligates every Christian to help needy brothers materially.15  ● AMPLIFIED Bible: in verse 18 'practical acts of love are more than words.' Romans 5:5 NLT 5 And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love. ● His surrendered life on the Cross was a demonstration of self-sacrifice.16   15 Elwell, Baker Commentary on the Bible Based on the NIV, 1183. 16 Ibid. 24  ● Accessing this type of love requires an act of our will.  ● God has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with His love. According to The Matthew Henry Commentary the meaning of 'the poor always being with us' is premised on the spiritual concept that the love of GOD will cause the rich to be kind and compassionate to the brother or sister less fortunate. Additionally, the grace extended in charitable distributions will be a natural outflow of the loving relationship between the wealthy and GOD.17 Next Steps: Things to Consider 1.How easy or difficult is it for you to love others, especially brothers or sisters of different ethnicities?  2. What theological concepts were you taught as a Christian about the poor? Do the concepts you were taught align with the Scriptures in this lesson? Please detail any differences.  3.Are your perceptions of poor people who are black different from White poor people? If so, how and why? Try to trace the source of your belief(s).  4. What type(s) of ministry does your Church have that helps the poor? Are you involved? Is it effective, in other words, are the lives of those assisted improving? Small Group Questions 1.In what ways can we educate ourselves about the unique experiences and challenges faced by people of color? How can this knowledge inform our interactions and expressions of love towards them?  2.What are some potential barriers or blind spots that may hinder our ability to demonstrate God's love to people of color? How can we overcome these barriers and foster genuine connections?  3.How can we actively listen to the stories, perspectives, and concerns of people of color to better understand their experiences and needs? How does this listening translate into tangible acts of love and support? Continued the next page. Part 2: Small Group Questions Continued  17 Matthew Henry, Matthew Henry. Commentary On The Whole Bible Volume VI (Acts To Revelation): https://ccel.org/ccel/henry/mhc6/mhc6.iJo.iv.html. 25  4. How can we address and challenge any unconscious biases or prejudices we may hold that could hinder our ability to demonstrate God's love to people of color?  5. In what ways can we leverage our privileges and resources to uplift and support people of color? How can we use positions of influence to advocate for justice and equality?  6.How can we ensure that our efforts to demonstrate God's love to people of color are sustainable and ongoing, rather than a temporary or performative response?  7. How can we seek God's guidance and direction in demonstrating His love to people of color? How can prayer and spiritual discernment inform our actions and attitudes? Final Thoughts ● What concept from this lesson, if any, was difficult to hear or accept?  ● Please detail your reasons. How are we to respond financially to those less fortunate?  ● Are your views based on Scriptures?  ● What lesson did you learn from the people in your group that are of different ethnicities?  ● How will/does this lesson impact your relationship with Christ and with others?  Section ONE - Lesson 6:  God’s Original Plan. Based on scripture we look at God's plan for mankind through Father Abraham to present.  This is the sixth and final lesson in Section One:  Biblical & Theological Foundations. Learn how God's plan for mankind impacts our relationships with different ethnicities today. Brief review of Genesis 17: 1 - 5 Then onto Galatians 3: 7 - 9, 29 7 The real children of Abraham, then, are those who put their faith in God. 8 What’s more, the Scriptures looked forward to this time when God would make the Gentiles right in his sight because of their faith. God proclaimed this good news to Abraham long ago when he said, “All nations will be blessed through you.” 9 So all who put their faith in Christ share the same blessing Abraham received because of his faith. 29 And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs, and God’s promise to Abraham belongs to you. Paul describes the real children of Abraham in Galatians 3:7-9, 29.  ● Verse 7: Put their faith in God.  26  ● Verse 8: Gentiles included (non-Jewish) and all Nations would be blessed through Abraham Verse 9: Put their faith in Christ and share in the same blessing as Abraham.  ● Verse 29: Heirs and God's promise to Abraham belongs to you. According to Lisa Sharon Harper, the terms race and ethnicity are often used interchangeably; however, they have different meanings. Lisa Sharon Harper writes, ethnicity is biblical (Hebrew: goy or am; Greek: ethnos). Ethnicity is created by God and is dynamic and developed over long periods of time. It is about group identity, heritage, language, place, and common group experience. In contrast, race, as a category, has no scientific justification and no basis in biological sciences. It is a sociologically created category used to establish a caste system of power and domination over those viewed as inferior.18 A review of Galatians 3: 26-29 Message Bible to help summarize key insights. Below is a summary of the principles discussed from the Word and what we just learned on race vs ethnicity.  ● Original plan was to establish a Christ Family - joint heirs with Jesus.  ● Starting with Abraham eventually included all nations.  ● No division. All are equal. Next Steps:  Things to Consider 1.How does the concept of Abraham being a father of many nations impact your understanding of God's plan and purpose for humanity? How does it shape your view of diversity and inclusion within the Christian community?  2. In what ways does the story of Abraham challenge our own cultural and ethnic biases? How can we actively seek to break down barriers and embrace people from different nations and backgrounds? As individuals? As a Church family?  3.How can the story of Abraham's journey of faith and trust in God's promises encourage us in our own journeys of embracing diversity and pursuing unity within the Christian community? Small Group Questions 1.In what ways does your ethnicity and culture shape your faith or how you read and study the Bible?   18 Derwin L. Gray, How to Heal Our Racial Divide (Carol Stream: Tyndale, 2022), 30. 27  2.What role does intentional education and learning play in embracing diversity and unity? How can we educate ourselves about others' different cultures, histories, and perspectives to foster greater understanding and empathy?  3. How can we engage in meaningful conversations about diversity and unity without erasing or diminishing the unique cultural identities and experiences of different groups within the Christian community? Final Thoughts ● What are some potential challenges or tensions that arise when considering the truth that race is a sociological construct designed to create an unequal balance of power?  ● Reflect on your personal thoughts concerning the term 'race.'  ● Are you aware of any explicit or implicit biases you have against other people groups because of how race has been defined?   28   Section ONE Review: (Double Click PDF to Open). This is a Google form within the online class.  FIGURE 5: SECTION ONE REVIEW.   29  Section ONE Apply the Life Lessons Reference Guide:   FIGURE 6: SECTION ONE APPLY THE LIFE LESSONS REFERENCE GUIDE.   Section TWO: Historical Perspective (4th – 19th Century) Introduction The purpose of this section is to fill in the gaps from the early Church, the major influences, the early seeds of racism, and the key Church leadership practices. As a result of this section, we will be able to establish a framework to better understand the current relationships that exist between Blacks and Whites.  30  Section TWO - Lesson One:  Early Church in Rome The primary reference for this lesson is David Fiensy, the author of the NIV Commentary New Testament Introduction. The worldwide movement of the early Church began in ACTS 9 - when Paul is converted and begins his mission. From now on, the Church is less Jewish and less regional.19 The Church moves into the world of paganism, philosophy, and into the world where two great Greco-Roman cultures meet.20 A key focus from Fiensy's research was how the early Church engaged with each other, non-believers, and the world at large.  Several critical factors or influences:  ● Social class:  Middle class did not exist21  ● Greco-Roman religions:   Gnosticism  ● Philosophical thinking:  Hellenistic philosophy22 Further elaborating on the environment in which Christianity expanded several factors were discussed. ● In its infancy in the Roman Empire, Christianity was hated by government officials and many of its citizens.  ● Christianity spread through-out the Mediterranean world. The following groups of people began to convert to Christianity.23 ○ Roman elite  ○ Pious Jews  ○ Poor/Lower Class   19 David A. Fiensy, The College Press NIV Commentary New Testament Introduction (Joplin: College Press, 1994), 177. 20 Ibid. 21 Ibid., 182. 22 Ibid., 177. 23 Ibid., 182. 31  ○ Moors  However, the Gentiles hated the Jewish people and frequently violence erupted against the Jews. Although Christianity impacted the world, the relationship was reciprocal, the world impacted Christianity.24  We see the manufactured differences based on:  ○ religious differences,  ○ wealth disparities, and  ○ ethnic diversity  These are the early seeds of racism. Concluding thoughts utilizing Professor Heng’s definition of race is that it is constructed to support structural relationships for the purpose of having a clear message and a way to manage human differences.25  ● Ethnic differences used to contrive illegitimate reasons for White dominance. Next Steps: Things to Consider 1.Reflecting on the early Church in ACTS, what are some examples of 'racial' or ethnic tensions that arose among believers? How did they handle these conflicts, and what can we learn from their response?  2.As Christians, how can we reconcile the existence of racism within the Church's history with the Biblical teaching of love, unity, and equality?  3.Consider the role of education and awareness in combating racism. What steps can we take individually and as a small group to educate ourselves and others about the historical roots and ongoing effects of racism? (Be prepared to share your reflections from this question in your small group.)  24 Fiensy, The College Press NIV Commentary New Testament Introduction, 192. 25 Geraldine Heng, “The Invention of Race in the European Middle Ages I: Race Studies, Modernity, and the Middle Ages1.” Literature Compass 8 (5): 325, https://doi:10.1111/j.1741-4113.2011.00790. 32  Small Group Questions 1.In ACTS, we see the early Church composed of people from various cultural backgrounds coming together to worship and serve God. How does this diversity challenge our understanding of racism and its roots?  2.Throughout history, the Church has often been a reflection of the prevailing racial attitudes of society. How does this historical perspective challenge us to critically examine our own attitudes and actions towards race and racism today?  3.Looking at the history of racism, particularly within the Church, what instances stand out to you as particularly troubling or disheartening? Final Thoughts ● What was the most important lesson learned regarding your awareness of the early Church history from a theological perspective?  ● How can we use the lessons learned from the historical perspective of racism to shape our personal actions and engagement in promoting racial healing and justice?  ● What lesson did you learn from the people in your group that are of different ethnicities?  Section TWO - Lesson 2: Middle Ages This is the second of three mini-lessons.  It covers the Christian Church history during the Middle Ages from the 6th - 16th Century.  We'll continue to explore early markers of racism in culture and in the Church.  By the 6th Century there were new ruling groups in the post-Roman kingdoms. In particular, the Ostrogoths, who creatively adapted Roman racial biases to function as a racial system to justify their privileged positions. The rulers continued to use religious differences to justify conquest and control of other people groups.26 However, many historians have argued race is not a valid concept for the Early Middle Ages, preferring instead to use the term ethnicity.27  26 Nicole Lopez-Jantzen, “Between Empires: Race and Ethnicity in the Early Middle Ages.” Literature Compass 16 (9/10):2. doi:10.1111/lic3.12542. 27 Ibid. 33  According to Professor Heng, religion can function both socio-culturally and bio-politically. In this context it enabled human differences to be used as markers of medieval racialization.28 The attempt to unite all people groups under Christianity continued to gain momentum. People groups outside of the Christian faith, especially Jews and Moors (Muslims) were already being called 'heretics' and were viewed as threats to religious uniformity. Consequently, these groups were marked for domination based on the ideas of Christian "imperium" (Latin for command or empire).29 ● From the 8th Century onward Western society was dominated by the Church and no longer by the secular state as was the case with the earlier centuries.  ○ In 312 Emperor Constantine became the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity  ● The Christian Church engaged in the Crusades during this era (1095).  ○ Pope Urban II called on Christians to liberate the holy land from the Muslim horde. Rise of Islam: inspired Crusades and the Moors were considered to be without redemption.30 ● Pope Urban II characterized the Muslims as subhuman. murderers of Christians and polluters of the Church.31 Several factors legitimatized the holy wars: Roman influence on how one viewed perceived enemies and the violence, aggression, and brutality inflicted on enemies.32 The Church adopted these methods of violence against their "barbaric" enemies, and it was during the holy wars that these tactics became integral to the papal program.33  28 Heng, “The Invention of Race in the European Middle Ages I: Race Studies, Modernity, and the Middle Ages1,” 325. 29 Lopez-Jantzen, “Between Empires: Race and Ethnicity in the Early Middle Ages.” Literature Compass 16 (9/10): 6, http://doi:10.1111/lic3.12542. 30 Jacques Theron and Oliver Erna, “Changing perspectives on the Crusades,” HTS Teologiese Studies/Theological Studies 74(1), a4691 (2018): 2, https://doi.org/10.4102/hts.v74i1.4691. 31 Ibid. 32 Ibid., 3. 33 Ibid. 34  During the next few centuries, the nationalization or convergence of the secular government and the Church led to Crusades serving more 'worldly' interests.34 By the 15th Century, the Crusades were referred to as the public business of Christendom.35 ● While the nationalization of the Crusades can be viewed as an unholy alliance - that was not the most detrimental event that transpired during this era.  ● The increased hatred and treatment of Jewish and black-skinned Moors escalated.  ○ Jews had to wear badges to self-identify as Jewish to not be ostracized.36  ○ Jewish communities were massacred during several of the Crusades. It was rumored that Richard the Lionheart slaughtered Jews in 1189 at Westminster.37  The Church was complicit in the treatment of Jews and Muslims because they were classified as pagans. To further ostracize the Jews and Muslims, the Christian communities would often require special dress codes or badges to warn citizens to keep their distance.38  The evolving cultural practices developed into a symbiotic relationship with the scientific, medical, and theological communities.  Arguments were written about the Jews and Africans to justify views that they were less than human. ● Specifically, attributes such as bodily stench and skin color.  ○ Even emotional attributes were used to promote dehumanization: cowardly, no morals compared to Christians - establishing superior versus inferior.  However, Canonical race theory has found it difficult to see European Middle Ages as a time of racism.39   34 Theron and Erna, “Changing Perspectives on the Crusades,” 3. 35 Theron and Erna, “Changing Perspectives on the Crusades,” 3. 36 Geraldine Heng, “The Invention of Race in the European Middle Ages II: Locations of Medieval Race1.” Literature Compass 8 (5): 315, https//doi:10.1111/j.1741-4113.2011.00795. 37 Ibid. 38 Ibid. 39 Ibid., 316. 35  ● Yet, these constitute standard race theory identifiers.40 As the 15th Century ended, countries such as Spain, Portugal and England, sanctioned by the Church, had begun their nationalistic expansion and conquests in other parts of the world.  A well-known author from the 1900s, Jonathan Z. Smith, read various accounts of Christopher Columbus and Pedro de Cieza and their encounters with indigenous people. Smith concludes from their observations the idea that religion is not a theological category but rather an anthropological one.41  Columbus' assessment of the indigenous people he met was that "they were empty or lacked substance" - which reflected and substantiated the idea they couldn't possibly have any religion.42 ● For theologians, the rationale for categorizing the "naked, without shame" indigenous peoples as having no religion was based on their Christian worldview.  ● Further, the argument dictated that if a person was without religion, they were unable to rationalize or think and therefore subhuman.  ○ Columbus' assessment provided additional impetus to solidify this thinking within the minds of the conquistadors, explorers, and those who were championing the nationalistic expansion of the Church.43  ● No religion permitted the subjugation of the inhabitants to servitude and expropriation of their land.44 In summary, without realizing his far-reaching assessment, Columbus had altered the classification of the human race. 45  40 Ibid., 318. 41 Nelson Maldonado-Torres, “AAR Centennial Roundtable: Religion, Conquest, and Race in the Foundations of the Modern/Colonial World,” Journal of the American Academy of Religion, 82, no. 3 (September 2014): 637-638, https://www.jstor.org/stable/24487991. 42 Ibid. 43 Ibid. 44 Ibid. 45 Ibid., 651. 36  ○ No longer were people - indigenous and Black-skinned - viewed through a Christian theology lens but rather in anthropological terms.46  ● Subjective differences and perceived shortcomings were now the basis for judging a person's value. ○ Columbus had turned the theological and anthropological axis upside down.  ● He and others continue to look to Rome and Jerusalem for religious guidance; however, in terms of classifying people groups - anthropology and racial classifications would dictate.47  ● Concept of idolater is replaced by the Concept of the natural slave.48 Next Steps: Things to Consider 1.How do you think the Church's role in society during the Middle Ages compares to its role today?  2.How does studying the history of the Church in Europe during the Middle Ages influence your personal faith journey or beliefs?  3.What personal insights or questions have arisen for you during this study of the Middle Ages and the Church in Europe?  4. Are there aspects of medieval Christian practices or spirituality that you find particularly meaningful or relevant today?  Small Group Questions 1.Discuss the ways the Church's influence in medieval Europe shaped the spirituality and faith of the people living during that time?  2.Are there lessons from the Church's history in Europe that can be applied to contemporary challenges facing the Church?   46 Ibid. 47 Maldonado-Torres, “AAR Centennial Roundtable: Religion, Conquest, and Race in the Foundations of the Modern/Colonial World,” 651. 48 Ibid., 647. 37  3.How did the Church in medieval Europe interact with other religious groups, such as Jews and Muslims, and how can these historical interactions inform modern interfaith dialogue?  4. How should modern Christian communities address the historical role of the Church in promoting racial constructs and discrimination? Final Thoughts ● What was the most important lesson learned regarding the role the Christian Church had in perpetuating racial constructs?  ● What role do you believe Christians and Christian institutions should play in helping to reconcile the violence and atrocities associated with the Crusades with the teachings of Jesus?  ● What lesson did you learn from the people in your group that are of different ethnicities?  Section TWO - Lesson Three - European Colonialism: 16th - 19th & American Settler Colonialism: 17th - 19th Some will argue that the unwillingness of current historians to look beyond Africa and the Atlantic to identify other markers of racism (beyond skin color) still contributes to the lack of understanding of the other forms of racism as discussed in the previous lesson.  Without question, skin color was one of the most significant markers, particularly in agriculture settings.49 However, when the lens is broadened to include the European setting, several other racial markers come into view. Specifically, the systems or controls established to undergird the racism, attitudes towards black Africans in mainland Britain, and the evolution of religious differences. Accounts from Archdeacon Charles F. Mackenzie who was a missionary and served on the diocese in Natal, South Africa (1855 - 1859):  ● Among the church leaders, he alone believed in equality in Christ extended to all in church membership.50  49 Andrew Wells, “Race and Racism in the Global European World Before 1800,” History Compass, Volume 13, Issue 9 (September 2015): 435, https://doi-org.georgefox.idm.oclc.org/10.1111/hic3.12260. 50 Peter Carleton Houston, “Charles F. Mackenzie and Early Colonial Racism: Renewing a Call for Mission as Liberating Action,” International Review of Mission Vol. 109, no. 2 (2020): 318, https://doi-org.georgefox.idm.oclc.org/10.1111/irom.12336. 38  ○ However, he learned that equality did not extend to the black South Africans.51  ○ Black South Africans were particularly excluded from any church leadership.  ○ According to one of his fellow bishops, the more advanced/civilized portions of the community must assume a guardianship role over the weaker and less intelligent.52 Missionaries, settlers, and colonial officials were all promoting the same arguments in terms of race and domesticity.53  ● The role of the missionaries was crucial to the indoctrination of the indigenous people.  ● Their primary task was to teach the gospel, save the heathens, and “enculturate” them into Western norms: dress, speech, family, and societal systems.54  ○ The missionaries sought to accomplish enslavement and control through the gospel versus a true desire to see transformation in the people’s lives. ● Often colonial governments dictated to the missionaries the necessity to convert the Africans to the Christian gospel, emphasizing pro-colonial government.55 In South Africa and the larger British Empire a significant increase in hardline racial attitudes occurred in the 18th Century and beyond. ● As a result, the rhetoric of later missionaries from the 1890s onwards demonstrated a profound sense of white superiority over what was viewed as inherent genetic black inferiority.56    51 Ibid., 319. 52 Ibid. 53 Carleton Houston, “Charles F. Mackenzie and Early Colonial Racism: Renewing a Call for Mission as Liberating Action,” 319. 54 Ibid. 55 Ibid. 56 Ibid., 320. 39  American Settler Colonialism: 17th - 19th Century  Historically the colonial empire building had been based on an empire expanding for militaristic or economic purposes - which also involved the eventual departure.57  One argument that distinguishes settler colonialism is that it is theoretically, politically, and geographically distinct from colonialism due to the singular objective to eradicate the indigenous population.58  One word to summarize the difference: Permanence.  Building of new settlements required eradication, seizure, and privatization of lands; and exploitation of native populations in systems of capitalism, established and reinforced through racism.59  In Summary: ● The full impact of settler colonialism in America was heavily influenced by the racial attitudes, scientific and theological discourses promulgated by European sources.60  ○ From these sources derived a deadly and toxic experiment of enslaved Africans and near genocide of Native Americans.  ● The concept of white supremacy forcefully calls attention to the brutality, dehumanization, exploitation, and the domination that emerges from settler colonial societies.61 ● The Christian Church in America was complicit in the perpetuation of slavery, exemplified by the multitude of pastors, especially in the South, that incorporated the ‘curse’ of Ham from the Bible.62   57 Anne Bonds and Joshua Inwood, “Beyond white privilege: Geographies of white supremacy and settler colonialism,” Progress in Human Geography 40, no. 6 (2016): 716, https://doi.org/10.1177/0309132515613166. 58 Anne Bonds and Joshua Inwood, “Beyond white privilege: Geographies of white supremacy and settler colonialism,” 716. 59 Critical examples of settler societies include the United States, Canada, Israel, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Argentina, and Brazil. Ibid., 716. 60 Ibid., 715. 61 Ibid., 716. 62 Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove, Reconstructing the Gospel: Finding Freedom From Slaveholder Religion (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2018), 65. 40  ● Theologians had contrived a divine cause for race-based subjugation that eventually became a matter of law in America. In conclusion, let’s turn to William James Jennings’ book, The Christian Imagination. He states that racial constructs were fundamentally a theologically articulated way for Europeans to understand their white bodies in relation to the new territories and people they encountered.63  Hence, white supremacy emerged before and out of colonialism in its development of race as a theological tool of evaluation and justification for slavery.64  ● By the time slavery became ingrained into the fabric of the Southern economic system - the concept of racialized bodies and souls - for White domination - had created a distinction in the minds of Whites towards Black bodies.65 Next Steps: Things to Consider 1.While missionaries aimed to convert people to Christianity, the methods used sometimes included coercion, manipulation, or incentives that were not always embraced by the indigenous populations. Reflect on the line between genuine conversion versus forced conversion and the ethical questions?  2.Christian missionaries were instrumental in introducing European languages, customs, and religious beliefs to indigenous and enslaved peoples? Reflect on the long-term effects this cultural imposition had on the traditions and loss of identity on these groups.  3. What questions or insights do you have as you consider the use of religion to support imperialist agendas? Small Group Questions 1.The impact of colonialism and missionary activities on indigenous and enslaved peoples continues to be felt today, with historical trauma, social disparities, and cultural loss legacies. Discuss how these legacies shape contemporary issues, including social justice movements.  2.European colonialism was not limited to one region but spanned the globe. Discuss the interconnectedness of colonialism and its implications in today’s world order, equity, and international relations.   63 Kristopher Norris, Witnessing Whiteness: Confronting White Supremacy in the American Church (United States: Oxford University Press, 2020), 42. 64 Ibid. 65 Ibid., 43. 41  3.Contemporary missionary work raises questions about the lessons learned from history and the role of religious organizations in global development. Discuss how modern missionary work differs from historical missions and its impact and relevance today. Final Thoughts ● What lessons can we draw from history to guide ethical Christian engagement with global issues today?  ● How do individuals within your diverse Christian group perceive and interpret the history of colonialism and missionary work differently based on their background and perspectives?  ● How can these diverse viewpoints enrich your collective understanding of this history?           42   Section TWO Review: (Double Click PDF to Open)  FIGURE 7: SECTION TWO REVIEW.   43  Section TWO Apply the Life Lessons Reference Guide:  FIGURE 8: SECTION TWO APPLY THE LIFE LESSONS REFERENCE GUIDE.  Section THREE: Contemporary Voices Critical Analysis of Church History Introduction and Overview  This section consists of three mini lessons based on the writings of three academics and their scholarly works. The purpose of this section and the corresponding readings/lessons is to bring into perspective contemporary voices regarding the early church and Christianity’s impact on the current state of affairs concerning race relations.  Because the lessons are reading assignments versus a video lesson, the participant will complete the Things to Consider after reading each paper (considered a lesson).  Once the 44  three papers or lessons are completed, then the participants will have an opportunity to review the Small Group Questions, Final Thoughts, and the other end of section assignments. The three mini lessons will cover excerpts from the published academic work by the following:  ● Professor Geraldine Heng  ● Professor Anne Bonds  ● Associate Professor William J. Jennings  Lesson 1:  Professor. Geraldine Heng background. Geraldine Heng is Perceval Professor of English & Comparative Literature at the University of Texas, Austin. Her second book, The Invention Of Race In The European Middle Ages, examines Europe's encounters with Jews, Muslims, Africans, Native Americans, Mongols, & the Romani ('Gypsies'), from the 12th through 15th centuries, to show how racial thinking, racial law, racial practices, & racial phenomena existed in medieval Europe before a recognizable vocabulary of race emerged in the West.       45  Professor. Geraldine Heng – Excerpt: (Double Click PDF to Open)   FIGURE 9: SECTION THREE - LESSON 1: PROF. GERALDINE HENG EXCERPT. Things to Consider 1.How does Prof. Heng define and conceptualize the idea of “early racial markers” in the context of the Middle Ages?  2.How do Heng’s insights challenge conventional narratives about the Middle Ages and race? In what ways does her work disrupt the idea that racism is a purely modern phenomenon?  3.What are the implications of Heng’s work for our understanding of contemporary racial issues and the persistence of racial hierarchies? How can her research inform discussions about race and identity today (Be prepared to share your reflections from this question in your small group.) 46  Lesson 2:  Professor Anne Bonds background. Dr. Ann Bonds Associate Professor and Associate Chair of Geography and an affiliate faculty of the Urban Studies Program at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. She is a critical human geographer whose research interests include race, racialization, and racial segregation, urban political economy and community development, and housing studies. “Beyond White Privilege: Geographies of White Supremacy and Settler Colonialism.” Progress in Human Geography Vol. 40, (6) (2016): 715-733, https://doi.org/10.1177/0309132515613166  Professor. Anne Bonds – Excerpt: (Double Click on PDF to Open)  FIGURE 10: SECTION THREE - LESSON 2: PROF. ANNE BONDS EXCERPT.  47  Things to Consider 1.How does Bond’s work contribute to the broader discourse on racial identity and racial hierarchies? In what ways does it challenge conventional notions of race and privilege?  2.Bond highlights the concept of “settler colonialism” in her work. What does this term mean, and how does it relate to discussions of White privilege and racial hierarchies?  3.Consider Professor Bond’s argument that discussions around White privilege overlooks the infrastructure that is in place that allows it to exist. (Be prepared to share your reflections about this statement in your small group.)  Lesson 3 - Associate Professor William James Jennings background. Associate Professor of Systematic Theology and Africana Studies, Yale Divinity School. Willie Jennings’ book The Christian Imagination: Theology and the Origins of Race (Yale 2010) won the American Academy of Religion Award of Excellence in the Study of Religion in the Constructive-Reflective category the year after it appeared and, in 2015, the Grawemeyer Award in Religion, the largest prize for a theological work in North America. Englewood Review of Books called the work a “theological masterpiece.”              48  Associate Professor. William James Jennings – Excerpt: (Double Click on PDF to Open)  FIGURE 11: SECTION THREE - LESSON 3: ASSOC. PROF. WILLIAM JAMES JENNINGS EXCERPT.  Things to Consider 1.Jennings discusses the relationship between theology and the imagination. How does the Christian imagination inform and challenge theological beliefs and doctrines?  2.In what ways does Jennings argue that recognizing Christianity’s “disease” can lead to a more transformative and just expression of the faith?    49  3.Jenning’s description of the current state of Western Christian’s as living in a “diseased social imagination.” Be prepared to share your reflections on what this imagination looks like in your small group.)  Next Steps: Small Group Questions and Final Thoughts for Lessons 1-3.  Small Group Questions Lessons 1-3 1.How do religious beliefs and practices intersect with the formation of racial identities? Then and now? 2.What are the implications from the research that can inform policies or actions aimed at addressing systemic racism? 3.How can we re-imagine our faith in light of the research from Heng, Bonds and Jennings? Final Thoughts Lessons 1-3 ● What was the most important lesson learned regarding the readings from Heng, Bonds, and Jennings from a theological perspective?  ● How can we use the lessons learned from these contemporary voices to shape our personal actions and engagement in promoting racial healing and justice?  ● What lesson did you learn from the people in your group that are of different ethnicities?    50   Section THREE Review: (Double Click PDF to Open)  FIGURE 12: SECTION THREE REVIEW.    51  Section THREE Apply the Life Lessons Reference Guide:   FIGURE 13: APPLY THE LIFE LESSONS REFERENCE GUIDE.  SECTION FOUR:  POSITIONING THE CHURCH AND RACISM IN THE 20TH & 21ST CENTURIES INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW. This section consists of three mini lessons based on the excerpts of the works of three highly regarded leaders. The purpose of this section and the corresponding lessons is to hear from current academic researchers regarding the impact Christianity has had on racism in the past 50 years. And to hear from a Distinguished Fellow regarding institutionalized segregation practices. As a result of the research in this section we will have more insights into the current state of race relationships in the Church and our culture. 52  The three lessons are comparable to Section THREE.  There are three writers whose works have been excerpted to help position the Church.  The papers that will be read are from: ● Professor Kristopher Norris  ● Associate Professor Mark Hearn  ● Richard Rothstein, Distinguished Fellow of the Economic Policy Institute and a Senior Fellow (emeritus) at the Thurgood Marshall Institute of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. Following each paper are the specific Things to Consider. The Small Group Questions and Final Thoughts are at the end of the section and cover topics from lessons one through three.  Lesson 1:  Professor Kristopher Norris background. Visiting Distinguished Professor of Public Theology, Wesley Theological Seminary. He is an ordained Baptist minister focusing his studies on Christian theological ethics with particular attention to political ecclesiology. His interests include political theology, the political practices of congregations, just war and pacifism, and environmental ethics. A graduate fellow for the Project on Lived Theology and Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture, he has also taught courses ranging from Eco-Theology to American Religious History and is currently teaching Christian Ethics courses as Lecturer in Public Theology at Wesley Theological Seminary.    53  Professor Kristopher Norris – Excerpt: (Double Click on PDF to Open)  FIGURE 14: SECTION FOUR - LESSON 1: PROF. KRISTOPHER NORRIS EXCERPT.  Things to Consider 1.How does Norris’ exploration of whiteness within the Christian church challenge your own understanding of racial dynamics in religious institutions?  2.Consider Norris’ exploration of White fragility and defensiveness when discussing racism. Have you observed these reactions in yourself or others within your faith community? How can they be addressed constructively?  3.How might the Christian church’s ability to admit racist attitudes impact its mission and credibility in addressing broader societal issues related to racism and social justice? (Be prepared to share your reflections from this question in your small group.)  54  Lesson 2: Associate Professor Mark Hearn background. Mark Chung Hearn is a second-generation Korean American and the youngest child of Korean immigrants. He grew up in southern California as a “pastor’s kid” in an immigrant Nazarene church and learned early from his parents to see and serve people and their needs. He holds a Doctor of Philosophy from Claremont School of Theology in Practical Theology with an emphasis in Religious Education and Spiritual Formation. He also holds degrees from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary (MTS), Asbury Theological Seminary (MDiv), and Point Loma Nazarene University (BA). Professor Mark Hearn – Excerpt: (Double Click on PDF to Open)  FIGURE 15: SECTION FOUR - LESSON 2: PROF. MARK HEARN EXCERPT.    55  Things to Consider 1.Reflect on instances when people have claimed to be “color blind” in your church or faith community. How might Hearn’s analysis help you recognize the subtle forms of racism that can emerge when individuals make such claims?  2.How does Hearn’s work highlight the importance of acknowledging and valuing racial and ethnic differences within the church? What benefits can come from celebrating diversity in religious communities?  3.Reflect on your own personal beliefs and attitudes about race and color blindness. How can you contribute to creating a more racially inclusive and just church environment both individually and collectively? (Be prepared to share your reflections about this statement in your small group.)  Lesson 3: Richard Rothstein background. Richard Rothstein is a Distinguished Fellow of the Economic Policy Institute and a Senior Fellow (emeritus) at the Thurgood Marshall Institute of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. He is the author of The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America, which recovers a forgotten history of how federal, state, and local policy explicitly segregated metropolitan areas nationwide, creating racially homogenous neighborhoods in patterns that violate the Constitution and require remediation. He is also the author of many other articles and books on race and education, which can be found on his web page at the Economic Policy Institute:   56  Richard Rothstein – Excerpt: (Double Click on PDF to Open)  FIGURE 16: SECTION FOUR - LESSON 3: RICHARD ROTHSTEIN EXCERPT.  Things to Consider 1.Rothstein argues that government-sponsored segregation is a fundamental cause of racial disparities today. In what ways do you see the legacy of housing segregation still affecting communities and individuals?  2.Consider the role of local, state, and federal governments in promoting housing segregation. How can understanding this history inform contemporary efforts to address racial disparities in housing?  3.Rothstein argues that the government has a moral obligation to rectify the harm caused by past housing and education policies. What are your thoughts on potential remedies or 57  policies that could address historical housing and educational disparities? (Be prepared to share your reflections on what this imagination looks like in your small group.) Next: Steps Small Group Questions and Final Thoughts for Lessons 1-3. Small Group Questions Lessons 1-3: 1.Consider the intersections between housing segregation and other forms of systemic inequality, such as education, employment, and healthcare. How do these factors reinforce each other, and what can be done to break these cycles of inequality?  2.In what ways can the teachings and values of White evangelicalism be harnessed to promote anti-racist practices and address structural racism and its impact on society?  3.Hearn argues that claiming to be “color-blind” can lead to a lack of accountability for addressing racial injustice. How can your church actively address racism and promote racial reconciliation without falling into the trap of color blindness? Final Thoughts Lessons 1 – 3: ● What was the most important lesson learned regarding your awareness of the White supremacy, color-blindness and institutionalized racism?  ● How can we use the lessons learned from this section to shape our personal actions and engagement in promoting racial healing and justice?  ● What lesson did you learn from the people in your group that are of different ethnicities?   58   Section FOUR Review: (Double Click on PDF to Open)  FIGURE 17: SECTION FOUR REVIEW.   59  Section FOUR Apply the Life Lessons Reference Guide  FIGURE 18: SECTION FOUR APPLY THE LIFE LESSONS REFERENCE GUIDE.  Section Five: Health Issues Caused by Racism and Racial Healing Recommendations Introduction and Overview  Section Five consists of: Seven Mini-Lessons: Lessons 1 - 7 ● Commonality of Racism and Mental Health Findings for People of Color  ● Critical Markers of Racial Trauma and Effects on Black People in America  60  ● Critical Markers of Racial Trauma and Effects on Native Indigenous People in America  ● Critical Markers of Racial Trauma and Effects on Latinix People in America ● Critical Markers of Racial Trauma and Effects on Asian People in America  ● Commonality of Mental Health Findings for Treating People of Color  ● Summary of Mental Health Findings for Racial Healing Recommendations and Resources  Section FIVE - Lesson 1: Commonality of Mental Health Findings for People of Color The significance of the different levels of racism undergirds the reality that it is ingrained in every facet of our lives. Understanding the effects and developing possible solutions to rectify the effects of racism can be overwhelming but nonetheless necessary. Most ethnic people groups (people of color) are in a crisis - physically, emotionally, and spirituality.66 Black Fatigue author, Mary-Francis Winters, states racism has several levels: interpersonal, internalized, institutional, and structural.67 In her book, Unapologetic Guide to Black Mental Health, Dr. Rheeda Walker reviewed several studies. One study completed a decade ago by Dr. Phillip Goff determined that Whites do not see Black people as human, and Whites inherently believe they have a right to dominate others. According to Walker, Dr. Asa Hillard utilized Goff’s work to postulate: Racism would qualify as a mental health disorder in part because a person would have to be disconnected from reality to think that they are superior to another person simply based on the color of their skin.68 Dismantling racism requires systemic and structural efforts. Author Alisha Moreland-Capuia asserts in her book that racism is a form of trauma perpetuated systemically and structurally. “Trauma (fear unchecked or that doesn’t turn off) is related to toxic stress.” Toxic stress has  66 American Psychological Association, “Apology to People of Color for APA’s Role in Promoting, Perpetuating, and Failing to Challenge Racism, Racial Discrimination, and Human Hierarchy in U.S.,” (October 2021): 3, https://www.apa.org/about/policy/racism-apology 67 Mary-Frances Winters, Black Fatigue: How Racism Erodes the Mind, Body, and Spirit (Oakland: Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc., 2020), 6. 68 Rheeda Walker, PhD., The Unapologetic Guide To Black Mental Health: Navigate an Unequal System, Learn Tools for Emotional Wellness, and Get the Help You Deserve (Oakland: New Harbinger Publications, 2020), 80-81. 61  been known to distort the normal hormone functions of the body - which can lead to inflammation and other chronic health-related issues.69 Race based fear is compared to ecosystems of fear and its power within nature.  As in nature, when a predator is no longer in the vicinity of its prey, the intended target will change its habits.70  ● Move around freely ● Uninhibited by the fear However, if the predator is in the general vicinity - the intended prey can still smell, see the tracks, and hear the predator’s sound, and it can instill fear and create a “landscape” of fear. According to The Trauma of Racism Exploring the Systems and People Fear Built Alisha Moreland-Capuia.71 Concluding thoughts. Moreland-Capuia writes, “If we can appreciate the fear in ecosystems of nature, we should be able to make the correlations to human-to-human interactions and its adverse effects on the human psyche.72  Lastly, she writes that fear is meant to be a time-limited response.73 However, we shall see in the remaining lessons, research demonstrates that people of color in the United States are crushed with obscene amounts of fear-based trauma. Next Steps: Things to Consider 1.Reflecting on the information shared, are there any personal stories or examples that stood out as particularly impactful?  2. Have you personally observed or are aware of any specific physical, emotional, or spiritual conditions that tend to be associated with racial trauma?   69 Alisha Moreland-Capuia, The Trauma of Racism: Exploring the Systems and People Fear Built (Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland, 2021), ix. 70 Ibid., 15. 71 Ibid., 2. 72 Ibid., 3. 73 Ibid., 7. 62  3. In what ways do the findings from the studies and books from this lesson (or others you are aware of) impact your perceptions of racial trauma? (Be prepared to share your reflections from this question in your small group.) Small Group Questions 1.How does systemic racism manifest in our daily lives, what emotional toll does it take on individuals and communities?  2. In what ways can the Church raise awareness and reduce the stigma surrounding the racialized trauma within communities of color?  3.How do institutions, such as schools, workplaces, and healthcare systems, contribute to or help alleviate Black fatigue and racial trauma? Final Thoughts ● What was the most important lesson learned regarding your awareness of the mental health issues for people of color in the United States caused by racism?  ● How can we start to form alliances with people of color to support and encourage their journey towards healing?  ● What lesson(s) did you learn from the people in your group that are of different ethnicities?  Section FIVE - Lesson 2: Critical Markers of Racial Trauma and Effects on Black Americans In her book, Rheeda Walker, PhD., asserts that in the community of Black people in America, our identity is wrapped up in having it seem as though we have it all pulled together.74 It is frowned upon to express signs of depression or emotional fatigue. From an early age, Black people are taught to work twice as hard.75  According to Black Fatigue author, Mary Francis Winters, Black fatigue is repeated variations of stress that result in extreme exhaustion and causes mental, physical, and spiritual maladies.76  74 Walker, The Unapologetic Guide To Black Mental Health, 67. 75 Ibid. 76 Winters, Black Fatigue, 33. 63  A key marker of the Black experience is to feel as though you have a veil covering you because, to White people, you are invisible.  As a Black person you can see through the veil, but everything is distorted.77  In school, at work, and wherever Black people go, they are constantly reminded that they do not fit in.  White people do not wear a veil - and they certainly cannot see the veil worn by Black people...This veil is race-based discrimination. Mental health studies demonstrate that added stress from racism contributes to:  ● high blood pressure,  ● depression,  ● obesity, and  ● other poor health indicators in the Black community. Racism does not discriminate based on a Black person’s: age, education, or socio-economic status. Recall the 2017 near-death experience of Serena Williams shortly after giving birth to her first daughter.78 According to Winters, race-based traumatic stress is defined as the emotional and psychological trauma caused by discrimination and racism that elicits responses comparable to those associated with post-traumatic stress.  According to Winters, a study by Robert Carter, professor of psychology and ed. at Columbia University, race-based traumatic stress is defined as the emotional and psychological trauma caused by discrimination and racism that elicits responses comparable to those associated with post-traumatic stress.79 Another aspect of research is regarding the generational passing of racist trauma called epigenetics. The University of North Carolina, Charlotte, has documented evidence to show how people of color can inherit harmful effects of racism.80  77 Walker, The Unapologetic Guide To Black Mental Health, 67.  78 Steve Gardner, “Serena Williams describes near death experience she had after giving birth to daughter Olympia,” USA Today, (April 7, 2022): https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/tennis/2022/04/07/serena-williams-near-death-childbirth-complications/9504616002/. 79 Winters, Black Fatigue, 80.  80 Ibid., 81. 64  Below is a high-level list of a few key health issues that research demonstrates have a corollary to racial trauma. Mental Health Issues:81  ● PTSD Depression and Anxiety  ● Historical Trauma across generations  ● Coping Mechanisms ● Imposter Syndrome Physical Health Issues:82  ● Cardiovascular issues  ● High Blood Pressure  ● Sleep Disorders  ● Allostatic Load  Emotional Issues:83  ● Anger and Frustration  ● Community Disruption  ● Grief and Loss  ● Microaggressions In summary:  Good news:   81 Sheri R. Notaro. Health Disparities Among Under-Served Populations: Implications for Research, Policy and Praxis (Leeds Emerald Group Publishing Limited, 2012), 280, EBSCOhost. 82 Thomas LaVeist, and Lydia A. Isaac, eds. Race, Ethnicity, and Health : A Public Health Reader (NY: John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated, 2012.,)770, ProQuest Ebook Central, https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/georgefox/detail.action?docID=875789. 83 Sara N. Bleich PhD, Mary G. Findling PhD, SM, Logan S. Casey PhD, Robert J. Blendon ScD, John M. Benson MA, Gillian K. Steel Fisher PhD, MSc, Justin M. Sayde MS, Carolyn Miller MS, MA , “Discrimination in the United States: Experiences of Black Americans,” 1402, 29 October 2019 https://doi-org.georgefox.idm.oclc.org/10.1111/1475-6773.13220. 65  Multitude of studies becoming available in medicine, psychology, and counseling documenting the mental and physical health of Black Americans.  Bad news:  A lot to do to catch up with research and recommendations. Awareness level is still low, even for professionals in various fields. Next Steps: Things to Consider 1.What are your personal reflections on the concept that Black people are invisible to most Whites?  2. How does the finding that Black people are taught to work twice as hard to get only half as much as Whites impact your perception of a Black person’s work ethnic?  3. How do the findings from the various studies align with or challenge your preconceived notions or assumptions about mental health within the Black community? (Be prepared to share your reflections from this question in your small group.) Small Group Questions 1.Discuss ways you think racial trauma, including experiences of discrimination, racial profiling, or racial violence, affect the physical health of Black individuals?  2. Based on your perceptions, how does racial trauma influence one’s sense of self-worth, self-esteem, and self-identity, and what strategies can be employed to foster a positive self-concept in the face of racial trauma?  3.How does racial trauma affect relationships within the Black community and with individuals from other ethnic backgrounds? Final Thoughts... ● How pervasive do you think intergenerational trauma impacts the emotional experiences of Black individuals and communities and how might this cycle be broken?  ● What steps can we take as individuals and as a group to support and advocate for better mental health outcomes within the Black communities?  ● What lesson(s) did you learn from the people in your group that are of different ethnicities?  Section FIVE - Lesson 3: Critical Markers of Racial Trauma and Effects on Native Indigenous Americans 66  Native Americans have sustained one of the most brutal, systemized, and genocidal attacks in world history.84 At the beginning of colonization in North America, before 1492, there were an estimated 15 million Native Americans.85 By 1900, there were only 238,000 Native Americans left.86 Many Native Americans have internalized the systemic racism perpetrated against them as self-hatred.87  This self-hatred manifests itself as shame and isolation and is passed down to other generations.  Native Americans are particularly prone to alcohol and drug addictions which are often rampant in their communities. Removing Native Americans from their land and attempting to eradicate their way of life, especially their spiritual practices, was the most detrimental form of systemic racism. Mental Health Issues:88  ● History Trauma Depression and Anxiety  ● Suicide Substance Abuse  ● Cultural Disconnection  Physical Health Issues: 89  84 A. Mike Aragon, “A Clinical Understanding of Urban American Indians,” Mental Health Care for Urban Indians: Clinical Insights From Native Practitioners, edited by T.M.Witko (2006): 19, http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/11422-001. 85 Ibid. 86 Ibid. 87 Ibid., 20. 88 MG. Casey and LS. Fryberg SA, et al. “Discrimination in the United States: Experiences of Native Americans.” Health Serv Res. 2019; 54:1432, 1 .https ://doi.org/10.1111/1475-6773.13224.  89 “U.S. Department of Health & Human Services American Indian/Alaska Native Health,” https://minorityhealth.hhs.gov/american-indianalaska-native-health#:~:text=American%20Indians%2FAlaska%20Natives%20also,%2C%20liver%20disease%2C%20and%20hepatitis. 67  ● Cardiovascular issues  ● Diabetes Obesity  Emotional Issues: 90 ● Anger and Resentment  ● Community Disruption  ● Grief and Loss  ● Environmental Injustice  Next Steps: Things to Consider 1.What are your personal reflections on the mental health aspects that plague Native Americans, i.e., addictions, isolation?  2. What has been your experience about the historical inaccuracies and stereotypes in shaping public perceptions of Native Americans?  3. Reflect on the ways in which media representation has influenced public opinion and policies affecting Native Americans. How can we promote more accurate and respectful portrayals?  Small Group Questions 1.Discuss the ways, if any, contemporary issues and challenges faced by Native American communities connect to historical patterns of discrimination and marginalization?  2. How has your perspective on cultural appropriation changed, and in what ways can we actively contribute to raising awareness and combating such practices?  3.How might we apply the knowledge gained from this lesson to advocate for positive change in mental health access and treatments for Native Americans? Final Thoughts  90 Monica McGoldrick, Joe Giordano and Nydia Garcia-Preto, Ethnicity & Family Therapy, 3rd ed. (New York: The Guilford Press, 2005), 46. 68  ● How has your understanding of the historical trauma and its impact on Native Americans changed?  ● What steps can we take as individuals and as a group to support and advocate for better mental health outcomes within these communities?  ● What lesson(s) did you learn from the people in your group that are of different ethnicities?  Section FIVE - Lesson 4:  Critical Markers of Racial Trauma and Effects on Latinx Americans Systemic policies, actions, and laws impact the Latinx communities, families, and individuals. Individuals living in fear will seldom report any crimes committed against them or seek out treatments that require self-reporting. Fear of deportation has many adverse side effects. Fear for themselves or someone they know. Intersectionality studies were used to look at numerous systems to study the Latinx communities.91  ● Racism  ● Ethnocentrism  ● Nativism  ● Sexism  Provides a more nuanced view of the discriminatory practices used against the person. Nativism refers to the idea that unless a person was born in America, they are automatically categorized as unAmerican. According to the article, this negative (nativism) perspective is often the reason some ascribe that Latinx individuals:92  ● do not want to learn English,  ● contribute to budget deficits and higher taxes,  ● take away jobs,  ● abuse public services,  ● do not want legal status,   91 Nayeki Y. Chavez-Duenas, Hector Y. Adames, Jessica G. Perez-Chavez and Silvia P. Salas, “Healing Ethno-Racial Trauma in Latinx Immigrant Communities: Cultivating Hope, Resistance, and Action,” American Psychologist 74, no. 1, (2019): 50, http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/amp0000289. 92 Ibid., 51. 69  ● and bring inferior cultural values to this country.  We’ll conclude with the list of common health issues that correlate with racial trauma. Mental Health Issues: 93 ● Psychological distress  ● PTSD  ● Identity Struggles  ● Substance Abuse  Physical Health Issues:94  ● Hypertension and Cardiovascular issues  ● Weakened Immune system Emotional Issues:95  ● Anger and Frustration  ● Mistrust and Isolation  ● Grief and Loss  ● Emotional Exhaustion  Next Steps: Things to Consider 1.Think about the many times you may have heard the nativist rhetoric - how much of it do you believe is based on stereotypes or is factual concerning Latinx individuals?   93 Adolfo G. Cuevas PhD, Beverly Araujo Dawson PhD, and David R. Williams PhD, “Race and Skin Color in Latino Health: An Analytic Review,” American Journal of Public Health (AJPH) December 2016, ,2132, https://ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/10.2105/AJPH.2016.303452. 94 Ibid. 95 Andrade N, Ford AD, Alvarez C. “Discrimination and Latino Health: A Systematic Review of Risk and Resilience. Hispanic,” Health Care International, 2021;19(1):13. doi:10.1177/1540415320921489. 70  2. To what extent do you believe experiences of discrimination and prejudice based on immigration status contribute to mental health disparities within the Latinx community?  3. Reflect on the ways in which policies and societal attitudes that perpetuate stereotypes about Latinx individuals contribute to mental health struggles. What strategies can be employed to challenge and counteract these stereotypes? Small Group Questions 1.Discuss the ways the Church and community support services can help in mitigating the mental health challenges facing Latinx individuals caused by racism?  2. How might your Church’s support services be more culturally responsive and inclusive to address the unique issues faced by the Latinx community?  3.How might we apply the knowledge gained from this lesson to advocate for positive change in mental health access and treatments for Latinx Americans? Final Thoughts ● How has your understanding of the racial trauma inflicted upon Latinx people changed? If yes, take a moment to journal how it’s changed.  ● What steps can we take as individuals and as a group to support and advocate for better mental health outcomes within these Latinx communities?  ● What lesson(s) did you learn from the people in your group that are of different ethnicities?      Section FIVE - Lesson 5:  Critical Markers of Racial Trauma and Effects on Asian Americans According to their research, as of 2005, Asian Americans were still considered the “model minority,” particularly relative to other minorities.96 There are several reasons for this viewpoint.  96 McGoldrick, Giordano and Garcia-Preto, Ethnicity & Family Therapy, 3rd ed., 272. 71  First, it has been determined that Asians highly regard education and are high academic achievers.97  Secondly, they are perceived as not causing problems for society.98 In spite of the perception as model minorities, Asian communities still grapple with racial trauma induced issues.  The reality is that the model minority myth contributes to undue pressure and stressors on individuals and families.99  Lastly, Asian Americans are still targets of racism, discrimination, and hate crimes.100  In conclusion: Mental Health Issues: 101 ● Imposter Syndrome  ● PTSD  ● Cultural Identity Confusion  ● Alcohol and Substance Abuse  ● Suicide Risk  Physical Health Issues:102  ● Cardiovascular issues   97 Ibid. 98 Ibid. 99 Ibid. 100 Ibid. 101 Ibid.  102 Caitlin L. McMurtry, Mary G. Findling, Logan S. Casey, Robert J. Blendon, Justin M. Sayde, and Carolyn Miller, “Discrimination in the United States: Experiences of Asian Americans,” First published: 27 October 2019, 1420.  https://doi-org.georgefox.idm.oclc.org/10.1111/1475-6773.13225. 72  ● Psychosomatic Symptoms, i.e. headaches, muscle tension  Emotional Issues:103  ● Anger and Frustration  ● Isolation  ● Cultural Erasure  Next Steps: Things to Consider 1.How might the teachings of Jesus inspire us to actively listen to and learn from the narratives of Asian Americans who have experienced mental, physical, or emotional trauma due to racial injustice?  2. To what extent does your faith challenge you to confront or repent for any conscious or unconscious biases that contribute to perpetuation of racial trauma?  3. In what ways might our faith guide us to address and dismantle systemic barriers that contribute to racial trauma within the Asian American community? (Be prepared to share within the Small Group discussion.) Small Group Questions 1.In what practical ways can we demonstrate solidarity with our Asian American brothers and sisters within and outside of our Christian community?  2. How does our Christian faith inspire us to challenge stereotypes and prejudices that may contribute to the mental and physical distress of Asian American communities?  3.How might we apply the knowledge gained from this lesson to advocate for positive change in mental health access and treatments for Asian Americans? Final Thoughts ● How has your perceptions and understanding of the racial trauma affecting Asian Americans changed? Why?  ● What steps can we take as individuals and as a group to support and advocate for better mental health outcomes within these communities?   103 McGoldrick, Giordano and Garcia-Preto, Ethnicity & Family Therapy, 3rd ed 277. 73  ● What lesson(s) did you learn from the people in your group that are of different ethnicities?  Section FIVE - Lesson 6:  Commonality of Mental Health Findings for Treating People of Color for Exposure to Systemic Racism The most consistent mental health recommendation across all people of color groups was that they did psychologically better when they could concretely identify with their own unique culture. It connects the person of color with their cultural and spiritual practices. Those with spiritual practices tend to have a more positive outlook. However, they are still suffering and exposed to the consequences of racism. From a cultural perspective, most Black people in America do not have traceable roots to their country of origin.  Before the civil rights movement, Black people had built a cultural identity distinct from Whites in this country. Black people have migrated away from their safe communities - without realizing they surrendered aspects of their cultural identity. It is recommended that Black people reconnect with their cultural roots. All people of color have a deep abiding, mistrust of mental health professionals. Previous mental health support and counseling tried “one size fits all” without regard to the cultural variety within each ethnic group. They also attempted to treat mental health and, in some cases, physical health from a White cultural perspective.104  The person is not treated correctly, and the invisible veil serves to cause the person of color to feel unseen or not valued. Four levels of racism: interpersonal, internalized, institutional, and structural. (From mini-lesson 1 – Black Fatigue page 6) Interpersonal and internalized: practice faith, rest, exercise, and therapeutic activities. Interpersonal:  Whites can help by acknowledging white privilege, doing their homework on the history of racism, and being involved with anti-racism efforts. Systemic and structural: start with the U.S. atoning for slavery and other acts of bigotry spewed over non-dominant people groups.  104 American Psychological Association, “Apology to People of Color for APA’s Role in Promoting, Perpetuating, and Failing to Challenge Racism, Racial Discrimination, and Human Hierarchy in U.S.,” (October 2021): 3, https://www.apa.org/about/policy/racism-apology. 74  Summary: There is still much to do to awaken the Church at large to recognize our role in bringing these different groups together to heal and reconcile.  The tentacles of racism stretch far and wide and deep, until it is dealt with at the root, which is fear, we are all its prey.  And the Church at large is silent… Summary Recommendations for the Church: Pastors frequently offer counseling support to members. However, there are times when the issues are beyond the pastor’s training, and referring to mental health professionals in a timely fashion is urgent.  Develop a diverse list of mental health professionals that can represent the multicultural differences of people in your church community.  Expect wariness, reluctance, and avoidance in the initial stages of mental health discussions from some ethnic groups. Increase personal awareness that most traumas from racism are deep-seated.  Develop strategies to bring awareness of the issues and be prepared to assist or make referrals to help people process any problems that might manifest.  A few Christian topics to help people heal from the devaluing caused by racism are identity in Christ and exploring cultural identity.  Next Steps: Things to Consider 1.How did the study on mental health recommendations for people of color impacted by systemic racism resonate with you personally?  2. In what ways have you or someone you know been affected by systemic racism, and how does this connect with the mental health insights explored?  3. How does our Christian faith guide us in responding to the mental health challenges faced by people of color due to systemic racism? (Be prepared to share within the Small Group discussion.) Small Group Questions 75  1.How can we cultivate greater empathy for those experiencing the mental health effects of systemic racism, both within our faith community and in society at large?  2. Are there Biblical principles or stories that you think offer comfort, guidance, or a call to action in the context of mental health and social justice?  3.In what ways can we further educate ourselves and our faith community about the realities of systemic racism and its impact on mental health? Final Thoughts... ● How has your perceptions and understanding of the racial trauma affecting people of color and the mental health professionals’ attempts to provide services changed? Why?  ● What steps can we take as individuals and as a group to support and advocate for better mental health outcomes within these communities?  ● What lesson(s) did you learn from the people in your group that are of different ethnicities?    Section FIVE - Lesson 7:  Racial Healing Recommendations and Resources In this lesson the moderator reviews several different practitioners who have developed research centered on racial healing individually and collectively. Each practitioner’s approach is different in terms of how they help us to analyze our core beliefs about race and examine our conscious and unconscious biases. Because of the insidious and pervasive nature of our personal racial constructs - it will require several iterations of review and study to rid ourselves of its poisonous roots.  In this lesson, we’ll review the works of Dr. Singh, Dr. Agarwal, and Mr. Hockett. Anneliese A. Singh, Racial Healing Handbook  Pragya Agarwal, Sway  Dushaw Hockett, TEDxMidAtlantic Salon. ‘We all have implicit biases. So what can we do about it?’ Anneliese Singh is an award-winning author, researcher, and speaker on issues of social justice and liberation. Dr. Singh’s work, Racial Healing Handbook, is an excellent resource for people ready and willing to go to the next level to have difficult conversations centered on racial healing. Dr. 76  Singh describes healing from racism as a journey that starts with reflecting on what a person has been taught to believe about the world and their ethnicity.  One premise of the workbook is that we all grow up in a society steeped in racism, everyone learns explicit and implicit stereotyped messages in families, schools, and communities. We end up learning racialized stereotypes and acting on them consciously and unconsciously without much opportunity to unpack or critique them. A fundamental principle in her book is the Racial Identity Development Model, which explains how White people and people of color form their racial identity. Investigating the development of learned racial identity provides keen insights into how perceptions are formed. This model is the catalyst used to dissect the learned behaviors and interrogate those that are toxic and need to be discarded.  According to Singh, that’s how racism thrives - in the internalized, unseen realms of our beliefs and thinking.105 Transitioning to our second practitioner. Pragya Agarwal is a behaviour and data scientist and Visiting Professor of Social Inequities and Injustice at Loughborough University in the UK. Pragya Agarwal, in her book, Sway Unraveling Unconscious Bias, explains the unintentional biases we all experience through research from various disciplines, real stories, and scientific theories.  Dr. Agarwal demonstrates where the biases come from, how they affect our perspectives and decision-making, and most importantly, why it is necessary to unlearn them. In her book, she distinguishes between explicit bias (which is purposeful) and implicit bias (which is at the unconscious level).106 Implicit bias is the more challenging to recognize as it has been developed over a person's lifetime and has attributes that stem from the human evolutionary process. Dr. Agarwal, other behavioral scientists, and mental health professionals' research indicate that implicit bias can be unlearned. Still, it takes a lot of self-work.  According to Dr. Agarwal, the unconscious bias is based on System 1 thinking.107  System 1 thinking is unconscious and happens naturally.  It is my opinion that first, each person must find a ‘why.’   105 Anneliese A. Singh, PhD., LPC, The Racial Healing Handbook Practical Activities to Help Challenge Privilege, Confront Systemic Racism & Engage in Collective Healing (Oakland: New Harbinger Publications, 2019), 8. 106 Pragya Agarwal, Sway Unraveling Unconscious Bias (Dublin: Bloomsbury Sigma, 2021), 29. 107 Agarwal, Sway Unraveling Unconscious Bias, 8. 77  For example, many people in a financial crisis have probably read every budgeting bestseller. It's not that they often don't know what to do. They have yet to find a reason to do it that's important to them - a why.  Additionally, uprooting implicit biases is not only hard work; in some cases, it goes against family traditions and may cause alienation from social groups. So, there's a lot at stake to uncover implicit biases and unlearn them. Therefore, a ‘why’ will provide a benefit more significant than the perceived risk associated with unlearning implicit biases. Our final practitioner is Dushaw Hockett.  He is the founder and Executive Director of Safe Places for the Advancement of Community and Equity (SPACEs). Dushaw Hockett was a speaker from TEDX MidAtlanticSalon. His topic was "We All Have Implicit Biases." He encouraged the listeners to move from "emergency room treatment of implicit bias to preventative care."  His research shows that we are attempting to treat racial biases based on explicit biases in this country.  While dealing with explicit biases is necessary, the lack of treatment of our implicit biases keeps this country from moving forward. We wait for the next eruption or emergency before we take any action. And the action we usually take after an emergency is to talk about or treat the explicit bias. This action is synonymous with treating the symptom rather than the root cause. We overlook the culprit causing most of the problems - in this case, it is our implicit bias. Those beliefs, based on implicit biases, "run contrary to our stated conscious beliefs."108 Summary: The good news is that mental health professionals are starting to realize that more work is necessary to understand race related traumas that impact different ethnic groups.  Evidence-based information with culturally specific recommendations coming to the forefront for helping professions.  And there are additional resources to help us address our implicit biases and research that helps address the negative racialized identities we all carry. Concluding Thoughts - What Road Will You Take?  There is an opportunity for the Church (every Believer is the Church) to begin to lead the racial healing and reconciliation discussions.  To demonstrate how to love one another intentionally toward understanding the stories of Black people and other people of color.   108 Dushaw Hockett, “We All Have Implicit Biases. So What Can We Do About It?”, TedXMidAtlanticSalon, September 18, 2017, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKHSJHkPeLY. 78  To forge new relationships based on unity of love and one spirit.  To acknowledge and repent individually and collectively that our expression of love has fallen short of the assignment and commandment our Savior gave us. 1 Peter 3:8 NLT  Next Steps Things to Consider 1.How did this discussion challenge your own perceptions and attitudes towards race and implicit biases?  2. In what ways have you personally encountered implicit biases, and how did this discussion impact your awareness?  3. What steps can we take to better understand the experiences of others, especially those from different ethnic backgrounds? (Be prepared to share within the Small Group discussion.) Small Group Questions 1.What Bible verses or teachings come to mind when considering racial unity and breaking down biases?  2.How can we hold each other accountable in addressing and challenging our own implicit biases?  3.What specific actions can we take as a group to contribute to racial healing and address implicit biases in our Church and our community? Final Thoughts ● What was the most important lesson learned regarding your awareness of your implicit biases from a Biblical perspective?  ● How can we use the lessons learned about implicit biases, racial trauma, and the mental and physical health issues that engulf people of color?  ● What lesson(s) did you learn from the people in your group that are of different ethnicities?   79   Section FIVE Review: (Double Click to Open PDF)  FIGURE 19: SECTION FIVE REVIEW.   80  Section FIVE Apply the Life Lessons Reference Guide  FIGURE 20: SECTION FIVE APPLY THE LIFE LESSONS REFERENCE GUIDE.  Section SIX – Anti-Racism Strategies Introduction and Overview Section SIX will consist of four lessons that will focus on anti-racism strategies within a Christian context. This section will be created using the current multi-media tools, resources, and organizational structure.     81  Lesson 1:  Are You a Racist? The goal of lesson one is to address the elephant in the room by asking the question, Are You a Racist?  The intent is to highlight the misconception that often people do not want to admit they are racist because of the possible guilt it might cause or the perceived economic responsibility it may burden the person with. However, admitting guilt or being a racist, is no different than admitting any other sin a person has committed. The Christian path is one where sin is confessed, then one repents or turns from the sin and then the conscious is cleared – at least with God. But why does it seem that many White Christians shun confessing they are racist?  By addressing the issue in a non-judgmental way, prayerfully confession and repentance takes place and those who truly are blinded by racist tendencies can move forward in a God honoring way. The truth is, if one harbors racist tendencies, then what may start out with good intentions to help in reconciling race relationships can easily be sidetracked and cause more harm than good. Another perspective is that until one is healed from racism (through confession and repentance) than the person may end up spreading the disease rather than the cure. Next Steps  For lesson one, three unique Next Steps will be developed for participants. Lesson 2:  Racist to Anti-Racist. The focus of this lesson will be to encourage participants to recognize that the first step in becoming anti-racist is to wrestle with any racist tendencies. Participating in this Small Group Study Guide hopefully has helped in the process.  By reflecting on journal entries, participants will have a method to review and reflect on their perceptions on race, their attitudes towards Black people, and determine what they want their next steps will be.  It may be that one decides more research and study is necessary before taking the leap to fully committing to becoming anti-racist (which will be described in the subsequent lesson. Whatever their decision participants are encouraged to continue to journey toward racial healing and reconciliation within the Church. Next Steps For lesson two, three unique Next Steps will be developed for participants.   82  Lesson 3: Anti-Racism Strategies Part 1 The content in this lesson will rely on the academically researched work conducted by a Christian authors, Christina Barland Edmondson and Chad Brennan. Their book, Faithful Anti-Racism, provides a preponderance of helpful information and strategies to get started.  Part one will highlight the following topics:  Define Faithful Anti-Racist Stand for Justice Summary of key takeaways from Faithful Anti-Racism Chapters Apply the Bible, Understand Past, Present, and Racial Trauma, and Follow examples of early Christians that add to the lessons and discussions in this Small Group Study Guide. Next Steps  For lesson three, three unique Next Steps will be developed for participants.  Lesson 4: Anti-Racism Strategies Part 2 The lesson will conclude this section by offering recommendations, based on Faithful Anti-Racism, on the following topics: Seek Out Help and Help Others Measure Progress  Anti-Racist Help Change Our Society Next Steps  For lesson four, three unique Next Steps will be developed for participants. A Section SIX Review will be included.  An Apply the Life Lesson Reference Guide will be included for this section.  Section SEVEN – Call to Action Messages Introduction and Overview The Call-to-Action Messages will be designed to inspire and encourage believers to continue or begin on the journey to racial healing and reconciliation within the Church and ultimately within culture. The section will draw on current Christian voices, Leonard Sweet, Kristopher 83  Norris, Brenda Salter McNeil, and myself.  Lastly, this section will be comparable to Section THREE and FOUR, i.e., participants will read excerpts from relevant books, reflect and discuss in their small groups.  Lesson 1:  Leonard Sweet An excerpt from his prophetic book, Rings of Fire, inspires Black and White Christians to reckon with racism and slavery. Insert PDF Next Steps  Things to Consider unique to this lesson will be developed for participants.  Lesson 2:  Kristopher Norris An excerpt from his book, Witnessing Whiteness, provides a word of caution to White people. The caution is that it can be easy to become a part of the problem if one has not properly dealt with any personal racist biases.  His admonishment is that Whites must come to an end of themselves.  Initially, this may sound harsh to some, it is a reality check that for Whites to become a part of the solution it is necessary to first put off the dominant culture thinking. Insert PDF Next Steps  Things to Consider unique to this lesson will be developed for participants.  Lesson 3:  Brenda Salter McNeil In her work, Becoming Brave, Ms. McNeil takes the reader on her journey of becoming an activist in the racial healing arena.  Her word of encouragement is for believers to reimagine the world as it should be and with the help of God change will take place.  Insert PDF Next Steps Things to Consider unique to this lesson will be developed for participants.  84  Lesson 4:  Audrey Robinson This lesson will be a personal call-to-action. The primary focus will be to encourage young and old to assume the responsibility to participate in the fight for racial healing and reconciliation as a mandate for believers in the 21st Century. A specific call-to-action for the elders (Baby Boomers) will be to mentor the Genz generation to pass on the life lessons, experiences, and to assist in forming 21st strategies for changing the racial paradigms. A specific call-to-action for the GenZ generation will focus on their responsibility to forgo pent up anger and disillusionment and fight with the Sword of the Spirit in one hand and the GOD inspired re-imagined community of believers.  Insert PDF Next Steps  Things to Consider unique to this lesson will be developed for participants. Next Steps for Lessons 1 – 3 Small Group Discussions and Final Thoughts unique to the four lessons will be developed for participants. Section SEVEN Review A section review will be included. Apply the Life Lessons Reference Guide A Reference Guide will be included.  Section EIGHT – Conclusion and Assessments Introduction and Overview Section EIGHT will consist of three lessons all designed to summarize the entire Small Groups Study Guide class, provide recommended next steps in terms of the journey on racial healing and reconciliation, and lastly, provide a list of individual and organizational anti-racism assessments.  Lesson 1:  Conclusion  A summary of desired outcomes for participants who completed the class and personal reflections on my personal journey on embarking on this project.   85  Lesson 2: - What’s Next A list of recommended next steps for the journey towards racial healing and reconciliation. Encouragement to continue to work through the small groups and to find avenues for spreading racial healing and reconciliation amongst the local church and community.  Lesson 3:  List of Assessments The list of assessments will be primarily centered on anti-racism strategies.  There are racial bias tests (Harvard Racial Bias Test), a less formalized racial bias assessment, and an organizational level assessment.    86    DIGITAL MEDIA EXAMPLES The following section features two sample lessons that are representative of the digital content in the small group class.  Links are provided for the YouTube videos, a link to the hosting website, Podia (requires one to create and account to access content directly), Google forms and PDF documents.    Section TWO Historical Perspective – Lesson 1: Early Church  Figure 2.1. Title Screenshot.  Figure 2.2. Introduction to Section TWO. https://youtu.be/aZ7HYslLDd4  87  Figure 2.3. Section TWO – Lesson 2:  Early Church Screenshot Followed by Link to YouTube Video. https://youtu.be/fkYWd840_hM Figure 2.4. Next Steps Resources Title Screenshot.     88            Figure 2.5. Next Steps Things to Consider Screenshot. PDF Resources – (Within Podia participants have direct access to the PDF and can optionally download to print.). https://drive.google.com/file/d/1kKlUAwDZQDJzDqnCqyIOGRogMP4MmYVu/view?usp=sharing  Figure 2.6. Section TWO Review Screenshot Followed by Direct Link to Form. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdVwX4Xk6CuH06Lk4OjVIObsF2XdeYd9ymSwZbNNaupuHRDxA/viewform?usp=sharing  89            Figure 2.7. Section TWO Apply the Life Lessons Reference Guide Imbedded in Lesson. (Followed by PDF link.) https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ADP13G8JmlKyLzHUCtAuRCiu6Kf8Wbf_/view?usp=sharing Section THREE Contemporary Voices            Figure 3.1. Section THREE Title Screenshot.   90            Figure 3.2. Section THREE Introduction Screenshot Followed by Link to Audio Introduction. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1oNDet1wK7DJQ6XbsCF80RXLpi1GmaVO8/view?usp=sharing            Figure 3.3. Section THREE - Lesson 1. Professor Geraldine Heng Followed by Link to PDF Excerpt. The PDF document is embedded in the actual lesson immediately following the slide shown below. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1F-DKG5TWK7lvxiRKDalAGe0BIAJsKQ16/view?usp=sharing  91  PODIA ONLINE COURSE PLATFORM  PODIA is an all-inclusive, low entry online course platform. It has an abundance of features to support an online course that provides unlimited course offerings, email campaign support, and a client website. At present the course is free but there will be a charge for the content which will be discussed in the marketing plan. Home Page Coach Robinson’s PODIA Website:           Figure 4.1. PODIA Overcoming Racism Course Link. https://audreyrobinson.podia.com/overcoming-racism-in-the-church    92   About Page - Coach Robinson’s PODIA Website:  Figure 4.2. About Page on Podia website.   93  SAMPLE FACILITATOR GUIDE (DOUBLE CLICK TO OPEN PDF)   Figure 4.3. Sample Facilitator Guide. ChatGPT was initially used to generate an outline for the facilitator guide. However, major edits will be required to customize the outline and corresponding detail to the unique content of the Small Group Study.   94  Assessment Throughout each phase of the doctoral project, capturing stakeholder feedback was built in to evaluate and function as guideposts throughout the journey. During the design phase, specific benchmark criteria were developed to facilitate the quantitative and qualitative methods of capturing stakeholder input. In the design phase of the project, four out of the eight content sections of the Overcoming Racism Small Group class were built and tested. The nine test participants were not only a diverse group. Still, they were also selected based on the following criteria: their knowledge of pedagogical strategies, racial reconciliation small group experience, expertise in digital media technologies, and historical expertise. Using ‘live’ content created and uploaded to the PODIA course platform, participants could extensively test every component of the course content. I gathered participant feedback using four surveys to assess benchmarks 1 – 3 critical success factors (see below) and a survey to evaluate the content. Additionally, a five-person sub-group conducted a small group session using a lesson from Section Two. The group will continue to assist with testing future sections after launch – more on this in the Project Launch Plan. The final three benchmarks used during the testing were: Benchmark 1: Create an Overcoming Racism in the Church Small Group Study Guide class to encourage racial discussions between multi-ethnically diverse members that will facilitate repentance, healing, and reconciliation. The benchmark goal was to complete more than half of the planned sections with an 80% approval of content.  Assessment:  Participant feedback was recorded on a 5-point Likert Scale. Every participant rated the class at 80% in two or more key performance indicators.  ● Benchmark 2:  80% of the small group participants will indicate their awareness and knowledge of systemic racism and racism in the Church increased by 20%.  Assessment:  Feedback was collected from five participants using two methods, a 5-point Likert Scale and a pre and post assessment survey.  The benchmark exceeded the target with 80% participants experiencing a 20% increase in awareness and knowledge of racism.  ● Benchmark 3: The course design and curriculum will become the template to expand follow on sections or additional components based on user experience satisfaction of 80%.   Assessment:  Feedback was collected using a 5-point Likert Scale for overall likeability of the class design, multimedia elements, and quality rating. Most participants rated the likeability at 80% in two or more key performance indicators.   95  Project Launch Plan96  Doctoral Project Description This doctoral research project tackles the issue of how the Christian Church devalues people of color based on conscious and unconscious racial biases. The Need, Problem, Opportunity (NPO) statement to address the issue is: The Christian Church contributes to devaluing people of color based on conscious and unconscious racial biases. The research conducted over these past three years aims to answer the question: What theological frame, mindset, and method might help heal and reconcile the relationships between people of color and the Christian Church? Since the premise of the NPO is that the root of the issue is within the Church, it was a foregone conclusion that the research was needed to determine the accuracy of the premise. Therefore, tracing the historical history of the Church concurrently with the early markers of racism was imperative. Once I concluded the research, the next logical step was to design a solution based on a biblically based framework.  Secondly, drawing upon the rich experience from four years of facilitating a small group for racial reconciliation via Zoom, it was an organic decision to develop a curriculum that would lend itself to participants engaging in deep conversations about race relations. The framework also had to be designed to promote inner healing and reconciliation among the participants. It was apparent that Blacks and Whites in the Church would need to come to the table to have conversations about their faith, the dichotomy of Church history, current racial attitudes, and a commitment to work towards changing the racial paradigm one heart at a time. Audience The audience for this small group class is an believer between 18 and 90 (the racial reconciliation group has an 87-year-old participant) who feels the tug of the Holy Spirit to change. Initially, the person may feel led to see race relations improve between Blacks and Whites, or they are inspired to help rectify the inequalities and injustices. Few will come thinking their implicit biases are part of the problem. The work of the Holy Spirit through small group dialogue and support will begin the deep inner work of healing and reconciling with brothers and sisters of different races or ethnicities. An individual can go through the small group material and gather tremendous insights; however, it is the commitment to the process with like-minded believers where maximum benefit is derived. Alternatively, participants can form small groups within the local Church or with a group from diverse churches. The marketing plan will consist of a three-fold strategy for audience engagement. The first strategy is to market directly to believers via targeted email and Instagram campaigns. Secondly, to contact pastors and church leaders who have already expressed interest in utilizing the material. Thirdly, to connect with faith-based teaching organizations to establish a partnership that involves the content hosted as part of their offerings. Development Plan The development plan includes the major milestones planned for the project launch and the short-term strategic direction for the project.  97  Phase 1: Final Small Group Sections Built  ● Complete refinements to Facilitator Guide Sections 1 – 5 by June 30th. ● Continue testing remaining sections with a small group by July 15th. ● Sections 6 – 8 and associated Facilitator Guide completed – by July 30th.  ● Benchmark: Project Portfolio and Facilitator Guide completed with 80% approval.  Phase 2: Early Adopters ● By June 30th solidify early adopter small group (10-15 ppl) date to begin September 2024.  ● By October 30th identify five small groups to commit to Small Group classes for 1Q25.  ● Benchmarks: 100 Early adopters scheduled within 6 months of launch. Include pre-assessment collected from minimum 60% participants. Phase 3: Marketing By June 1st engage digital marketing company to initiate early campaigns and monitor effectiveness. ● By 1Q25 digital marketing company to introduce. new campaigns including FB ads, IG, and Email campaigns. ● Benchmarks: Achieve 25 -50 quality leads (highly interested) per month from campaigns. Once new campaigns are launched, they increase to 100 quality leads per month. Phase 4: Expansion ● By April 30th obtain 501c (3) status for purpose of bringing the Small Group Study Guide Class and the Solid Ground podcast under the auspices of the newly formed nonprofit Solid Ground Ministry.  ● By Sept. 15th Launch Solid Ground podcast. Re-purpose portions of Small Group content for Podcast to cross advertise. ● By Sept. 30th contact faith-based learning organizations to offer content on their platform. ● By 2Q25 offer Small Group Facilitator Guide training for a fee. ● By 2Q25 initiate contact with small to medium sized Bible training organizations to incorporate the Small Group Class and Facilitator Guide into their curriculum.  ● By 2Q25 hire a professional media company to assume responsibility for the ongoing maintenance for the Small Group class and Facilitator Guide and for the analysis of survey data collected from the participants. ● Benchmarks: Obtain IRS tax exempt status, launch the Solid Ground Podcast, contractual agreements with faith-based learning      organizations to host content, a successful Facilitator Guide training is completed, receptivity of the class from the Bible training organizations and hiring a professional media company. Phase 5: Ongoing ● By Dec. 15th the first major revision of the Small Group Class content based on early adopter groups. 98  ● Ongoing - Annual assessment of content and planned upgrades 1x per year and x per year a deep dive review of participant survey data. ● Benchmarks: Successful updates to the small group content and the hiring of a professional media company (see Phase 3) to implement ongoing maintenance. Development Process The Overcoming Racism Within the Church Small Group Study can be categorized as a living document. To stay relevant for subsequent participants who will undoubtedly be younger – the tools and multimedia platforms will have to be reviewed and updated annually. Additionally, as more small groups participate and faith-based organizations offer the class, revisions to the content will be required – again, annually. The surveys used during the Benchmark testing will be revised and utilized to gather the documentation to capture the ongoing feedback from small group participants. I will create surveys to obtain data from the facilitator training participants. There will also be the requirement to work with the faith-based organizations that offer the class to develop or have access to their specific platform metrics for the Small Group class. Two key strategies are imperative to the project expansion goals. First, by establishing a tax-exempt, non-profit ministry, the goal is to build funding through tax-exempt sources to offset the costs associated with ongoing maintenance by a professional organization. The second key is to hire a professional media company who will be responsible for the ongoing maintenance and updates to the Small Group Class, the associated Facilitator Guide, and the data analysis of the survey responses. Once that is in place, I will be free to conduct facilitator training as well as facilitate small groups primarily through Zoom and work to identify additional methods to expand the offering. Lastly, there will be a nominal fee for participants beginning in the Fall of 2024 and for those who attend the facilitator training in 2Q25.  99  Appendix A— Milestone 1 The NPO Charter100  PERSONAL RESEARCH MANIFESTO   My approach to the NPO research and stakeholder discussions is to follow the evidence and invite and investigate contrary opinions and beliefs. NPO STATEMENT Considering people of color in the lower SES (audience), we discovered the lack of equal access to education, job training programs, or jobs to provide a lifestyle comparable to the dominant culture (NPO), Which may be caused by conscious and unconscious biases from the dominant people groups. (Root cause) If solved, it would mean creating sustainable communities where education and job training programs can be more effective — schools are achieving, communities are connected to businesses, and both are thriving. (Outcome) NPO SCOPE AND CONSTRAINTS My NPO Scope and Constraints include several non-negotiables and boundaries.   Non-Negotiables.   ● Conduct a community assessment.  ● Conduct focus groups with representative people groups i.e. lower SES people of color, a people group with power, and a group of Christians.  ● Meet with the following organizations: o Protestant churches (predominately white, black and a diverse church) o Interfaith organizations o Community organizations or non-profits operate in either education, job training or job creation in a lower economic community. Boundaries. ● Federal government (limited to identifying resources) ● Local and state agencies (limited to identifying resources and any related legislation)  ● Primary focus for educational programs is high school, post-secondary and alternative schools i.e. charter.  101  Costs. ● Focus groups – online (no charge) and in person.   ● Possible travel to Philadelphia and DC for meetings ● Costs for Community Assessment tool TBD   ● Univ. of PA Social Impact Tools Course $49.00.  NPO CONTEXT I’ve assumed the ministry setting applies to further research required for the NPO project versus where I might expect to establish a ministry once the NPO has concluded.  The ministry’s geographical setting for the NPO is ideally Easton, PA.  However, since moving to Easton during COVID-19, I have yet to establish meaningful connections.  Hence, I may need to utilize resources in Raleigh, NC.   Regardless of location, I will seek out feedback from denominational and non-denominational ministries, interfaith and other community organizations. The goal is to contact churches and other community outreach programs that have established educational or job training services for people of color in lower income neighborhoods. One in an urban and one in a rural setting.  A rural setting, within 25-50 miles of an urban area. Other criteria are that the population served is 18 and up, and the actual population size of the community is above 10,000.   ROOT CAUSES The underlying causes that were identified in the Discovery Workshop are 1) a lack of funding for locations in affected communities, 2) inherent wealth disparities that cause people of color to choose between survival and education, and 3) dominant people groups wanting to maintain control of the narrative/power and a desire to remain separate. The underlying causes identified from the One-on-One interviews were consistent.  There were some exceptions.  The first exception clarifies the fact that people of color in lower SES have no choice.  They are always in survival mode, and education is typically low on priorities.  Secondly, the use of dominant people groups includes people who have conscious and unconscious biases.  And it is imperative to identify unconscious biases, especially when developing solutions.  Lastly, dominant people groups and people of color may choose to remain separate from lower income neighborhoods for safety reasons.  Therefore, using that wording serves 102  the purpose of undermining any distinctions between dominate people groups and people of color. After the Discovery Workshop and One-on One interviews, the summarized root causes are conscious and unconscious biases from the dominant people groups.   DISCOVERY WORKSHOP STAKEHOLDERS ● Pastor ● Community College Supervisor  ● Assistant Principal  ● Real estate entrepreneur ● Psychologist ● Community College Supervisor and instructor   ● K through 8 School teacher  ONE-ON-ONE INTERVIEWS ● Consultant and author ● Author and real estate entrepreneur ● Director of a national ministry  ●  THREE – FIVE KEY BIBLICAL TEXTS  ACTS 4:32-33     Habakkuk 1:3-4  Zechariah 8:16-17    Proverbs 31:8-9 CSB  Zechariah 7:9-10    2 Corinthians 5:18-19 1 John 3:17-18  ACADEMIC RESOURCES ● Community Assessment Tools – Rotary ● Community Toolbox 1994 – 2021 The University of Kansas ● Executive Program in Faith and Social Impact –University of Pennsylvania ● Social Impact Strategy Tools for Entrepreneurs and Innovation – University of Pennsylvania ● Leadership and Organizational Decision Making – University of Pennsylvania ● Dr. John M. Perkins work in Christian community development ● Bridges Out of Poverty Series ● US Department of Education Post-Secondary First Look at the Impact of COVID on Black Enrollment ● Brookings Institute Research  103  ● Bishop Desmond Tutu Ubuntu Theology Key Fields:  ▪ Christian Engagement in low-income neighborhoods in past two decades ▪ Wealth trends for Blacks, Whites and other minorities in past 20 years ▪ Educational trends for Blacks and Whites in the past 20 years  ▪ Growth in Christianity for Blacks and Whites in the past 20 years   ▪ U.S growth and trends in missions, charities etc. of Christian organizations in the past 20 years    104  Discovery Workshop Documentation Appendix 1:  DISCOVERY WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION The purpose of the Discovery Workshop was to gain clarity around my Need, Problem or Opportunity (NPO) focus. On Saturday, October 30th, seven people gathered to participate in my NPO Discovery Workshop as part of my Doctoral program at Portland Seminary.   The participants were predominantly from educational settings representing all levels of K-12 and two and four-year post-secondary schools. In addition, included in the stakeholder group were the following: a pastor, clinical psychologist, and real estate entrepreneur.   The Discovery Workshop was conducted in an online environment.  To be effective it was important to be able to engage the participants.  I wanted to utilize the “post it” notes and I analyzed two applications.  Microsoft Whiteboard and Mural.  I chose the Mural tool and had to quickly learn the tool.  All participants were asked to set up Mural profiles one week before the Workshop and to test creating a post it with comments. In Mural I was able to create templates or workspaces for each activity ahead of time.  This saved time during the workshop and allowed the participants to focus on typing their “post-its” and allowed me to take notes during the activities.  The Discovery Workshop was completed in four hours.  Each activity was timed and there was strict adherence to the schedule and agenda.  Participants were given two 10-minute breaks during the workshop.   Although I would have preferred to spend more time reviewing the actual purpose of the NPO and workshop, the participants quickly engaged in the activities.   DISCOVERY STATEMENT The stakeholder participants helped me see that my NPO is a problem and deserves a solution(s).  The project root causes are so vast and pervasive within our culture.  That they can quickly overwhelm.  Consequently, the actual project will need very defined parameters, and I must be willing to go against long-established traditions and norms to find a solution(s). The completed Discovery Workshop statement.  Considering people of color in the lower SES (audience), we discovered the lack of equal access to education, job training programs, or jobs to successfully provide a lifestyle comparable to the dominant culture (NPO), Which may be caused by a lack of funding for locations in affected communities, inherent wealth disparities that cause people of color to choose between survival and education; and dominant people groups wanting to maintain control of the narrative/power and a desire to remain separate. (Root cause) 105  If solved, it would mean creating sustainable communities where education and job training programs can be more effective — schools are achieving, communities are connected to businesses, and both are thriving. (Outcome) CRITICAL INSIGHTS FROM DISCOVERY WORKSHOP There were two insights from the Discovery workshop.  The first insight was that all the participants agreed that wealth disparities exist, and unequal access causes systemic racism.  The speed at which the group identified the contributing factors to unequal access and its impact was confirmation that I was on the right track. On the second point, the group did not have a consensus that the Church bears some responsibility for correcting the problems of unequal access.  The pastor was the most vocal in asking questions concerning the Church's role.  The biggest surprise was the uncovering that the dominant culture includes people who vote and educational institutions.   The reality is that people do vote on the laws in place.  Consequently, some of those same laws perpetuate systemic racism.  In addition, educational institutions were considered a part of the dominant culture from the standpoint that they write the curriculum and want control.  Until the Discovery Workshop, I had not made that connection before even though I have worked in a post-secondary academic environment for over 15 years. ONE-ON-ONE INTERVIEW DISCOVERIES The one-on-one interviews supported the findings of the Discovery Workshop.  Specifically, that systemic racism exists and contributes to the lack of equal access in the areas mentioned in my NPO statement.   And the inherent wealth disparities between people of color in lower SES and the dominant culture result from unequal access.   The majority agreed that people of color in lower SES have no choice because they are always in survival mode. Lastly, all agreed that the Church lost the trust of these communities, and it will take a lot of relationship-building to regain.  However, there was no agreement that the Church plays a role in helping to dismantle the barriers concerning systemic racism. At this point, the findings have not opened me up to new lines of thought.  The findings undergird the necessity to engage with people of color in the affected communities to hear their opinions.  SYNTHESIS When comparing the Discovery Workshop and the One-on-One Interviews, I identified four distinct similarities.  The similarities are that all participants identified 1) racism, 2) inherent wealth disparities, and 3) the dominant people group consciously and unconsciously controlling the narrative are the major root causes of a lack of equal access.  The fourth similarity centers on the identified need to speak with people of color in the lower socio-economic status about the barriers listed and the definition of equal access. 106  In contrast, Discovery Workshop participants did not emphasize the role of the Church as much as participants in the One-on-One Interviews.  Other agencies and institutions, i.e., federal, state, and local governments, were viewed as primary agents for eliminating the barriers in the Discovery Workshop. The second difference is that the One-on-One participants did not distinguish or categorize the dominant culture agencies.  All agencies and dominant people groups were considered as one entity.   Two remaining contrasts between the groups are 1) during the research phase, I analyze the generational and age differences when defining equal access, and 2) I explore the current perceptions of the value of education and its overall perceived value to people of color in the lower-income bracket.  The One-on-One participants did not discuss these research topics. NEXT STEPS The most significant areas to research further are the following. The conscious and unconscious biases in higher-level educational settings (potentially a review of an actual curriculum).  In addition, research the conscious and unconscious biases within the Church towards people of color in lower SES neighborhoods. Research successful high schools and post-secondary schools in attracting and retaining people of color. And research data regarding successful faith-based/holistic educational programs in lower-income neighborhoods. Lastly, identify successful job training or apprenticeship programs available in lower-income neighborhoods and research critical success factors in their implementation.    107  Discovery Workshop Activities Appendix 2:  ACTIVITY ONE:  NPO DEFINITION AND AUDIENCE SUMMARY What is the major issue? Why is it important? Initially, participants thought about trying to solve education issues (or education was the key issue). Three major themes came out as to why it is important. ● Wealth  o Income gap disparity o Economic challenge - not having enough to pay for the education they want. o Generation of wealth for children ● Education o Education is the key to getting a good job o The racial disparity exists in education  o Not enough focus on the student trainees ● Systemic o Lack of access to enrichment programs o People of color are adversely affected by unequal opportunities o Under-representation by legal protection/laws Participants thought the NPO Statement was sufficient.  However, we needed to define access and define people groups.  What might be missing in the current formulation of the NPO? ●  Access o What does access look like? o Define equal access o What are barriers to equal access - probably overlaps with the systemic list? o Opportunities exist by policies, but if you can't afford to participate - core problems persist 108  ● Agency o What are the roles for the Church to address the lack of access? o What are roles for the government to address i.e. lack of access? o What are the roles for other institutions to address i.e. lack of access? ● Proximity o How do communities learn that they’re missing out? o What role does proximity play? (Rural areas) Who is impacted by this NPO and who should I focus on? Four categories:   ● Organizations  o Industry o Nonprofits o Community Agencies ● People Groups Directly Affected (Middle income (my label)) o Voters o Taxpayers o Families ● People Groups Directly Affected that have lower SES o People with young children (perhaps single-family households) o People of color ● People Groups who have power o Educators/Educational institutions o Vocational education o Government agencies o Candidates and elected officials o Lawmakers 109  o Government funding sources & agencies tasked with disseminating information about opportunities. NOTES:  Who to focus on to understand more about the NPO? ● People directly affected ● Government agencies or decision-makers at federal, state, and local levels o Local & State focus ● Nonprofits ● Community Activists ● Churches ● Categorized and summarized the list above to: o People groups with lower SES o People Groups who have power What social/cultural factors shape this NPO? Four Categories. ● Church o Church or lack of church o How churches disciple their members to care (or not) about equal access ● Information o News coverage o Social media o Political climate ● Social History o Generational attitudes o Age differences o Cultural focus ● Systemic Issues o White flight 110  o Gentrification  Notes: What social/cultural factors? ● History (social & systemic) how (the barriers) it came about.  Why did it start? ● Take a neighborhood and study and include how the Church is participating. ● Research the old-fashioned way. Church - pastors and leaders aware of constituents’ issues, e.g. poor people's campaign.  What evidence do you have that this is worth the investment? Three Categories. ● Studies o Look at % below poverty level o Effect of affirmative action on college participation/graduation o Incarceration - school to prison pipeline o High school drop-out rates ● Topics o Businesses owned by POC o Head Start outcomes ● Books/Media o Podcast “Nice White Parents”  NOTES:  What evidence? Fairly disparate themes.  Not sure we answered the question.  Key Takeaways(s).  Restate NPO. Considering dominant culture and affected culture (lower SES people of color) we’ve discovered people groups (lower SES) directly affected do not have equal access to standard education, job training programs, or jobs, to successfully provide a lifestyle comparable to the dominant culture. 111  NOTE:  The restatement does not address the access definition/clarification. ACTIVITY TWO: IDENTIFYING UNDERLYING CAUSES – 5 WHYS Summary of the root causes. (Plus, key “Why” within each response.) ● Funding o Locations within the communities ● The inherent disparity of wealth o Choosing between education or survival ● They want to limit folks that participate in the program o They are afraid ● White supremacy o Those that write the curriculum want to maintain power/narrative ● Racism/Discrimination o Desire to be separate. Rewrite NPO Statement. Considering dominant culture and affected culture (lower SES people of color) we’ve discovered people groups (lower SES) directly affected do not have equal access to standard education, job training programs, or jobs, to successfully provide a lifestyle comparable to the dominant culture. Underlying causes could be a lack of funding to provide locations in affected communities, inherent wealth disparities that cause people of color to choose between survival and education, dominant people groups limiting the number of people of color that can participate, dominant people groups, wanting to maintain control of the narrative/power and a desire to remain separate. ACTIVITY THREE: UNDERSTANDING THOSE IMPACTED BY THE NPO – EMPATHY MAP  Summary. Says: ● It's about time this was addressed. ● My goals are _______. ● I am smart, talented, and gifted. Thinks: 112  ● Plans for the future ● I will take advantage of this ● How can I best use this opportunity? ● Confidence ● I am respected by this community. Feels: ● Less anxiety, a sense of hope, and better physical health because of this ● Feel like a productive and valuable member of the community ● Now I have a chance to compete ● Ability to thrive ● Respect ● Empowered ● Uncertainty? Has it changed? Does: ● Continue education ● Get degree/job training ● Enrolls ● Upgrade lifestyle ● Seek out programs that might benefit their family and others ● Pay their bills and have some discretionary income ● Work to help others achieve the same result. NOTES:  Why would they not think, feel, say...now? ● Despair of times ● No way forward ● Education not helping. ● Not working long enough at some point you begin to believe that is how life is. ● Stuck. Subliminal forces there to divide. 113  ● Powerless ACTIVITY FOUR: PUTTING IT TOGETHER – NPO STATEMENT  Key Takeaways and points that need clarification. ● Reach out to affected people to determine what’s their definition of equal access to further understand. ● Think about how to measure - possibly don’t want to. ● Define access and ease of access. Clarify:   ● What does equal access mean?  Define what it is - what should it be (look) at all access levels which directly impacts affected people group or is it the availability of access or result of access that is the issue. Parking lot: ● Is it a form of micro-reparations?  The disparity is clear. Blind spots: ● Who’s to blame and who is responsible for changing?  Government?  Communities?  Church? ● Is one more responsible than the other? ● Present income disparity- causes and effects - as it relates to equal access. ● History to be studied. ● Yes, it is important legislation, policies, and letting them know it exists (reciprocity?) Pitfalls: ● Be mindful may not be completely honest with their feelings (people of color who are directly impacted). ● Talk to people i.e. those struggling with education, jobs, etc. ● What is the role of faith in this? Can we (pastors) speak to them? ● How can we lead and guide them? 114  SUMMARY OF CORE LEARNINGS AND QUESTIONS FROM THE WORKSHOP  Process. ● As I prepared, set up online tools, reviewed the Discovery Workshop Guide, I gained more confidence in my ability to conduct the workshop. ● The tools were important, especially for the online environment.  And ease of access and use was also important. ● It is important to keep things simple. ● Staying on task with activities and time was extremely important. Core Lessons from Process: ● I need to have been clear on each question in Activity One - particularly the follow-up type of questions. ● I needed more time to introduce NPO and the Discovery Workshop process to the participants. One-page post-Workshop message to stakeholders:  EMAIL Sent to Participants Thank you.  Thank you. Thank you. Taking time out of your busy schedules to assist me with my NPO Discovery Workshop was huge.  I do not take for granted the time you spent helping me clarify my project. I've been reviewing all of the notes to summarize and identify the key findings.  The responses during the activities were invaluable.  All of the comments/notes could have been a key finding - but alas I had to summarize. Attached is a summary one-page document of the NPO Discovery Workshop.  Over the next several days or weeks, please feel free to send any follow-up thoughts or questions. One interesting development.  While in a meeting with my current employer (a community college) we were told that a major initiative of the School Vice President is to focus on recruiting and retaining black males in the college.  The VP has requested input from all parts of the college to assist in this endeavor. In my opinion, this demonstrates that my NPO project is needful and strategic. (My response was that I would have the answers in three years.)  Please enjoy the upcoming holiday.  I look forward to continuing to walk this journey with you. Blessings, 115  EMAIL ATTACHMENT (DOCUMENT) SENT TO PARTICIPANTS NPO Discovery Workshop - One Page Summary Participants On Saturday, November 30th, a group of seven people gathered to participate in my NPO Discovery Workshop as part of my Doctoral program at Portland Seminary.    The purpose of the Discovery Workshop was to gain clarity around my Need, Problem, or Opportunity (NPO) focus. My original NPO statement: People of color do not have equal access to standard education, job training programs, or jobs, to successfully provide a lifestyle comparable to the dominant culture. After the NPO Discovery workshop, I was able to clarify key aspects of the project. Below is my NPO statement revised to reflect the tremendous effort and insights from the group. Rewrite NPO Statement. Considering people of color in the lower SES we’ve discovered they do not have equal access to standard education, job training programs, or jobs to successfully provide a lifestyle comparable to the dominant culture (NPO), which may be caused by a lack of funding for locations in affected communities; inherent wealth disparities that cause people of color to choose between survival and education; and dominant people groups wanting to maintain control of the narrative/power and a desire to remain separate. Key takeaways and points that need further clarification. ● Reach out to affected people to determine their definition of equal access. ● What does equal access mean? Define equal access at all levels. Or is it the availability of access or result of access that is the issue? Some possible pitfalls to think about going forward: ● Be mindful of those impacted (people of color) who may not be completely honest with their feelings regarding education, jobs, etc. ● What is the role of faith in this?    116  Discovery Workshop Media Appendix 3: More detailed documentation from Discovery Workshop is attached.   Figure A.1. NPO Discovery Agenda.  Start NPO Discovery Workshop – 8 PDF files. (Double Click to open PDFs.)              Figure A.2. Whiteboard 1.                        Figure A.3. Whiteboard 2. 117               Figure A.4. Whiteboard 3.                        Figure A.5. Whiteboard 4.                    Figure A.6. Whiteboard 5.                        Figure A.7. Whiteboard 6.                      Figure A.8. Whiteboard 7.                        Figure A.9. Whiteboard 5.   118  NPO Discovery Workshop 5 Whys – 4 PDF files. (Double click to open PDF.)       Figure A.10.Five Whys 1.                                                         Figure A.11. Five Whys 2.      Figure A.12.Five Whys 3.                                                            Figure A.13. Five Whys 4.   119  NPO Completed Empathy Map – 1 PDF file.  (Double click to open PDF.) ..\Discovery W.S. Mural Output\NPO Empathy Map Completed.pdf Putting it Together – 1 PDF file. (Double click to open PDF.) ..\Discovery W.S. Mural Output\Putting it Together - NPO.pdf     120  Discovery Workshop One-on-One Interview Summaries Appendix 4: One-on-One Interview Summaries Interview #1: Question 1.  What do you agree with?  Why? Agreed that there are systemic issues because of the issues faced by people of color in lower SES. Question 2.  What do you disagree with?  Why? The participant disagrees that people of color in lower SES have to choose between education and surviving.  The reason they disagreed stems from their thinking that the NPO statement assumes that people in lower SES have a choice when in fact they do not.  They are always in survival mode. The participant disagrees that the dominant culture wants to control narrative/retain power.  They thought the definition of dominant culture was too vague.  The participant stated that many in the dominant people group say they do not want to control the narrative but they are unaware of the impact of their unconscious biases. Their unconscious biases are contributing to systemic racism.   The participant believes that the dominant people group consists of people with both conscious and unconscious biases.  Or people who know they are racist and those who think they are not racist. The participant was highly critical of the Church's role in normalizing the dominant culture.  Hence, the Church has contributed to ongoing racist narratives.  Interview one disagrees with researching to uncover the issues as they (the issues) are well documented even to a person's zip code.  According to the participant, we already know the key issues impacting equal access.  They are transportation, childcare, housing, and education. Question 3. What is missing?  Missing from the workshop documentation is how to confront the issue of relating to those affected by the systemic racism without judging and without becoming part of the problem i.e. normalizing the attitudes of the dominant culture.  They used the example that one could place an excellent school in a lower-income neighborhood and fail because it would be the dominant culture's expression of what a school should represent.  Hence, it would not meet the needs of the people in the community. Interview #2: Question 1.  What do you agree with?  Why? The participant is very much in agreement with the underlying causes stated in NPO Discovery Workshop.  There continues to be a great divide economically and socially. 121  For example, job fairs in lower-income neighborhoods are ineffective because many participants don't even know how to do a resume. Question 2.  What do you disagree with?  Why? Interview #2 did not disagree with anything that I shared in regard to the NPO statement, underlying causes, and the affected audience. Question 3. What is missing?  Participant two did not see where I had considered what is expected of those in the lower SES communities i.e. responsibility to change attitudes and the way they view themselves.  Also, interview #2 agreed that faith-based communities need to be involved - however, there is a tremendous loss of faith towards the Christian Church, particularly since George Floyd.  Many in the lower-income neighborhoods observed pastors from different churches showing up if there were cameras.  But the pastors soon left the communities as soon as the cameras left.  The participants thought that the Church will have to earn the community’s trust again, and it will take a while. Interview #3: Question 1.  What do you agree with?  Why?  Interview #3 strongly agreed that there is unequal access so much so that even if you took out "people of color" there would still be unequal access in the areas specified in the NPO statement between people in lower SES and the dominant culture.  The participants particularly loved the use of the word inherent.   The word adequately captures the generational aspects of poverty.  Parents broken by poverty cannot be expected to advocate for their children.    There are definite inherent wealth disparities.  Especially when it pertains to parents being able to pass on generational wealth.  There are also inherent biases amongst people of color because we have been taught that we are inferior, and many still carry those wounds.  The participant also stated that the current design of job training programs is ineffective. There's no wonder they operate poorly.   Question 2.  What do you disagree with?  Why?  Interview #3 did not disagree with any findings.  However, they expressed the hope that I would research what is motivating the dominant culture.  A part of that research to include a further review of the root cause of wanting to remain separate is not appropriate because even middle-class blacks want to live in safety.  Suggested I listen to or read Love Songs by W.E.B. Dubois. 122  Question 3. What is missing?  I will need to reach out to the affected people group to define equal access.  And be sure to include strong voices from the affected group.  Interview #3 expressed the idea to explore the concept of equal access but also what it can be like if everyone had access.  Eliminate the barriers.  The dominant culture has barriers that will need to be torn down.  The participant believes there is a role of faith for the NPO.  Believers understand the heart, are more respectful and have more empathy.  Any ministry will achieve gains by inches and will be sustained by faith that the seeds planted will bring forth fruit.     123  Appendix B— Milestone 2 NPO Topic Exploration Essay124   INTRODUCTION According to Genesis 1:26, in the creation story, we learn that humans are made in the image of God, and we see God’s character.109 Everything He created was good, and it teaches us to also look for the good.110  In Psalm 139, we see God's goodness as He reveals humanity's “dignity and value."111 – for we are fearfully and wonderfully made. He creates each of us in His image, giving us incredible value.112 The verses in Psalm 139 teach us how we should intentionally view and value one another.  We are to be ambassadors for Christ, and we have the ministry of reconciling others to Christ (2 Cor. 5:18-20). However, as early as Genesis chapter four, shortly after the fall, Cain killed Abel. This sin represents a sin of injustice.113 The “sin of injustice is when one person uses their power to take the life or liberties away from another…. God’s reaction demonstrates his anger over taking another person’s life…justice belongs to God alone….it is built into his character.”114 For decades the Christian Church worldwide has succinctly identified its racist internal problems. As a result, world church councils, academic and theological papers, and church resolutions have been written and blessed by church leadership.115 To address the issues, in some cases, monies were allocated.116   The Churches’ mandate to reconcile others – particularly people of color and represent Christ in the world - has failed miserably. Racism against people of color is a social justice issue. Nevertheless, there has been little forward momentum in the Church relative to racial reconciliation. At the turn of the 20th Century, in 1903, W.E.B. DuBois wrote:    “Herein lie buried many things which, if read with patience, may show the strange  109 Abraham George and Nikki A. Toyama-Szeto, God of Justice: The IJM Institute Global Church Curriculum (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2015), 15. 110 Ibid., 15. 111 Ibid., 33. 112 Ibid., 16-17 113 Ibid., 33. 114 Ibid 115 Barney Pityana, “Racism Cannot Be Explained – It Must Be Defeated: Reflections on 50 Years of the World Council of Churches’ Programme to Combat Racism,” The Ecumenical Review, vol. 73, no. 4 (2021): 535–46. 116 Ibid., 536. 125    meaning of being black here at the dawning of the Twentieth Century. This meaning is not without interest to you, Gentle Reader, for the problem of the Twentieth Century is the problem of the color line.”117   Thus, over a century later, the problem with the Christian Church is still the color line.  This paper will explore theological and cultural mindsets that will lend themselves to the deep inner healing and reconciliation between people of color and the Christian Church. Section 1: Biblical and Theological Foundations THE HUMAN TENDENCY TO OVERLOOK THOSE LESS FORTUNATE. ISAIAH 58:1-12 According to the author, J. Daniel Hays, "throughout the prophetic books, the prophets repeatedly charge Israel with three basic indictments: idolatry, lack of social justice, and reliance on religious ritual rather than true relationship.”118 Isaiah 58 “combines the last two (social justice and religious ritualism) in a scathing critique of the people’s attempt to be pious through the practice of fasting.”119 Several terms pinpoint what Jehovah expects of His people in terms of an acceptable fast. In verse 2, the keywords are righteousness and ordinances of justice (Isaiah 58:2 NKJV).    It is essential to define these terms here to establish baseline definitions to use going forward in subsequent essays on the topic. The words, especially justice, have evolved to mean different things concerning how we treat others. In the Theology of Isaiah, author Goldingay lays a theological foundation to establish this baseline.120   Goldingay begins in Isaiah 5:1-7 to build the foundation “Yahweh being the vinedresser” had looked for fruit among his people but only found something that "tasted nasty."121 Specifically, Yahweh was looking for “mispᾱt and sedaqa."122  “The conventional English translation of  117 W.E.B. DuBois, The Souls of Black Folk (Middletown: Millennium Publications, 2014), 3. 118 Daniel J. Hays, The Message of the Prophets: A Survey of the Prophetic and Apocalyptic Books of The Old Testament (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Press, 2010), 137. 119 Ibid., 137. 120 John Goldingay, The Theology of the Book of Isaiah (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2014), 20. 121 Ibid. 122 Ibid. 126   mispᾱt and sedaqa is justice and righteousness.”123 After further discourse by Goldingay, justice and righteousness thus “suggest the faithful exercise of power in the community.”124 The premise of righteousness and justice then is that those who have power, influence, and wealth will make decisions about the community, government, and its inhabitants that will benefit the masses. Moreover, as we see in Isaiah 58 – because the Israelites have forgotten to treat others justly – Jehovah confronts them. The prophetic word in Isaiah 58 “parallels the critique."125 in earlier chapters regarding justice and righteousness. The Israelites are sincere in their fasting, and they are sincerely seeking Yahweh for righteous justice, “but they are not acting in that way themselves.”126 The concept of fasting includes a form of self-denial and giving that extends to their fellow man. Jehovah expects a heart change that seeks to free those wrongly imprisoned, lighten the burden of workers, and let the oppressed go free (Is.58:6 NLT). Those are primarily community and governmental-focused – judgments. However, God is also looking for sacrificial self-giving, and we are to share food and give shelter and clothes to those who need them (Is. 58:7 NLT). However, despite the Babylonian invasion and many Israelites being in captivity, Judah's citizens continued to overlook Jehovah's requirement of caring for one another. SPIRITUAL LEADERS CONTRIBUTED TO SOCIAL INJUSTICE. JEREMIAH 5:28-31 AND 22:16-17. By the time Jeremiah began his ministry, the "relationship between God and Israel was strained… God declared the covenant was broken.”127 Things are so bad that in Jeremiah 5, God begins with a challenge to find just one honest person in the city of Jerusalem.  In Jeremiah 5:5, the prophet will speak to leaders with the expectation that they will know the Lord's ways and surely there will be someone honest in the land. Instead, however, Jeremiah discovers that the spiritual leaders are of one mind, had thrown off the laws of God and broken the relationship. In the same chapter, Jeremiah states that an “astonishing and horrible thing has been committed in the land” (Jer. 5:30 NKJV). “The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule by  123 Goldingay, The Theology of the Book of Isaiah, 20. 124 Ibid., 21. 125 Ibid., 85. 126 Ibid., 85. 127 Walter A. Elwell, Baker Commentary on the Bible Based on the NIV (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1989), 518.  127   their own power” (Jer. 5:31 NKJV). All vestiges of spiritual leadership were corrupted, and seemingly everyone had no regard for repenting. "For these evils, God would judge any other nation… Israel is no exception.”128 In Jeremiah 22, we learn that King Jehoiakim had built his houses when the people of Judah were struggling due to the Babylonian invasion and being in captivity. “He built his houses by unrighteousness, …. he defrauded his workmen of their wages.”129  God compares Jehoiakim's behavior with his father, Josiah. In Jeremiah 22:16 - He (Josiah) defended the “poor and needy and so all went well” (NIV). So likewise, the indictment against Jehoiakim in verse 17 calls attention to his evil eyes and heart, shedding innocent blood, oppression, and extortion (NIV). Consequently, the people would not mourn the king upon his death (Jer. 22:18 NLT).  EXPLORING THE NEW TESTAMENT MODEL FOR COMMUNITY: ACTS 4:32-35 ACTS 4:32 begins with a simple statement, “Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul” (NKJV). "Unanimity and love among the first Christians... A Hebrew form of expressing complete accord.”130 Matthew Henry confirms that the verse portrays how things were "a very beautiful one, of the spirit…truly primitive church; it is consepectus saeculi – a view of that age of infancy and innocence.”131  It is interesting to note the choice of words used by Henry; primitive, infancy, and innocence.   The context is understandable. Hundreds of years later, the Church in his day was far different than in Acts 4:32. However, was the glimpse of the beauty of one heart and one soul primitive or a model for the Believer to follow? Dietrich Bonhoeffer writes in Called to Community the following: “The fellowship between Jesus and his disciples covered every aspect of their daily life…. the life of each individual was part of the life of the brotherhood. This everyday life bears living testimony to the concrete humanity of the Son of God.”132 In the Christian life, the individual  128 Elwell, Baker Commentary on the Bible Based on the NIV, 526. 129 Matthew Henry, Matthew Henry’s Bible Commentary (Concise) Https://Www.Christianity.Com/Bible/Commentary/Matthew-Henry-Concise/Jeremiah/22. 130 Cambridge Bible and Schools Commentary: https://biblicalstudies.org.uk/pdf/e-books/lumby_j-r/acts-1-14-cbfs_lumby.pdf. 131 Matthew Henry, Matthew Henry Commentary On The Whole Bible Volume Vi (Acts To Revelation): https://Ccel.Org/Ccel/Henry/Mhc6/Mhc6.Acts.V.Html 132 Charles E. Moore, ed. Called to Community: The Life Jesus Wants For His People (Walden: Plough Publishing House, 2016), 44. 128   disciple and the body of Jesus belong inseparably together.133"All this is confirmed in the earliest record of the life of the Church in the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 2:42-47; 4:32-37).”134 Believers sold possessions of lands and houses to distribute proceeds to those in need (NKJV). “None of these Christians felt that what they had was their own, so they were able to give and share, eliminating poverty among them” (Acts 4:32-35 NLT).135 “They would not let a brother or sister suffer when others had plenty” (Acts 4:32-35 NLT).136  How does this differ from a socialist or a communist society? Some of the significant differences. "This living is different from communism because (1) the sharing was voluntary; (2) it did not involve all private property but only as much as was needed; (3) it was not a membership requirement to be a part of the church” (Acts 4:32-35 NLT). 137 A BRIEF REVIEW OF NEW TESTAMENT BELIEVERS’ MINISTRY OF RECONCILIATION:  2 Corinthians 5:11-19 2 Corinthians 5:18 – 19 states that God, through Christ, brought us back to Himself, and He has given us the task of reconciling people to Him.138 Based on the Wycliffe Bible Dictionary, words in the New Testament signifying reconciliation are based on the "Greek root allag, usually written with different prepositional prefixes.”139 “The etymological meaning is “change,” but the usage always includes the bringing together of two or more parties by removal of grounds or causes of disharmony.”140  “The first aspect of the doctrine of reconciliation has to do with the restoration of fellowship between man…and God… through Christ the Redeemer.”141   133 Ibid. 134 Ibid. 135 Tyndale House Publishers, Life Application Study Bible, New Living Translation (Carol Stream: Tyndale Publishers, Inc, 2004), 1823. 136 Ibid. 137 Ibid. 138 Ibid., 1967. 139 Charles F. Pfieffer and John F. Vos, John Rea, Editors Wycliffe Bible Dictionary (Peabody: Hendrickson Publishers, Inc, 1998), 1446. 140 Pfieffer, Vos, and Rea, Wycliffe Bible Dictionary, 1446. 141 Ibid. 129   The second aspect of reconciliation is that God gave us the wonderful message (or ministry) of reconciliation. "Because we have been reconciled to God, we have the privilege of encouraging others to do the same” (2 Cor.5:18-19). There is a crucial facet of reconciliation that Paul spells out in earlier verses that should be worth incorporating into our understanding of our ministry task of reconciliation.  Specifically, in The Message Bible verses16-20: “Because of this decision we don’t evaluate people by what they have or how they look.…Now we look inside, and what we see is that anyone united with the Messiah gets a fresh start, .... this comes from the God who settled the relationship between us and him, and then called us to settle our relationships with each other.... God uses us to persuade men and women to drop their differences and enter into God’s work of making things right between them.” An integral piece of the ministry of reconciliation is to put aside differences and our unbiblical attitudes toward one another. Summarizing this new mindset concerning our brothers and sisters: if Christ has died for all, then a purely human perspective can no longer form the basis for judgments about the worth of his actions or the value in his plan of any man or woman (2Cor.5:11-21; 1Cor. 15:22; Gal. 2:20 and Col.3:3).142  HOW BELIEVERS ARE TO DEMONSTRATE GOD’S LOVE: 1 JOHN 3:16-18 The cross symbol represents the type of love every Believer should pray for is wrought in their lives through the work of the Holy Spirit. It is not the type of love obtained through sheer will or other human efforts. We know that God had shed His love in our hearts when we were saved (Matthew 6:12 and Romans 5:5). His surrendered life on the cross was a "self-sacrifice, as an example and a substitute for man and his sin."143 Not that anyone deserves this sacrifice – no human being deserves this substitutionary work of the cross. However, we are to lay down our lives in like manner (not necessarily to physical death) but certain death to some conveniences. "A world so beloved by God should accordingly be loved by us."144 “Having ordinary, temporal possessions obligates every Christian to help needy brothers materially"145 – it expands “the principle of self-sacrifice to material possessions.”146 According to Matthew Henry, it pleases God that some of the Christian brethren should be poor for the  142 Elwell, Baker Commentary on the Bible Based on the NIV, 989. 143 Ibid., 1183. 144 Matthew Henry, and Leslie F. Church, Matthew Henry. Commentary On the Whole Bible In One Volume (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1961), 1959. 145 Elwell, Baker Commentary on the Bible Based on the NIV, 1183. 146 Ibid. 130   “exercise of the charity and love of those that are rich.”147 The idea is that the love of God will cause the rich to be kind and compassionate to the brother or sister less fortunate. The grace extended in charitable distributions will be a natural outflow of the loving relationship between the wealthy and God.148 God inspires and empowers us so that the love of this world and what it has to offer will pale in comparison to His love flowing in and out of our hearts. If we say we love God but do not love other believers, we do not belong to God (1 John 3:14). Section 2: Topic History, Ministry or Vocational Context, and Key Voices Topic History and Ministry or Vocational Context SETTING THE STAGE: EARLY CHURCH IN ROME 4TH – 8TH CENTURY Author David Fiensy pinpoints that the "worldwide movement" of the early Church began in ACTS 9 - when Paul is converted and begins his mission to take the Gospel to the Gentiles.149  "From now on the early Church is less oriental, less Jewish, and less regional. It moves out into a world of paganism, philosophy, and into the world where two great cultures meet. The Greco-Roman world.”150 Fiensy’s commentary provides extensive research on the early Church; however, to gain a historical foundation of the evolution of how the early Church engaged with other believers, non-believers, and the world at large, and to determine possible early contributors or markers of racism, three areas, in particular, were identified as most relevant: the social life in the Roman Empire, Greco-Roman religions and the current philosophical thinking.  Social life was predicated on wealth – either one was rich or poor – the concept of a middle class did not exist.151  Where one lived in the city was “based on one of three factors: ethnic identity, occupation or wealth.”152  147 Matthew Henry, Matthew Henry. Commentary On The Whole Bible Volume VI (Acts To Revelation): https://ccel.org/ccel/henry/mhc6/mhc6.iJo.iv.html. 148 Ibid. 149 David A. Fiensy, The College Press NIV Commentary New Testament Introduction (Joplin: College Press, 1994), 177 150 Ibid. 151 Fiensy, The College Press NIV Commentary New Testament Introduction 182. 152 Ibid. 131   Although there were many pagan religions during this era, one stands out because of its affinity to and influence on the early Christian Church: Gnosticism. Gnosticism had several sects – with variations on specific beliefs – but many did believe they received salvation, i.e., rise above the stars after death by gnosis or knowledge.153 As early as “2nd century A.D. many Gnostics” professed to be Christian.154  Hellenistic philosophy – originating from Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle -  is considered in the category of religion (Fiensy, 193). Aristotle's impact on later Christian theologians is clear (Thomas Aquinas, St. Augustine).  In its infancy in the Roman Empire, Christianity was hated by government officials and many of its citizens.155 However, it did not stop the spread of Christianity throughout the Mediterranean world. Roman elite, pious Jews, poor, and black-skinned people were converted.156 At the same time, Gentiles hated the Jews. Frequently, violence erupted against the Jewish people, and they had to leave Rome.157 Christianity influenced the world, but the relationship with the world was reciprocal. The world influenced the early Christians. Manufactured differences based on religious differences, wealth disparities, and ethnic diversity were the early seeds of racism that were sown into the thinking and theology of people in the early centuries after Christ ascended. Geraldine Heng's work, has broadened the definition of racism to more than skin color. She defines race as “a structural relationship for the articulation and management of human differences rather than a substantive content.”158 Her definition suggests contrived, artificial relationships between ethnic or cultural differences between White people and dehumanized people groups. For example: African’s hair is a different texture. This ethnic difference is then used to contrive a rational that black hair is “animalistic” or comparable to a wild animal. The sole purpose of the contrivance(s) is to dominant a people group by giving an illegitimate reason to think White is better than Black. The content of racial distortions is not based in reality.  153 Ibid., 192. 154 Ibid. 155 Ibid., 210. 156 Ibid., 207. 157 Ibid., 206. 158 Geraldine Heng, “The Invention of Race in the European Middle Ages I: Race Studies, Modernity, and the Middle Ages,” (First published: 02 May 2011): 325, https://doi-org.georgefox.idm.oclc.org/10.1111/j.1741-4113.2011.00790.x. 132   EARLY MIDDLE AGES: 6TH – 8TH CENTURY For much of the 4th century the Roman Empire stabilized from political upheavals and civil war. The most significant change was the "Christianization, or conversion of the Empire to Christianity. By the end of the next Century, Christianity emerged as the Empire's dominant religion. “In the 6th century, new ruling groups in the post-Roman kingdoms, in particular the Ostrogoths,” creatively adapted Roman racial biases to function as a racial system to “justify their privileged position.”159 Rulers continued to use the concept of religious differences to justify conquest and control of other people groups – drawing on Christian text that considered unbelievers pagans and heathens.160  However, “many early medieval historians have argued that race is not a valid concept for the Early Middle Ages, preferring instead to use the term ethnicity.”161 Geraldine Heng states, "religion can function both socio-culturally and bio-politically, and it was a fundamental marker of medieval racialization."162 The attempt to unite all citizens under one faith (Christianity) continued to gain momentum.163 People groups outside of the Christian faith, especially Jews, who were already "linked to heretics," and other pagan groups were viewed as threats to “religious uniformity." Consequently, they were marked for domination based on the "ideas of Christian imperium."164 The polemical and apologetic text labeled these groups as 'filth,' 'diseased,' and 'evil.'165 MIDDLE-AGES: 8TH – 16TH CENTURY “From the 8th Century onward Western society was dominated by the Church and no longer by the secular state as was the case during the early centuries of Christianity. And in every aspect of Western life, the importance of the Church was evident."166 The Christian Church engaged in the Crusades during this era – starting in 1095 – when Pope Urban II "called on  159 Nicole Lopez-Jantzen, “Between Empires: Race and Ethnicity in the Early Middle Ages,” (First published: 27 December 2019): 2, https://doi-org.georgefox.idm.oclc.org/10.1111/lic3.12542. 160 Ibid. 161 Ibid. 162 Heng, “The Invention of Race in the European Middle Ages I: Race Studies, Modernity, and the Middle Ages,” 325. 163 Lopez-Jantzen, “Between Empires,” 5. 164 Lopez-Jantzen, “Between Empires,” 6. 165 Ibid., 5. 166 Jacques Theron and Oliver Erna,  “Changing perspectives on the Crusades,” HTS Teologiese Studies/Theological Studies 74(1), a4691 (2018): 2, https://doi.org/10.4102/hts.v74i1.4691. 133   Christians to liberate the holy land from a Muslim horde.”167 According to most scholars, the Crusades probably would not have occurred if not for the “rise of Islam.”168 Muslims (Moors or Saracens) were considered beyond redemption – without the "freedom to choose between conversion or death," and hence they deserved to die – at least according to the Christian Church.169 Pope Urban II “characterized Muslims as subhuman, ravishers of women, murderers of Christians and polluters of Christian churches, violent, rapacious and aggressive.”170 Several factors "legitimatized" the holy wars: Roman influence on Christianity – precisely the view of people considered barbarians or “enemies of mankind” and the resultant violence, aggression, and brutality Roman soldiers used to destroy perceived enemies.171 The Church adopted these methods of violence against their barbaric enemies, and it was during the holy wars, that these methods became an integral part of the papal program.172 During the next few centuries, the nationalization or convergence of the secular government and the Church led to the Crusades serving as more than an attempt to rid the Church of its perceived enemies. Instead, "worldly interests" became the focus on expanding.173 By the 15th Century, the Crusades were referred to as "the public business of Christendom."174  While the nationalization of the Crusades can be viewed as an unholy alliance – that was not the most detrimental event that transpired during this era. The increased hatred and treatment of Jewish people escalated to the point that Jews had to wear badges to set them apart from the rest of the population. In addition, Jewish communities were massacred during several of the Crusades. One such massacre occurred in 1189 when Richard the Lionheart slaughtered Jews at Westminster.175 The Church was complicit in the treatment of the Jews and Muslims because they were classified as pagans. To further ostracize the Jews and Muslims, the Christian communities would often require special dress codes or badges as  167 Ibid., 1.  168 Ibid., 2. 169 Ibid. 170 Ibid. 171 Ibid., 3. 172 Ibid. 173 Theron and Erna, “Changing Perspectives on the Crusades,” 3. 174 Ibid. 175 Heng, “The Invention of Race in the European Middle Ages I: Race Studies, Modernity, and the Middle Ages,” 315. 134   unique identifiers to warn citizens to keep their distance.176 The evolving cultural practices began to influence or were influenced by the scientific, medical, and theological arguments written about Jews and Africans (black-skinned). The arguments portended that the Jews and Muslims were inherently less than Christians because of bodily stench, color of skin and other bodily attributes; and a few of the emotional characteristics were cowardly, and moralizing based on superior versus inferior. However, "canonical race theory has found it difficult to see the European Middle Ages as a time of racism."177 “Conditions such as these typically constitute race theory’s standard identifiers of race and racism, so it’s logical to ask: how is such obliviousness possible?”178 As the 15th Century ended, countries such as Spain, Portugal, and England, sanctioned by the Church, had begun their nationalistic expansion and conquests in other parts of the world. During this time, Jonathan Z. Smith, a noted author, read various accounts by Christopher Columbus and Pedro de Cieza of their encounters with indigenous peoples.179  “Smith derives various conclusions from their observations, including the idea that religion is in these cases, not a theological category but rather an anthropological one," which was a universal practical perspective held by the conquistadors and chroniclers.180 Columbus’s assessment of the indigenous people he met was that “they were empty, or lacked substance,” which reflected the idea that they did not have religion.181 Therefore, according to Columbus, writing anything on their consciousness was possible.182 To theologians, the rationale for categorizing the "naked, without shame" indigenous peoples as having no religion was based on their Christian worldview; further, the argument dictated that if a person was without religion, they were unable to “rationalize or think” and therefore subhuman. Columbus's assessment provided additional impetus to solidify this thinking within the minds of the conquistadors, explorers, and those who were championing the nationalistic expansion of the Church. The possibility of these people groups having any religion did not enter into the realm of "false religion" – no religion permitted the subjugation  176 Ibid 177 Ibid., 316. 178 Ibid., 318. 179 Nelson Maldonado-Torres, “AAR Centennial Roundtable: Religion, Conquest, and Race in the Foundations of the Modern/Colonial World,” Journal of the American Academy of Religion, Vol. 82, No. 3 (September 2014): 637-638, https://www.jstor.org/stable/24487991. 180 Maldonado-Torres, “AAR Centennial Roundtable: Religion, Conquest, and Race in the Foundations of the Modern/Colonial World,” 637-638. 181 Ibid., 639. 182 Ibid. 135   of the inhabitants to servitude.183 “The declaration that natives did not have religion opened up the path for the expropriation of the natives’ land, denied them subjectivity, and declared them servile subjects.”184 Without realizing the far-reaching ramifications of his assessment, Columbus had altered the classification of the human race. No longer were people – indigenous and black-skinned – viewed through the lens of Christian theology – "but rather in anthropological terms.”185  Subjective differences and perceived shortcomings were now the basis for judging a person’s value. Consequently, the "coloniality of power" era supersedes the "coloniality of being."186 Columbus had turned the theological and anthropological axis upside down. He and others would continue to look to Rome and Jerusalem for their religious guidance; however, in terms of classifying people groups – anthropology and racial classification would dictate how to treat the "condemned."187 “The concept of idolater is replaced by the Aristotelian concept of the natural slave.”188 EUROPEAN COLONIALISM: 16TH – 19TH CENTURY A significant contributor to the prevailing thought that racism is a skin color issue is due to the narrow focus of historians and the like to survey the racism that occurred only within the Atlantic and Africa before 1800. There is no doubt that the racial systems in the Atlantic and Africa –  were without question based on skin color in a predominately agricultural setting.189 However, the myopic focus is one of the reasons the significant markers of other forms of racism are overlooked. Contextualizing the racism that occurred in the Atlantic within the global European setting will broaden the lens that brings into view several factors. The role of systems utilized to control other people groups, "attitudes towards black Africans in mainland Britain,” the evolution of “religious differences,” and the fact that the New World continued to glean intellectual and cultural thinking from European sources.190      Based on accounts of Archdeacon Charles F. Mackenzie, who served at the diocese in Natal, South Africa, from 1855 to 1859 – while attending a church conference – Mackenzie found  183 Ibid. 184 Ibid. 185 Ibid., 651. 186 Ibid. 187 Ibid. 188 Ibid., 647. 189 Andrew Wells, “Race and Racism in the Global European World Before 1800,” History Compass, Volume 13, Issue 9 (September 2015): 435, https://doi-org.georgefox.idm.oclc.org/10.1111/hic3.12260. 190 Ibid., 439. 136   himself standing alone when it came to the view that equality in Christ also meant equality in church membership.191 He soon learned that Christian equality did not extend to the black South Africans, who were members of his flock, especially in terms of participating in the governance of the local church community. According to one of his Bishops, "the more advanced and civilized portion" of the community, i.e., Englishmen, must assume a guardianship role over the weaker and less intelligent” (black South Africans).192 Missionaries, settlers, and colonial officials were all promoting the same arguments in terms of race and domesticity.193 The role of the missionaries was crucial to the indoctrination of the indigenous people. Their primary task was to teach the Gospel, save the heathens, and “enculturate” them into the Western norms: dress, speech, family, and social systems. Instead, what should have been the work of the Holy Spirit – transformative power of the inward life – the missionaries sought to accomplish with enslavement and control.194 Often, colonial governments dictated to the missionaries the necessity to convert the Africans to the Christian Gospel, emphasizing pro-colonial government.195 In South Africa and the larger British Empire, "a significant hardening and racial attitudes occurred as the Century wore on. The rhetoric of later missionaries from the 1890s onwards demonstrated a profound sense of white superiority over what was viewed as inherent genetic black inferiority."196 AMERICAN SETTLER COLONIALISM: 17TH – 19TH CENTURY Historically colonial empire-building has been based on an empire expanding its territory for "militaristic or economic purposes, which also involves the eventual departure of the colonizer” from the occupied land.197 It is argued that settler colonialism is “theoretically, politically, and geographically distinct from colonialism" due to the singular objective to eradicate the indigenous population so that the land can be privatized with the end goal to start an entirely new community, government, or country.198 One word that can describe the difference  191 Peter Carleton Houston, “Charles F. Mackenzie and Early Colonial Racism: Renewing a Call for Mission as Liberating Action,” International Review of Mission Vol. 109, no. 2 (2020): 318. 192 Ibid., 319. 193 Ibid. 194 Ibid. 195 Houston, “Charles F. Mackenzie and Early Colonial Racism,” 319. 196 Ibid., 320. 197 Anne Bonds and Joshua Inwood, “Beyond white privilege: Geographies of white supremacy and settler colonialism,” Progress in Human Geography Vol. 40, (6) (2016): 716, https://doi.org/10.1177/0309132515613166. 198 Ibid. 137   between colonial and settler colonialism is "permanence." "The building of new settlements necessitates the eradication of indigenous populations, the seizure and privatization of their lands, and the exploitation of marginalized peoples in a system of capitalism established by and reinforced through racism.”199 To comprehend the full impact of settler colonialism in America, one has to consider the racial attitudes, scientific and theological discourses promulgated by European sources (all of which can be summed and defined as white supremacy) in order to derive the deadly and toxic experiment of enslaved Africans and near genocide of Native Americans.200 “The concept of white supremacy forcefully calls attention to the brutality and dehumanization of racial exploitation and the domination that emerges from settler colonial societies.”201 The Christian Church in America was complicit in the perpetuation of slavery in America, exemplified by the multitude of pastors, especially in the South, that incorporated "the curse of Ham" from the Bible to justify themselves and their congregants' enslavement of black-skinned Africans. In the curse of Ham, theologians had found a "divine cause for race-based subjugation that had eventually become a matter of law in America.”202 According to William James Jennings, in the beginning, racial constructs were fundamentally a "theologically articulated way for Europeans to understand their White bodies in relation to the new territories and people they encountered."203 Hence, white supremacy “emerged before and out of colonialism in its development of race as a theological tool of evaluation and justification for slavery.”204 By the time slavery became ingrained into the fabric of the Southern economic system – the concept of racialized bodies and souls – for white domination – had created such a distinction in the minds of Whites that Black bodies were able to be carved into pieces to be monetarily dissected and sold. “As the auctioneers and slaveholders touched, manipulated, controlled, and punished black flesh in a liturgy of domination, Black bodies lost their humanity and became objects.”205  199 Critical examples of settler societies include the United States, Canada, Israel, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Argentina, and Brazil. Ibid., 716. 200 Ibid., 715. 201 Ibid., 716. 202 Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove, Reconstructing the Gospel: Finding Freedom From Slaveholder Religion (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2018), 65. 203 Kristopher Norris, Witnessing Whiteness: Confronting White Supremacy in the American Church (United States, Oxford University Press, 2020), 42. 204 Ibid. 205 Ibid., 43. 138   Critical Voices in Christianity's Role in the Formation, Evolution, and Current Racial Institutions and Biases CONTEMPORARY VOICES ESTABLISHING A BROADER HISTORICAL LENS ON RACISM IN CHRISTIANITY AND AMERICA Geraldine Heng Geraldine Heng has devoted her studies specifically to the 13th, 14th, and 15th centuries – European Middle Ages - to determine what constructs were used to demarcate humans to differentiate, classify, and distribute power. According to Heng, (332) canonical race theory believed that race did not factor into the culture or the Christian Church during this time. However, Heng has demonstrated that even though the term “race” was not used – the actual practices, when studied through the lens of multiple sources, i.e., cultural documents, literature, architectural features, canon, law, maps – it is clear that the seeds of race and racism existed during this period. Heng has also established a broader definition of race that encompasses the social, political, and theological impetus that contributed to the actual actions of the wealthy, powerful, secular, and theological groups upon the poor. She has posited that "racial formation, therefore, occurs as specific historical occasions in which strategic essentialisms are put forth and assigned through a variety of practices and pressures, to construct a hierarchy of peoples for differential treatment.”206 Heng articulates that the treatments and differences that were used will vary as the “longue duree” or long term  approach is given priority – “perhaps battening on bodies, physiognomy, and genetic attributes in one location; perhaps on social practices, religion, and culture and perhaps a multiplicity of interlocking discourses elsewhere.”207   Anne Bonds Anne Bonds' article, Beyond White Privilege: Geographies of white supremacy and settler colonialism, outlines the need to connect white supremacy with the concept of settler colonialism to grasp the full extent and durability of the systemic racial structures constructed and that continues to persist even today. Without this inclusiveness or joining, Whites are blinded to their racist practices. Whiteness studies that primarily focus on "white privilege" overlook the infrastructure that allows the white privilege to exist in the first place – infrastructure built on white supremacy’s exploitation and domination attributes.208 Further, Bond argues that by simply discussing white privilege and the afforded "benefits and protections," the emphasis is on the social constructs rather than the systemic and institutional  206 Geraldine Heng, “The Invention of Race in the European Middle Ages II: Locations of Medieval Race,” (May 2011): 332, https://doi-org.georgefox.idm.oclc.org/10.1111/j.1741-4113.2011.00795.x. 207 Ibid. 208 Bonds and Inwood, “Beyond white privilege: Geographies of white supremacy and settler colonialism,” 716.  139   practices that continue to thrive and adapt over time.209  Settler colonialism and white supremacy co-exist and provide the landscape for the dehumanization and exploitation of blacks and indigenous people groups; they exist not just in America’s past historical accounts but are also just as relevant today. Many are appalled by America’s racist historical accounts, especially more recently concerning white supremacy extremist groups (Reconstruction Era, Jim Crow, Klu Klux Klan). As a result, these groups are relegated to the outskirts of our thinking and more accessible for Whites to dismiss and deny culpability. Once white supremacy is reframed as mainstream ideology, it "destabilizes the innocence of "whiteness" and emphasizes the ways Whites, including those who identify as anti-racist, materially, socially, and academically benefit from settler societies.”210 The obliviousness of whiteness fails to see that assigning race to other people groups by default categorizes Whites as the default human race and, as such, is the standard by which others are valued and ordered.211 William James Jennings William James Jennings describes the current state of Christians in the Western world as living in a “diseased social imagination.”212 He attributes this state to the lack of recognition by Christians to understand the deep theological roots and patterns that shaped the generative perspectives on people, places, societies, and the like and the inability of Christian theology to think or function outside of this diseased social imagination.213 Because of where Western Christians are in their social imagination – the entire social performance or result of the Christian experience is “anemic.”214 The theological academies are well versed in the social, cultural, political, and academic environments yet are sorely lacking in knowing the living Christ.215 The history of this type of Christian theological thinking stems from the intertwining of Christianity and colonial dominance – a way of life internalized and normalized by  209 White privilege is still a viable framework to analyze. However, it allows for an easier excuse for those who profess anti-racism to overlook or diminish the derived benefits – or to point instead to the individual freedoms afforded to everyone in this country to be successful. Ibid., 716. 210 Ibid., 720. 211 Bonds and Inwood, “Beyond white privilege: Geographies of white supremacy and settler colonialism,”717. 212 Willie James Jennings, The Christian Imagination Theology & The Origins of Race (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2010), 6. 213 Ibid. 214 As one who studied at Calvin College, a Dutch Reformed school, Jennings describes the theological approach to theology as a "complex process of disassociation and dislocation" that spewed forth a "highly refined process of socialization." It is a denial of the Christian intellect to reflect the incarnate life of the Son of God and all of its messiness when one takes risks to live joined with others, living in the community. Ibid., 6 - 7. 215 Ibid., 7. 140   Christians.216 As Christianity developed in the old world of Europe and the Americas, Asia, and Africa, it usurped the home base position by assuming the role of host or owner and "host rules" in terms of the indigenous peoples – requiring other people groups to assimilate to Christian norms and values – in their own country. This obsession with control and conquest influenced every facet of theological thinking, i.e., how to read sacred texts, respond to atheism or conservative-liberal debates – the entire Christian worldview – and it “continues to channel patterns of colonialist dominance” to this day.217 According to Jennings (page 8), "Western Christian intellectuals still imagine the world from the commanding heights."218 POSITIONING THE CHURCH AND RACISM IN THE 20TH AND 21ST CENTURIES Kristopher Norris In his book Witnessing Whiteness, Kristopher Norris acknowledges that the "story of the church in America is the story of race."219 Norris references Michele Alexander’s book The New Jim Crow, purporting that white supremacy became a religion based on questionable and unsubstantiated truths (page 34) that can be summarized as blacks are inherently less than Whites (less smart, capable, or qualified; morally inferior; physically considered to be brutes and savages and in some cases dangerous compared to Whites). Norris contends that “beyond fragility, systemic racism and universalized (White) ethnic,” the most entrenched roadblock to racial justice is the Christian community’s inability to admit that white supremacy originated within its theological constructs.220 One conclusion that his research has revealed is that today's theologian will attempt to reason away the racist attitudes of the Church by pointing to cultural values and racial biases arising outside of the Church that has somehow crept in and negatively impacted or influenced congregants. There appears little to no accountability or acknowledgment of culpability to the fact that the Church created (through liturgies and practices) white supremacy - delivered and sanctioned it - for the world.221 Norris goes even further as though there has been an explosive opening in his thinking concerning white supremacy and the Church.222 He openly grapples with whether or not there is something  216 Ibid. 217 Ibid., 8. 218 Ibid. 219 Kristopher Norris, Witnessing Whiteness: Confronting White Supremacy in the American Church (United States, Oxford University Press, 2020), 33. 220 Ibid., 34. 221 Ibid., 35. 222 Ibid., 5 141   inherently wrong with Christianity because white supremacy "resides within the theology itself."223  Mark Hearn One of the more common responses expressed by Whites to prove that they are not racist is that they will state they do not see color. Mark Hearn, in his article, “Color-Blind Racism, Color-Blind Theology, and Church Practices”, argues that this perspective of trying to separate a person from their skin color does not prove one is anti-racist – quite the opposite – it proves that trying to separate a person from their skin color only serves to exacerbate the problem of racism. When a person says they do not see color, it is another way of saying that the person of color's experiences in a racist society does not matter. It is a form of "New Racism," more covert and subtle than the outward attacks and racial epithets that were more common a few decades ago.224 This color-blind perspective occurs in individuals, institutions, and ideologies. The approach attempts to sever the lived experiences in which injustice and systemic racism have historically affected the opportunities. It creates a false narrative that points to the person of color as the reason for their lack of effort or success. Perceptions are developed such as "because they're lazy" or "not as smart," and it assumes White and Black have the same equal opportunities – when in actuality, they do not.225 Hearn references a study on Evangelicalism and racism in the United States conducted by Michael Emerson and Christian Smith. The study concluded that White Evangelicals view the race problem in three ways. “White Evangelicals conceptualize racism as the problem of prejudiced individuals, resulting in bad relationships and sin….White Evangelicals assert that groups (usually blacks) try to make the race problem a group issue when it is none other than an individual problem or no problem at all… finally, they see racism as a fabrication, and nothing more, of self-interested groups (again Blacks, but also media, government, or liberals).”226 Social problems are viewed as sin or relationship issues; White Evangelicals fail to see the structural underpinnings of the issues and consequently miss the connection between the systemic roots (laws, institutions) and the so-called poor relationships.227  Richard Rothstein  223 Ibid., 35. 224 Mark Hearn, “Color-Blind Racism, Color-Blind Theology, and Church Practices,” Religious Education Vol. 104, no. 3 (2009): 272. 225 Ibid., 276. 226 The pervasive attitudes of White Evangelicals rely very heavily on freewill individualism, interpersonal relationships (between oneself and God), and anti-structuralism (inability to perceive the systemic issues ingrained within the culture). Ibid., 279 - 280. 227 Ibid., 280. 142   The entire premise of Color of Law, by Richard Rothstein, is to prove that the federal government did initiate many of the racist practices that have since become ingrained in the fabric of this country, particularly as it pertains to housing and education. Because of this, Rothstein writes, the federal government does owe reparations to blacks because they (the government) – violated the law. As he writes, private discrimination would not be sustainable if not for the pervasiveness of government-sponsored policies. An example of private discrimination is the "White flight" when a black person moves into an all-White neighborhood.228 Although many, including Supreme Court Justice John Roberts, agree that there are "vestiges of past segregation by state decree that do remain in our society…the vestiges are subtle and intangible." Hence, one should not "overstate the consequences or the remedies."229 However, Rothstein has proved that the vestiges of past segregation in our country are not vague or subtle. A direct cause and effect between the racist practices and the negative impact on African Americans can be demonstrated.230  Rothstein provides a detailed analysis of the laws and policies created in this country for the last 50 years and the consequential and lingering impacts on individuals, communities, and this country. For example, he asserts that unconstitutional segregation policies negatively impact African Americans. Working-class Whites, pitted against blacks by the political parties to further their agenda, end up supporting legislation that also works against their interests. Our separateness creates ever-deepening chasms of intolerance and dysfunctional cynicism, making it almost impossible to form alliances to resolve our differences.231 Shelby Steele The civil rights movement of the 1960s was inspired by “classic” Jeffersonian liberalism, which sought freedom for the individual above all else.232 However, since that time, Whites, fearful of being labeled racist, have created a plethora of social programs and identity politics, all of which have crippled the individual black person in this country from standing on their own (freedom) and taking responsibility for their pursuit of happiness. Shelby Steele, who is a Black American, labels himself a conservative. The central argument outlined in his book, Shame: How America’s Past Sins Have Polarized Our Country, is that blacks in this country who were once victims of bigotry are now, for the second time, victims of the moral neediness of their  228 Richard Rothstein, The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America (New York: Liveright Publishing Corporation, 2017), XIV.  229 Rothstein, XIV. 230 Rothstein, XV. 231 Rothstein, 195-196. 232 Shelby Steele, Shame How America’s Past Sins Have Polarized Our Country (New York: Basic Books, 2015), 3. 143   former victimizer.233 In his mind, White paternalism and post-1960s welfare policies, identity politics, and interventions in poverty have been far worse for Blacks in  that they have created a culture of grievance entitlement and protest politics within the Black community.234 Steele argues that a consequence of America's reckoning with its past racist policies and the Vietnam War was to assign the ideal of Good to the government rather than a person’s character. When this occurred, America could absolve itself of guilt and any personal repentance for the past atrocities. According to his thinking, he explains that this is how White liberals have tried to win back the moral high ground. It is the primary reason why many policies and programs designed to correct systemic racial problems only exacerbated them.235 His assertions are based on an inherent trust in the founding documents of this country, the idea that racism has been dealt with since the civil rights movement (although it may not be as perfect as one would like), and any individual – including Black Americans – can make it in this country, without the need for paternalistic white liberal policies. FRAMING CALL TO ACTION MESSAGES FOR THE MODERN CHURCH Leonard Sweet In the past decade, several significant events – Ferguson, Trayvon Martin, George Floyd - triggered dialogues all across America’s kitchen tables, social media, news media, and the Church. As a result, the conversations on "race have shifted from legal and political rights to business, economics, and education."236  According to Leonard Sweet, we are now in a cultural moment of coming to grips with race and slavery in this country – the question is not will there be a "reckoning with slavery" but instead, will the reckoning lead to wrestling with both issues – race and slavery.237 Because Whites and Blacks see things differently, how do the conversations move beyond pointing fingers and throwing aspersions against one another?  Sweet argues that the very soul of this nation depends on people of different ethnicities being able to sit down and have challenging conversations – sitting across the table from one another – with Jesus seated at the head of the table.238 Christians especially “need to learn how to have conversations with one another again.”239 Jesus asked questions to spark dialogue and  233 Ibid., 51. 234 Ibid., 2. 235 Steele, Shame How America’s Past Sins Have Polarized Our Country, 128. 236 Leonard Sweet, Rings of Fire: Walking in Faith Through A Volcanic Future (Colorado Springs: NavPress Publishing Group, 2019), 111. 237 Ibid. 238 Ibid., 112. 239 Ibid., 114. 144   provoke a "restart" – questions requiring a new look at convictions and confusions – the things that confound – to gain new understandings.240 In his book, Rings of Fire, Sweet offers several recommendations. “First, Christians need to be more than bridge builders between the span that separates black and White worldviews, and the bridge must be burned after crossing it. Second, we need to forge a set of protocols for interracial dialogue, giving people of different races a tested framework that will enable the possibility of probing, honest dialogue without an abundance of hostility and with a deepening of respect.”241 Finally, his admonishment that justice requires the love of Christ and godly repentance at its very core – otherwise, it is counterfeit justice.242 Kristopher Norris Nothing can be salvaged in the whiteness of the White Church. If the thing that invented the horrors of slavery and racism continues to be infected, then there is no hope in the "thing" to be a part of the solution.243 Norris, in Witnessing Whiteness, is wholly convinced that for Whites to try to move forward in the hopes of seeing change is counter-productive because that hope would be rooted in white supremacy. Therefore, Whites will need to move forward with a sense of hopelessness and desperation. Whites will need to come to the end of themselves. Whiteness needs to die only to be born again into something new and a part of the beloved community that Martin Luther King, Jr. envisioned.244 A community where "every tribe and tongue" worship in harmony."245 Radical. Absolutely. Needful. Yes. For all new believers, the practices of remembrance, repentance, and reparation are all part of the conversion process – and necessary, according to Norris.246 Brenda Salter McNeil Many Christians have given up on the institution of the Church. Others are disappointed with the Church's response to the racial injustices played out in front of us on social media and news sources. Then some recognize that people in the secular world are doing a better job at dealing with social injustice and racism. Brenda Salter McNeil honestly admits in her book, Becoming  240 Ibid., 112. 241 Sweet, Rings of Fire: Walking in Faith Through A Volcanic Future, 113. 242 Sweet elaborates on what he calls "ten rules of engagement" that apply to a multiplicity of things but can undoubtedly be used for conversations on race. Ibid., 114 - 115. 243 Kristopher Norris, Witnessing Whiteness: Confronting White Supremacy in the American Church (United States, Oxford University Press, 2020), 145. 244 Ibid., 162 – 163. 245 Ibid., 162. 246 Ibid., 147. 145   Brave, that she had fallen into more than one of the categories listed. However, she realized that Christians carry the transformative message of faith and reconciliation, and now is not the time to shrink back from the call of God to take a leadership position of reconciling others.247 The credibility of the Church needs repair. “Reconciliation happens by repairing broken systems and confronting power.” Throughout her book, Salter McNeil compares the Christian journey today to the Book of Esther. Esther realized that she had to confront what would happen to her people with the king, even if it meant she would lose her life. Today, losing one's life may not be as daunting; however, losing one's family, friends, social status or even prestigious memberships may be what will die.”248 As Christian reconcilers, we are tasked with "re-imaging the world" as it should be. "We are called to live into our call as the people of God who are entrusted with the ministry of reconciliation."249  Section 3:  Synthesis and Conclusion AREAS OF AGREEMENT/CONSENSUS In Second Chronicles 7:14, Jehovah reveals how to pray as individuals and as a nation to his people. According to the verse, the first step is for the people of God to humble themselves before praying, and almost all theologians would agree that a critical requirement for humbling oneself is to confess any sin. Unfortunately, the sin of racism and white supremacist ideologies that have been created and perpetuated to this day by the Christian Church has yet to be confessed. Therefore, it is essential to start with understanding how the Church got to where it is today so that a complete purge can take place because, without true repentance, healing cannot take place. Racism still exists, and it impacts Black people and people of color economically, politically, and spiritually. Indeed, racism impacts the entire Christian experience. But, as William James Jennings writes, it is an anemic Christian experience because of racism. The major contributors to this anemic experience are a result of a diseased theological imagination and the lack of theological training that incorporates the incarnate life of Jesus.250 What is so compelling is that the people of God continue to hold tightly to this diseased theological mindset that they have become oblivious to the egregiousness of the sin that has been committed – usurping God’s authority by creating “race” as a theological and anthropological construct and placing other humans subjectively into a "subhuman" category. The Christian Church continues to  247 Brenda Salter McNeil, Becoming Brave (Grand Rapids,: Brazos Press, 2020), 191. 248 Salter McNeil, Becoming Brave, 190. 249 Ibid., 193. 250 Jennings, The Christian Imagination Theology & The Origins of Race, 6-7.   146   embrace and promulgate the sin of wanting to "become like God" that Satan convinced Adam and Eve to commit. More refined racism has evolved, which leads to deceiving congregants of their racist attitudes and continued unwillingness to recognize the Church's culpability. Attitudes that will be difficult to change to begin the healing process. Nevertheless, the 21st- Century Church is being challenged to remember and repent. It will require tough conversations and a dogged determination to bring two different worldviews together at the same table – serving up unpalatable meals of conversations – and becoming the prophetic voice that no one will want to listen to or heed.   GAPS IN LITERATURE How to have meaningful conversations on racism and all of its components, i.e., structural and systemic, to begin the process of acknowledging, confessing, and ultimately dismantling the barriers long constructed to dominate others but now dominates the discourse. It will take time to research and develop tested tools – perhaps there are more readily available – but it is lacking in this first round of study. Exploring the possible outcomes for the conversations within the Church is essential as the outcomes will dictate how to structure research, studies/surveys, and tools. Some possible examples of outcomes: how to lead individuals or congregations to confess, repent and begin to take social justice action; how to become a church that is focused on social justice (after repentance); how to have meaningful conversations on reparations – these are only a few desired possible outcomes. The initial identification of the work that has taken place regarding these types of conversations or in-process conversations seems to be sparse at present. A deeper exploration of the actual messages being taught/delivered from pulpits across America that carry coded racist messages to Black and White congregants has not been adequately researched. Messages that stress individual freedoms as though there is equal access. Messages that stress all equal in God's sight yet fail to acknowledge inequality in schools, businesses, housing, and judicial laws. Messages that convince congregants to refuse the natural history of this country to be taught. And messages that teach church members to be intolerant of other peoples' religious and personal views. These messages carry the white dominant – high moral ground – “greater than” theology. In his book, Life Together (page 90), Bonhoeffer uses the Scripture from Luke 9:46 when Jesus' disciples began to argue because "There arose a reasoning among them, which of them should be the greatest." Bonhoeffer writes that the enemy has planted this seed of discord. Further, he writes that no matter how pious or polite the Christian community is, it is essential to know that somewhere within the confines of the members, there is always a self-justification or comparing for someone to gain the high ground to dominate.251 Lastly, several books have been written about the Christian community and the effort required for Blacks and Whites to live together and intentionally pursue genuine brotherly love. In  251 Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together (New York: Harper & Row Publishers, 1954), 90-91. 147   addition to these documented communities/churches, it would be relevant to evaluate the effectiveness of developing the Christian community in various ways. A key obstacle to developing genuine community between Blacks and Whites is that generally, they do not live or worship in the same physical community/church. So to expand and incorporate tested Christian communities that have successfully developed even when living across town would be invaluable – for one reason alone, and that is to dispel the "otherness" obstacle. Bonhoeffer clearly explains the ramifications of being one in Christ Jesus in that it also signifies we are also eternally one with each other. Without Christ, we cannot know our brothers and sisters – the way is "blocked by our egos” - Christ has opened the way to God and our brother.252        252 Bonhoeffer, Life Together, 23 – 24. 148   Appendix C—Milestone 3 Design Workshop Report149   NPO STATEMENT The Christian church contributes to devaluing people of color based on conscious and unconscious biases. NPO SCOPE AND CONSTRAINTS The scope and constraints of my NPO consists of several non-negotiables, boundaries, and costs. They are outlined below.   NON-NEGOTIABLES  There are two non-negotiables identified: 1) identify an academically researched based racial bias assessment tool (the Harvard bias tool is too broad), and 2) identify a community assessment tool that is academically based or widely used by organizations tasked with assessing the health and wellbeing of a community and its resources. The assessment tools have the potential to provide a unique advantage to the overall training materials that will be developed and prototyped and add insightful value to the stakeholder audience.  BOUNDARIES The NPO target audience is Christian church members, elders, and pastors. COSTS The direct costs associated with my NPO are the purchase of technology tools to create and edit various digital media. The estimated prices will be at most $500.00. The second area of focus is potential travel to two locations along the East coast for in-person meetings and training, estimated to be $1,500. Finally, the cost of assessment tools. To date, two assessment tools have been identified that will be integral to the training materials to be developed. The actual costs vary. One racial bias assessment tool has been researched with an individual fee of $40.00. Several community assessment tools have been identified and are available without any fees.   NPO CONTEXT The goal is to identify and contact members and a pastor of a Christian church or churches to prototype the individual, small group, and pastoral training concept pitches.   The prototypes require partnering with no more than two churches or church members and pastors from diverse backgrounds, socio-economic levels, denominations, and non-denominations.   The target size of each church is small to medium membership size.  (As few as 25 members to 300 – 500 members.)   150   Other criteria are that the population served is 18 and up and the actual population size of the community is above 10,000.  ROOT CAUSES The root cause of the Christian Church devaluing people of color stems from the sin of humankind wanting to be like God. Closely related is the sin of one people group holding onto their dominant cultural biases (known and unknown) out of fear, economic gain, or both. In Psalm 139, we see God's goodness, for we are fearfully and wonderfully made. He creates each of us in His image, giving us eternal value. The verses in Psalm 139 are foundational principles that teach us how to value and esteem others.   We are to be ambassadors for Christ and have the ministry of reconciling others to Christ (2 Cor. 5:18-20). Unfortunately, the Churches' mandate to reconcile others – particularly people of color and represent Christ in the world - has failed miserably. Racism against people of color is a social justice issue. Nevertheless, there has been little forward momentum in the Church relative to racial reconciliation. After the Discovery Workshop and One-on-One interviews, the summarized root causes are conscious and unconscious biases from the dominant people groups.  DEFINITION OF ‘DONE’ To deliver concise non-judgmental training materials to encourage repentance for negative racial biases, healing within White and Black Christian communities, and recommendations for becoming proactive in antiracist activities. THREE BIG IDEAS The three big ideas are focused on providing training materials specific to each position/level within a small to medium size church (pastors, small groups, and individual church members). The materials will consist of the following: biblical history of racism and social justice in the church - tracing roots from Genesis to current American church culture, the historical impact of systemic racism in the United States on black people and, recommendations for proactively dismantling racism within the local church and community. 3 Concept Pitches INDIVIDUAL STUDY GUIDE ON RACIAL HEALING AND REPENTANCE Audience Christian individuals seeking information on racial biases, inequities from a biblical perspective. 151   NPO The opportunity to repent and heal racial schisms and encourage transformative action that can become a catalyst in dismantling racism against people of color in our Church and in our culture. Benefit The user benefits by an increased awareness and understanding of the issues on racism and social justice which will hopefully lead to repentance, healing, and activism. I will benefit by accomplishing the goal of fulfilling a kingdom mandate to disciple in love by communicating biblical principles on social justice that encourage repentance, healing, and reconciliation. Approach Provide prescriptive racial bias assessments before and after the individual begins the training.  Also, provide reflective/group questions for review and journaling.  This approach will also include survey tools to capture participant experience.  Risks Some individuals may get offended and consequently may not repent or heal. Assumptions/hypotheses to Test I am assuming individuals purchase and use the self-study guide because of a stirring to understand racial/social justice issues and are seeking to become active in making a difference.  The hypothesis is:  if given non-confrontational information/training on the racial issues the individual will experience a heart change that is repentant and leads to a reconciliation with black people and other people of color. Benchmarks of Success Utilize before and after assessments and surveys. Other Approaches To my knowledge no one is focused on racial issues within the church, the importance of proactively encourages racial healing, repentance, and to aid in dismantling systemic racism. Also, I am not aware of the use of assessments to measure before and after biases or recommend a community assessment to uncover ministry areas for the church to mitigate or to call out inequalities.     152   SMALL GROUP STUDY GUIDE ON RACIAL HEALING AND REPENTANCE Audience Christian small groups between 10 -15 people with a facilitator guide. NPO The opportunity is to be able to repent and heal racial schisms and encourage transformative action that can become a catalyst in dismantling racism against people of color in our Church and in our culture. Benefit The small group of diverse participants benefit by an increased awareness and understanding of the issues on racism and social justice which will hopefully lead to repentance, healing, and activism. There is an added benefit of sharing life experiences which contributes to deeper healing and breaking down walls of separation between different ethnic groups.   I will benefit by accomplishing the goal of fulfilling a kingdom mandate to disciple in love by communicating biblical principles on social justice that encourages repentance, healing, and reconciliation. Approach Provide prescriptive assessments before and after the small group session begins.  Also, provide reflective/group questions for discussion.  The approach will also include a facilitator guide and survey tools to capture participant experiences.  Risks Some members may get offended and consequently may not repent or heal. Assumptions/hypotheses to Test I am assuming that the pastor of the local church will encourage small groups to form and study this topic.  Or a small group of believers’ form from diverse churches to go through the study materials like a book club.   The hypothesis is:  if given non-confrontational information/training on the racial issues the individuals will experience a heart change that is repentant and leads to a reconciliation with black people and other people of color. Benchmarks of Success Utilize before and after assessments and surveys. Other Approaches To my knowledge no one is focused on racial issues within the church, the importance of proactively encourages racial healing, repentance, and to aid in dismantling systemic racism. 153   Also, I am not aware of the use of assessments to measure before and after biases or recommend a community assessment to uncover ministry areas for the church to mitigate or to call out inequalities.    PASTOR’S STEP BY STEP GUIDE FOR WALKING MEMBERS THROUGH THE RACIAL DISCUSSION (SERMON MINI-SERIES OUTLINE) Audience Pastors from small to medium sized churches – variety of non and denominational settings.  NPO The opportunity is to be able to repent and heal racial schisms and encourage transformative action that can become a catalyst in dismantling racism against people of color in our Church and in our culture. Benefit User: The pastors will have a guide for how to start the difficult racism/social justice conversations.  The guide will have academically researched theological and culturally relevant materials.    There is an added benefit of opening the dialogue for members to share life experiences which contributes to deeper healing and breaking down walls of separation between different ethnic groups.  Finally, with pastors leading, there will be a higher probability of churches proactively speaking out and actively working towards dismantling racism. Personal: Changing lives and seeing others establish life-long friendships, and the church begins to take a stand on social injustice.  Approach   Provide prescriptive assessments before and after pastor’s mini-sermon series. All other tools and surveys will be made available for the pastors to offer to their members. This approach will also include a pastor’s facilitator guide and survey tools to capture participant experiences.  Risks Some members may get offended, may threaten to leave, or subsequently will leave the local church and consequently may not repent or heal. Assumptions/hypotheses to Test I am assuming that the pastor of the local church will count the costs of tackling the hard conversations, lead in speaking truth to power and encourage small groups to form and study this topic in more detail.   The hypothesis is:  if given a step-by-step non-confrontational guide with information/training on the racial issues the pastors will lead their members in the series and consequently the 154   individual members will experience a heart change that is repentant and leads to a reconciliation with black people and other people of color. Benchmarks of Success Utilize before and after assessments and surveys. Other Approaches To my knowledge no one is focused on racial issues within the church, the importance of proactively encourages racial healing, repentance, and to aid in dismantling systemic racism. Also, I am not aware of the use of assessments to measure before and after biases or recommend a community assessment to uncover ministry areas for the church to mitigate or to call out inequalities.    Design Workshop Stakeholders ● Missionary to Muslims in Europe (wife) and Elders in Vineyard church (Husband and wife)    ● Pastoral Care Ministers (couple - only wife was able to attend)  ● Elder in Baptist church ● Professor UNC Clinical Psychology ● Presbyterian church member  ● Young adult church member  ● Non-denominational church member One-on-One Interviews ● Author of a book on Dominant Culture  ● Dean in Workforce Continuing Education Program ● Pastor and Leader of a diverse mid-sized Vineyard Church  ● Pastor of a small (less than 25 members) predominantly Black church            155   Design Workshop Report Documentation Appendix 1: INITIAL INVITE TO PARTICIPANTS  Greetings, On August 31st, 2021, I started the Doctoral Leadership & Global Perspectives (DLGP) program at Portland Seminary. The program is designed for leaders (students) to identify a need, problem, or opportunity (NPO) to research. Ultimately, students will have to develop a working solution to their NPO at the end of the three-year program. The primary focus of the second year is to explore possible NPO prototype solutions to test in the coming months. Workshop participants, this is where you are needed. In the upcoming Workshop on Saturday, October 29th, we will identify three big ideas for me to prototype. No pressure. Before I delve into more specifics about the Workshop, a few logistics .Mary Clayton has graciously agreed to host the Workshop at her house. Her address and number are:   2404 Ridge Road, Raleigh, NC 27612 Phone: 919-612-8313 Note: Parking on the street is fine on Saturdays  The Workshop will start promptly at 10 AM. If possible, please come at 9:45 AM to sign in. We will end at 1 PM. The Workshop is designed to last the entire day. However, the doctoral program allows the Workshop to go half the time/day with the probability there may be brief follow-up surveys or emails for additional input and clarity. I promise - I will purposely keep the follow-up to a minimum. I am required to have an Informed Letter of Consent signed by all participants. Attached is a copy of the letter. I will have the document on Saturday for you to sign. In the meantime, if you have any questions, please feel free to email or call me. My number is 919-426-4256. Now the fun part. The context for the Design Exploration Workshop is the research conducted on my NPO.   NPO (Problem) statement is: The Christian church contributes to devaluing people of color based on conscious and unconscious racist biases. NPO (Opportunity) is to identify the Christian Attitudes And Behaviors That Encourage Healing And Transformative Action That Can Become A Catalyst In Dismantling Racism Against People Of Color.  156   As a precursor to the Workshop, I encourage you to challenge my NPO problem and opportunity statements. Please send your comments if you feel I’m heading in the wrong direction or missing an integral piece. Before starting the prototype, I must stay open to new ideas that can impact on the work. Coming into a project or Workshop at this stage may feel uncomfortable. It is, but I trust what God has placed in each one of you, and I know you have a contribution to make in this space.  Secondly, we are dealing with ‘fuzzy goals’ - precisely the point. We are innovating, and innovation does not have a defined path. We will be exploring, creating, and having fun all at the same time. I’ve been told repeatedly by the staff and professors to trust the process, so we shall.  Thank you all in advance for your time and contributions.  Audrey E. Robinson  SAMPLE INFORMED CONSENT EMAILED TO PARTICIPANTS PRIOR TO WORKSHOP TO REVIEW Letter of Consent Exploring the relationships between people of color and the Christian Church  Dear Stakeholder, My name is Audrey Robinson and I am a student in the Leadership and Global Perspectives program at George Fox University in Newberg, Oregon. I am conducting research on the conscious and unconscious racial biases in the Christian church. You are invited to engage in an in-person workshop designed to understand what theological frame, mindset and method might help heal and reconcile the relationships between people of color and the Christian church. The objectives are to revisit the NPO, identify three viable options for prototyping a solution, the critical assumptions for each prototype test and benchmarks for success that verify that the project is successfully addressing the NPO.  The risks associated with this research are minimal. Nevertheless, please be aware that your participation is completely voluntary, and you may decline to continue at any time or decline to answer any question at your discretion. The results of this study will only be used for research purposes and may be used for presentations at a professional conference and/or academic publications. Information will be analyzed and presented in an anonymous fashion and no individual will be personally identified. I affirm to keep any personal information and identities confidential. All research materials (i.e., sticky notes, flip charts, and signed consent forms) will be locked in separate, secure locations for a period of no less than three years. I will be the only individual who will have access to these materials. After three years, I will personally destroy all relevant materials and delete the audio recordings. 157   Thank you for your time in considering this project. If you choose to participate, please be aware that you are contributing to furthering educational research. If you have any questions regarding this research, please contact me at (919)426-4256. If you have any additional questions, you may contact my dean, Dr. Loren Kerns at lkerns@georgefox.edu. If you understand the use of this research and agree to participate, please sign below. Participant signature____________________________________________________ Researcher signature____________________________________________________ REMINDER EMAIL TO PARTICIPANTS TWO DAYS BEFORE WORKSHOP ● On Oct 27, 2022, at 2:05 PM, Audrey Robinson <aerobins1@yahoo.com> wrote: Dear Workshop Participants, The Design Workshop is almost here.  Saturday, October 29th!  I am so excited about seeing you and exploring possible NPO prototype solutions to test in the coming months.  The Workshop will start promptly at 10 AM. If possible, please come at 9:45 AM to sign in. We will end at 1 PM.  Dress comfortably.  I encourage you to get plenty of rest the night before.  The topic can be emotional and 'gamestorming' activities are exciting - so lots of energy will be expended. The address is: Mary's (host) information 2404 Ridge Road, Raleigh, NC 27612 Phone: 919-612-8313 Note: There is parking on the street.   As a reminder, the context for the Design Workshop is the research I've already conducted on my NPO. See below.  NPO (Problem) statement is: The Christian church contributes to devaluing people of color based on conscious and unconscious racist biases.  NPO (Opportunity) is to identify the Christian Attitudes and Behaviors That Encourage Healing And Transformative Action That Can Become A Catalyst In Dismantling Racism Against People Of Color. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.  My phone number: 919-426-4256 158   REVISED WORKSHOP AGENDA  Revised Design Exploration Workshop for DLGP 895 By: Audrey Robinson Project Faculty Dr. Christine Roush Portland, Oregon October 2022  AGENDA 10:00 AM  Welcome and Introductions 10:20 AM  Explore Activity #1 10:50 AM  Break 11:05 AM  Explore Activity #2 11:40 AM  Break/Transition to Closing 11:45 AM  Closing 12:10 PM  Concept Pitch 12:45 PM  Debrief 1:15 PM  End NOTES: Stakeholders were sent the NPO in the initial email invite requesting they review and send feedback or suggestions. Stakeholders were also advised that there will probably be follow-up surveys to finalize or obtain additional input. If needed, the survey(s) will be developed using Google forms and more likely to further develop the concept pitches for each option. 159   Design Workshop Media Appendix 2: IMAGES/PDFS OF DESIGN WORKSHOP FLIP CHARTS  Figure C.1.Ideal 1.     Figure C.2.Ideal 2.   Figure C.3.Ideal 3.  Figure C.4.Ideal 4.  Figure C.5.Ideal 5.   Figure C.6. Support 1.  Ideal Outcomes.pdfIdeal Outcomes pag2.pdfIdeal Outcomes p3.pdfideal Outcomes p4.pdfIdeal outcomes p5.pdfSupport List p1.pdf160    Figure C.7. Support 2.   Figure C.8. Support 3.   Figure C.9. NPO Statement.  Figure C.10. NPO Opportunity Statement.     Support List 3.pdfSupport list p4.pdf161    Figure C.11. Workshop Participant.  Figure C.12. Affinity Map.   162    Figure C.13. Facilitator Recap.    Figure C.13. Facilitator Welcome.    163    Figure C.14. Facilitator Introduction.    SURVEY FORMS SENT AS FOLLOW UP TO DESIGN WORKSHOP Truth to Power Survey Form: https://forms.gle/5Q3MazqS1TRGSBoH8 Additional Items Survey Form: https://forms.gle/EFoMxYbDcFQ7w6aE6   164   Appendix D—Milestone 4 Design Research Report165   Background Research Essay on the Emerging Solution INTRODUCTION One of the central themes for my background research is to provide current research on the impact and remedies different people of color can utilize to begin to heal from the acute effects and symptoms of racism. The primary people group addressed in this research is the African American community, and secondarily, the racism and mental health recommendations for Native Americans, Latinx, and Asian communities. Also included in this essay are findings on how to begin racial healing between the dominant and non-dominant groups.  Information from an additional resource to strengthen the section on Biblical and Theological Foundations is included. It undergirds the Biblical application of God's original plan for humanity. The added material helps us to understand the incredible, multi-colored, and multi-faceted plan for God's kingdom people.  COMMONALITY OF RACISM AND MENTAL HEALTH FINDINGS FOR PEOPLE OF COLOR IN THE UNITED STATES  The length of time that racism has been allowed to exist has caused most ethnic people groups to be in crises - physically, emotionally, and spiritually.253 According to Black Fatigue author Mary-Francis Winters, racism has several levels: interpersonal, internalized, institutional, and structural.254 How to address these different levels of racism will be discussed in the section focused on recommended solutions. The significance of the different levels of racism undergirds the reality that it is ingrained in every facet of our lives. Understanding the effects and developing possible solutions to rectify them can be overwhelming but nonetheless necessary.    253 American Psychological Association, “Apology to People of Color for APA’s Role in Promoting, Perpetuating, and Failing to Challenge Racism, Racial Discrimination,” and Human Hierarchy in U.S., (October 2021): 3, https://www.apa.org/about/policy/racism-apology  254 Mary-Frances Winters, Black Fatigue: How Racism Erodes the Mind, Body, and Spirit (Oakland: Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc., 2020), 6. 166   In her book, Unapologetic Guide to Black Mental Health, Dr. Rheeda Walker, reviewed several studies. One study completed a decade ago by Dr. Phillip Goff determined that Whites do not see Black people as human, and Whites inherently believe they have a right to dominate others. According to Walker, Dr. Asa Hillard utilized Goff's work to postulate that racism would qualify as a mental health disorder in part because a person would have to be disconnected from reality to think that they are superior to another person simply based on the color of their skin.255  Because racism is systemic and structural, dismantling requires systemic and structural efforts. Author, Alisha Moreland-Capuia, asserts in her book, The Trauma of Racism Exploring the Systems and People Fear Built, that racism is a form of trauma perpetuated systemically and structurally.256   "Trauma (fear unchecked or that doesn't turn off) is related to toxic stress." Toxic stress has been known to distort the normal hormonal functions of the body - which can then lead to inflammation and other chronic health-related issues - including mental health or behavioral problems such as a compromise in judgment and rational thinking.257 Moreland-Capuia continues to explore race-based fear by comparing and contrasting the relationship between ecosystems of fear and its power within nature and how nature provides keen insights into what happens in the psychological and physical realm of people of color as a result of living with fear every day. As in nature, when a predator is no longer in the vicinity (wholly removed) of its prey, the intended target will change its habits and move freely around, uninhibited by the fear of being hunted. However, if the predator is in the general vicinity - the intended prey can still smell, see the tracks and hear the predator's sound, and it can instill fear and creates a "landscape" of fear.258 Similarly, Moreland-Capuia writes, "If we can appreciate the fear in ecosystems of nature, we should be able to make the correlations to human to human  255 Rheeda Walker, PhD., The Unapologetic Guide To Black Mental Health: Navigate an Unequal System, Learn Tools for Emotional Wellness, and Get the Help You Deserve (Oakland: New Harbinger Publications, 2020), 80-81. 256 Alisha Moreland-Capuia, The Trauma of Racism: Exploring the Systems and People Fear Built (Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland, 2021), ix. 257 Ibid., 15. 258 Ibid., 2. 167   interactions'' and its adverse effects on the human psyche.259 Lastly, she writes that fear is meant to be a time-limited response.260 However, as we shall see in the remaining sections, research demonstrates that people of color in the United States are crushed with obscene amounts of fear-based trauma.  CRITICAL MARKERS OF RACIAL TRAUMA AND EFFECTS ON BLACK PEOPLE IN AMERICA This section will introduce the current research on racism as it affects Black people.  1. In her book, Rheeda Walker, PhD., asserts that in the community of Black people in America, our identity is wrapped up in having it seem as though we have it all put together. It is frowned upon to express any signs of depression or emotional fatigue. From an early age, Black people are taught to work twice as hard to get only one-half as much in return…It was just a reality.261 According to Black Fatigue author Mary-Frances Winters, Black fatigue is "repeated variations of stress that result in extreme exhaustion and causes mental, physical, and spiritual maladies… It is a deeply embedded fatigue that takes excessive energy and enormous amounts of faith to continue to believe.262 2. A key marker of the Black experience is to feel as though you have a veil covering you because, to White people, you are invisible. As a Black person, you can see through the veil, but everything is distorted. In school, at work, and wherever Black people go, they are constantly reminded that they do not fit in. White people do not wear a veil - and they certainly cannot see the veil worn by Black people…This veil is race-based discrimination.263 3. Mental health studies demonstrate that the added stress from racism contributes to high blood pressure, depression, obesity, and other poor health indicators in the Black community. Race does not discriminate based on a Black person's age, education, or  259 Moreland-Capuia, The Trauma of Racism, 3. 260 Ibid., 7. 261 Walker, The Unapologetic Guide To Black Mental Health, 67. 262 Winters, Black Fatigue, 33.  263 Walker, The Unapologetic Guide To Black Mental Health,  67. 168   socio-economic status. Recall the 2017 near-death experience of Serena Williams right after giving birth.264  4. Several leading-edge research studies have concluded that the various forms of racism lead to intergenerational trauma. According to Winters, a study by Robert Carter, professor of psychology and education at Columbia University, race-based traumatic stress is defined as the emotional and psychological trauma caused by discrimination and racism that elicits responses comparable to those associated with posttraumatic stress.265 Some may express rage, anger, low self-esteem, depression, shame, or anxiety. It may also manifest in various diseases already mentioned earlier. Another aspect of the research regarding the generational passing of racist trauma is called epigenetics. Studies demonstrated that social environments could alter gene activity. University of North Carolina, Charlotte, has documented evidence to show how people of color can inherit the harmful effects of racism.266 CRITICAL MARKERS OF RACIAL TRAUMA AND EFFECTS ON NATIVE INDIGENOUS PEOPLE IN AMERICA The major source of information is from an American Psychological Association Journal article that consolidated findings and conclusions from various Native American Practitioners published in 2006. According to the report, there are several considerations germane to Native Americans. 1. Native Americans have sustained one of the most brutal systemized genocidal attacks in world history. "At the beginning of colonization in North America, before 1492, there were over 150 million Native Americans living on the continent. By 1900, there were only 250,000."267   264 Steve Gardner, “Serena Williams describes near death experience she had after giving birth to daughter Olympia,” (April 7, 2022): https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/tennis/2022/04/07/serena-williams-near-death-childbirth-complications/9504616002/  265 Winters, Black Fatigue, 80.. 266 Ibid., 81. 267 A. Mike Aragon, “A Clinical Understanding of Urban American Indians,” Mental Health Care for Urban Indians: Clinical Insights From Native Practitioners, edited by T.M.Witko (2006): 19, http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/11422-001 169   2. Many Native Americans have internalized the systemic racism perpetrated against them as self-hatred (although this is also prevalent among many in the Black community). Consequently, many believe this self-hatred manifests as shame and isolation and is passed down to other generations.268  3. Native Americans are particularly prone to alcohol and drug addictions, which are often rampant in their communities. 4. Removing Native Americans from their land and attempting to eradicate their way of life, especially their spiritual practices, was perhaps the most detrimental form of systemic racism. We will explore this more in the recommended healing section of the essay.  CRITICAL MARKERS OF RACIAL TRAUMA AND EFFECTS ON LATINIX PEOPLE IN AMERICA An APA journal article written by several Latinx mental health professionals describes the trauma in the Latinx community that stems from systemic oppression.    1. Systemic policies, actions, and laws impact Latinx communities, families, and individuals.   2. Fear of deportation has many adverse side effects. Individuals living in fear will seldom report any crimes committed against them or seek out treatments that require self-reporting. 3. In the APA article, the authors bring to the forefront the term intersectionality theory to incorporate the breadth of systems used to study the impact on Latinx communities. The systems are racism, ethnocentrism, nativism, and sexism - this provides the ability to look across all systems that may impact the individual to provide a more nuanced view of the discriminatory practices used against the person. Black feminists and Women of Color social justice activists and scholars first used this intersectionality theory.269 4. Nativism refers to the idea that unless a person was born in America, they are automatically categorized as unAmerican. This is especially true of the Latinx  268 Ibid., 20. 269 Nayeki Y. Chavez-Duenas, Hector Y. Adames, Jessica G. Perez-Chavez and Silvia P. Salas, ”Healing Ethno-Racial Trauma in Latinx Immigrant Communities: Cultivating Hope, Resistance, and Action,” American Psychologist Vol.74, No. 1, (2019): 50, http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/amp0000289 170   community. According to the article, this negative perspective is often the reason those who ascribe to nativism think Latinx people do not want to learn English, contribute to budget deficits and higher taxes, take jobs away, abuse public services, reside in this country without legal documents, and bring inferior cultural values to this country.270    CRITICAL MARKERS OF RACIAL TRAUMA AND EFFECTS ON ASIAN PEOPLE IN AMERICA For this paper, I am utilizing mental health information on Asian Americans from Ethnicity & Family Therapy 3rd ed. Textbook by McGoldrick, Giordana, and Garcia-Preto.  1. According to their research, as of 2005, Asian Americans were still considered the "model minority," particularly relative to other minorities.271 There are several reasons for this viewpoint. First, it has been determined that Asians highly regard education and are high academic achievers. Secondly, they are perceived as not causing problems for society.272 2. In spite of the perception as model minorities, Asian communities still grapple with domestic violence, alcohol and substance abuse, gangs, gambling, and violence. The reality is that the model minority myth contributes to undue pressure and stressors on individuals and families.273 3. Lastly, Asian Americans are still targets of racism, discrimination, and hate crimes. COMMONALITY OF MENTAL HEALTH FINDINGS FOR TREATING PEOPLE OF COLOR FOR EXPOSURE TO SYSTEMIC RACISM IN THE UNITED STATES  The most consistent mental health recommendation across all people of color groups was that they did psychologically better when they could concretely identify with their own unique culture. Connecting with culture helps from an identity perspective and it connects the person of color with their cultural and spiritual practices. Those with spiritual practices tend to have a  270 Ibid., 51. 271 Monica McGoldrick, Joe Giordano and Nydia Garcia-Preto, Ethnicity & Family Therapy, 3rd ed. (New York: The Guilford Press, 2005), 272. 272 Ibid. 273 Ibid. 171   more positive outlook. However, they are still suffering and exposed to the consequences of racism. From a cultural perspective, most Black people in America do not have traceable roots to their country of origin. Before the civil rights movement, Black people had built a cultural identity distinct from Whites in this country. However, since the civil rights movement, Black people have migrated away from their safe communities without realizing how their migration patterns served to surrender one of the key ingredients that kept them feeling safe mentally and provided a cultural identity. Mental health professionals believe that it is imperative for positive healing outcomes that Blacks try to reconnect with their cultural roots, at least within their communities in America. All people of color groups have a deep abiding mistrust of mental health professionals. Rightly so, I would encourage everyone to read the full apology written by the APA association to understand how their collective apathy and cooperation contributed to the perpetuation of systemic racism in this country.274 Previous mental health support and counseling not only tried to do “one size fits all” without regard to the cultural variety within each ethnic group but also attempted to treat the mental health and, in some cases, physical health issues of the individual from the perspective of White cultural identity. Consequently, the person was not properly treated, and the invisible veil served to cause the person of color to feel they were not valued or indeed seen. Earlier, I referenced the four levels of racism: interpersonal, internalized, institutional, and structural. On page 6 of Black Fatigue, the writer states that some things Blacks (and other people of color) can do to address the racist-induced fatigue. Practicing their faith, rest, resistance, and therapeutic activities can help to offset some the effects of interpersonal and internalized racism. Winters also explains that Whites can help with intra and interpersonal racism and fatigue by acknowledging white privilege, doing their homework regarding the history of racism, and becoming involved in anti-racism efforts. However, dismantling the systemic and structural racism must start with the United States atoning for slavery and the other acts of hateful bigotry spewed over non-dominant people groups.    274 American Psychological Association, “Apology to People of Color for APA’s Role in Promoting, Perpetuating, and Failing to Challenge Racism, Racial Discrimination,” and Human Hierarchy in U.S., (October 2021): 3, https://www.apa.org/about/policy/racism-apology 172   SUMMARY OF MENTAL HEALTH FINDINGS FOR RACIAL HEALING BETWEEN DOMINANT AND NON-DOMINANT PEOPLE GROUPS AND, INSIGHTS FOR BECOMING ANTI-RACIST   The Racial Healing Handbook: Practical Activities to Help You Challenge Privilege, Confront Systemic Racism & Engage in Collective Healing by Anneliese A. Singh, Ph.D. LPC is an excellent resource for people ready and willing to have difficult conversations centered on racial healing. It offers evidence-based strategies for coping with a broad range of social inequities that impact the quality of life. It is a workbook with ten chapters filled with information to start your journey and engage with others. At the end of each chapter are questions to reflect upon and discuss (if in a small group), and Dr. Singh calls the exercises "Racial Healing Practices." Each practice builds your strength and prepares you to loosen racism's grip on you and ultimately challenge racist systems more effectively.275  Dr. Singh describes healing from racism as a journey that starts with reflecting on what a person has been taught to believe about the world and their Ethnicity. Some may have to relearn history to understand how racism came into existence. Others may need a refresher course. Wherever you are, begin the journey to explore how racism is linked to myths and stereotypes. Be prepared to discard your myths about racism - especially those myths and stereotypes your family propagated for generations. That's how racism thrives - in the internalized, unseen realms of our beliefs and thinking. A fundamental principle in her book is the Racial Identity Development Model, which explains the different ways White people and people of color form their racial identity. Investigating the development of learned racial identity provides keen insights into how perceptions are formed. This model is the catalyst used to dissect the learned behaviors and interrogate those that are toxic and need to be discarded.276 Her workbook also contains valuable material for becoming an ally for racial justice and becoming proactive. However, Faithful Anti-Racism: Moving Past Talk to Systemic Change is the book I recommend because it brings to light specific actions to take as a Christian to become anti-racist.  275 Anneliese A. Singh, PhD., LPC, The Racial Healing Handbook Practical Activities to Help Challenge Privilege, Confront Systemic Racism & Engage in Collective Healing, (Oakland: New Harbinger Publications, 2019), 8. 276 Singh, The Racial Healing Handbook Practical Activities to Help Challenge Privilege, Confront Systemic Racism & Engage in Collective Healing, 23. 173   Christina Barland Edmondson & Chad Brennan provide concrete examples of becoming faithful, committed people who work to dismantle racism. They explore biblical examples of confronting racism. Additionally, they provide benchmarks for measuring progress and access to the Racial Justice Unity Center assessments that can aid in measuring your effectiveness towards racial justice according to the Bible. There is also an organizational assessment.  BIBLICAL AND THEOLOGICAL FOUNDATIONS - TRACING GOD'S ORIGINAL PLAN FROM ABRAHAM TO PRESENT. In his groundbreaking work as a pastor, Derwin L. Gray writes, "Ethnicity is created by God…dynamic and developed over long periods…It is not about power…It is about group identity, heritage, language, place, and common group experience…Ethnicity is God's very good intention for humanity."277 His book, How to Heal Our Racial Divide, provides a theologically rich discourse on God's original plan for humanity. For those who wish further insights into ethnicities (race is a human construct) in the Bible, Gray's work is an excellent resource. CONCLUSION The good news is that mental health professionals are starting to realize that more work is necessary to understand the race related traumas that impact the different ethnic groups – American citizens – in this country. And there is evidence-based information with culturally specific recommendations coming to the forefront of mental health Practitioners, social justice activists, and others, in helping professions. However, there is still much to do to awaken the Church at large to recognize our role in bringing these different ethnic groups together to heal and reconcile.  The tentacles of racism stretch far and wide and deep, until it is dealt with at the root, which is fear, we are all its prey.     277 Derwin L. Gray, How to Heal Our Racial Divide: What the Bible Says, and the First Christians Knew, about Racial Reconciliation (Carol Stream: Tyndale House, 2022), 30. 174   Prototype(s) Summary and Findings NPO STATEMENT:  There is an opportunity for the Church to repent and change its racist attitudes and behaviors. An opportunity exists for the Church to heal racial schisms and encourage healing and transformative action that can become a catalyst in dismantling racism against people of color in our Church and in our culture. PROTOTYPE DESCRIPTION: The MVP Prototype was developed as a skeleton representation of an online Small Group Study Guide course.  An outline of the proposed course was developed and uploaded to a Learning Management System (LMS) to provide a more realistic model of the proposed course. Various multimedia formats were used to simulate a ‘live’ online course to provide participants with a mockup of each section and the potential features.  For example, a video introduction; end of section questions; and a quiz were created and imbedded so participants could evaluate functionality.    RESEARCH QUESTIONS: Questions were formulated to test the content's breadth and high-level applicability of the topics. Additionally, the questions were designed to gain an understanding of the functionality of the online platform and media formats. ● Breadth of Content Category.  See Appendix 1 for specific questions.  ● Media Platforms Category. See Appendix 1 for specific questions. ASSUMPTIONS/HYPOTHESES TO TEST: The hypothesis is that if given non-confrontational information/training on racial issues, the individuals will experience a repentant heart change that leads to a reconciliation with black people and other people of color. PARTICIPANT DESCRIPTION: Five people participated in the MVP prototype. From a demographic perspective, they varied in age from the early 40s to the early 60s. Participant experiences and backgrounds were also diverse.  Participant experiences include: ● Education or had prior educational positions  ● IT field – including some coding skills  ● Church leadership - small group leader  ● Social media and digital marketing SUMMARIZE WHAT YOU LEARNED:  Overall, the MVP Prototype participants rated the breadth, topics, and online digital media highly.   Other findings and recommendations are:  175   Proposed alternate media format - eliminate the book format for the small group study guide and facilitator videos.  Media to include - videos from personal experiences from all races that describe the journey each person took to racial healing. A second suggestion was to have information on racial healing from a modern voice or influencer. Areas of concern: ● Several participants expressed concerns that it would be difficult to get a diverse group of people in one setting because of the segregation aspect of churches and that many in the dominant people group will not admit there is an issue.  ● Even though the small group study materials are logical and engaging, there is a question of whether they will accomplish the stated goal.  Most anticipated: ● The call-to-action section is one of the most anticipated topics, as people want to know what they can do now. WHAT WAS YOUR IMPORTANT DISCOVERY?  That it will be helpful to remind people that the issue of racism will not be resolved quickly.  As part of my roll out and ongoing dissemination of information I will have to be mindful to motivate and inspire others of the importance of getting involved now. DOCUMENTATION: See Appendix 1 for all MVP Prototype documentation (copy of materials, pictures, etc.).       176   Design Research Report Documentation Appendix 1: MVP PROTOTYPE SURVEY QUESTIONS:  Breadth of Content Category.  All Ratings are based on a scale of 1 to 5.  1. How satisfied are you with the overall breadth of the content.   2. Please rate the overall topics/chapters in the prototype relative to NPO goals.  3. What topics would you include? Why? Be as specific as possible. (Short paragraph) 4. What topics would you exclude? Why? Be as specific as possible. (Short paragraph) Media Platforms Category.  How satisfied were you with the online digital media used to deliver the prototype content?  Additional feedback on online content? (Short paragraph.) Please rate the importance of having an alternative form of media for the small group course.  ● PDF download for each section  ● Book format to order from Amazon ● Combination of PDF downloads and online digital ● Facilitator video or audio comments Any overall feedback for the MVP Prototype? (Short paragraph)  SURVEY RESPONSES:  COMPILED FROM THE GOOGLE FORM INTO A SPREADSHEET.  Figure D.1. Survey Comments -1.  177   Survey Responses – page 2.  Figure D.2. Survey Comments -2.             178   Prototype documentation (pictures, screenshots, notes etc.).  Figure D.3. Welcome Video Screenshot. The screenshot is from the ‘Greetings’ page.  Included was a video that explains the layout of the course and what each section represents.  Participants were asked to be sure to make to review Section 5 as it had more a more detailed representation of the actual content. Here is the link to the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mW9MIcdm7MU            179   This page has introductory/explanatory information.  It is included for participants as an NPO refresher.  The intent was to have it available as a reminder of the overall objectives.   Figure D.4. Background & Instructions.        180    Figure D.5. This is the Title page for the online course.   181    Figure D.6. This is the Welcome page and is representative of what the real Welcome page will look like.   182    Figure D.7. This is the Course Description page and is representative of what the real Course Description page will look.    Figure D. 8. Screenshot of the Table of Contents in the Small Group Study Guide course.  183    Figure D. 9. Screenshot of the Introduction in the Small Group Study Guide course.   Figure D. 10. Screenshot of Section 1 of the Small Group Study Guide course.    184    Figure D. 11. Screenshot of Section 2 in the Small Group Study Guide course.  Figure D. 12. Screenshot of Section 3 in the Small Group Study Guide course.  185    Figure D. 13. Screenshot of Section 4 in the Small Group Study Guide course.  Figure D.14. Screenshot of Section 5 in the Small Group Study Guide course.  186   The next several screenshots are of the added sample detailed content for Section 5 in the Small Group Study Guide course. The document below is an excerpt on the mental health impact of racism.    Figure D.15. Sample Research 1.- Section 5 in the Small Group Study Guide course.   187    Figure D.16. Sample Research Findings - Section 5 in the Small Group Study Guide course.    188   Section 5:  Health Issues Caused by Racism & Racial Healing Recommendations was chosen as the section to develop more detailed sample content for the MVP Prototype.  The next two screenshots are representative end of section questions. Participants were provided instructions to be sure to review and comment in the survey.  Figure D.17. Sample End of Section Review - Section 5 in the Small Group Study Guide course.    189   Section 5:  Health Issues Caused by Racism & Racial Healing Recommendations was chosen as the section to develop more detailed sample content for the MVP Prototype.  The next screenshot is representative end of section quiz.  Participants were provided instructions to be sure to review and comment in the survey.  Figure D.18. Sample End of SectionQuiz - Section 5 in the Small Group Study Guide course.       190    Figure D. 19. Screenshot of Section 6 in the Small Group Study Guide course.  Figure D. 20. Screenshot of Section 7 in the Small Group Study Guide course.   191    Figure D. 21. Screenshot of Section 8 in the Small Group Study Guide course.  Figure D.22. Screenshot of Next Steps in the Small Group Study Guide course.   192   At the end of the course, participants were presented with the opportunity to complete the survey.  To aid and encourage feedback, the MVP Prototype Google survey form was imbedded within the course.  Survey Responses on pages 13 and 14.   Figure D. 23. Sample Survey.          193    Figure D. 24. Bibliography Screenshots 1.   Figure D. 25. Bibliography Screenshots 2. 194   Appendix E—Project Appendix Documentation195   Appendix E:  Project Documentation Included in this Appendix are screenshots of how the five Sections are displayed in PODIA.  As the remaining three sections are built, they will be added in numerical order following this list.    Figure E.1. Section ONE Lessons Displayed in PODIA.    196    Figure E. 2. Section TWO Lessons Displayed in PODIA.      197                      Figure E. 3. Section THREE Lessons Displayed in PODIA.     198    Figure E. 4. Section FOUR Lessons Displayed in Podia.   199    Figure E. 5. Section FIVE Lessons Displayed in PODIA.  200   Bibliography201   American Psychological Association. “Apology to People of Color for APA’s Role in Promoting, Perpetuating, and Failing to Challenge Racism, Racial Discrimination, and Human Hierarchy in U.S.” American Psychological Association (October 2021): 1-6. https://www.apa.org/about/policy/racism-apology. Andrade N, Ford AD, Alvarez C. “Discrimination and Latino Health: A Systematic Review of Risk and Resilience. Hispanic,” Health Care International 19,1 (2021):13. doi:10.1177/1540415320921489. Aragon, A. Mike. “A Clinical Understanding of Urban American Indians: Mental Health Care for Urban Indians: Clinical Insights From Native Practitioners edited by T.M.Witko.” American Psychological Association (2006): 19-31. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/11422-001. Barland Edmondson, Christina, Chad Brennan. Faithful Anti-Racism: Moving Past to Systemic Change. Downers Grove: Intervarsity Press, 2022. Bleich, Sara N PhD, Mary G. Findling PhD, SM, Logan S. Casey PhD, Robert J. Blendon ScD, John M. Benson MA, Gillian K. Steel Fisher PhD, MSc, Justin M. Sayde MS, Carolyn Miller MS, MA , “Discrimination in the United States: Experiences of Black Americans,” 1402, 29 (October 2019). https://doi-org.georgefox.idm.oclc.org/10.1111/1475-6773.13220. Bonds, Anne and Joshua Inwood. “Beyond White Privilege: Geographies of White Supremacy and Settler Colonialism.” Progress in Human Geography Vol. 40, (6) (2016): 715-733. https://doi.org/10.1177/0309132515613166. Bonhoeffer, Dietrich. Life Together. New York: Harper & Row Publishers, 1954. Brown, Annie Woodley. “Racism and the Christian Church in America: Caught between the Knowledge of Good and Evil.” Social Work in Public Health 34, no. 1 (2019): 134–44. Brown, Brene. Dare to Lead: Brave Work. Tough Conversations. New York: Random House, 2018. Cambridge Bible and Schools Commentary. https://biblicalstudies.org.uk/pdf/e-books/lumby_j-r/acts-1-14-cbfs_lumby.pdf. 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Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2014. Gray, Derwin L. How to Heal Our Racial Divide. Carol Stream: Tyndale, 2022. Hays, J. Daniel. The Message of the Prophets: A Survey of the Prophetic and Apocalyptic Books of The Old Testament. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Press, 2010. Hearn, Mark. “Color-Blind Racism, Color-Blind Theology, and Church Practices.” Religious Education 104, no. 3 (2009): 272–288. Heng, Geraldine. “The Invention of Race in the European Middle Ages I: Race Studies, Modernity, and the Middle Ages1.” Literature Compass 8, no. 5 (May 2011): 315–31. doi:10.1111/j.1741-4113.2011.00790.x. Heng, Geraldine. 2011. “The Invention of Race in the European Middle Ages II: Locations of Medieval Race1.” Literature Compass 8 (5): 332–50. doi:10.1111/j.1741-4113.2011.00795.x. Henry, Matthew. Matthew Henry’s Bible Commentary (Concise) https://www.christianity.com/bible/commentary/matthew-henry-concise/jeremiah/22. Henry, Matthew and Leslie F. Church. 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ProQuest Ebook Central, https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/georgefox/detail.action?docID=875789.  203   Lopez, Jantzen, Nicole. 2019. “Between Empires: Race and Ethnicity in the Early Middle Ages.” Literature Compass 16 (9/10): N.PAG. doi:10.1111/lic3.12542 Maldonado-Torres, Nelson. “AAR Centennial Roundtable: Religion, Conquest, and Race in the Foundations of the Modern/Colonial World.” Journal of the American Academy of Religion vol. 82, no. 3 (September 2014): 636-665. https://www.jstor.org/stable/24487991. Moore, Charles E., ed. Called to Community: The Life Jesus Wants for His People. Walden: Plough Publishing House, 2016. McGoldrick, Monica, Joe Giordano and Nydia Garcia-Preto, Ethnicity & Family Therapy, 3rd ed. New York: The Guilford Press, 2005. McMurtry, Caitlin, SM, Mary G. Findling PhD, SM, Logan S. Casey PhD, Robert J. Blendon ScD, John M. Benson MA, Justin M. 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