Book Study: America’s Original Sin
Conversations about America’s Original Sin start next Thursday
America’s problem with race has deep roots, with the country’s foundation tied to the near extermination of one race of people and the enslavement of another. Racism is truly our nation’s original sin.
To put this in a religious context: overcoming the divisions of race has been central to the church since its very beginning, and the dynamic diversity of the body of Christ is one of the most powerful forces in the global church. Our Christian faith stands fundamentally opposed to racism in all its forms, which contradict the good news of the gospel. The ultimate answer to the question of race is our identity as children of God, which we so easily forget applies to all of us. And the political and economic problems of race are ultimately rooted in a theological problem. The churches have too often “baptized” us into our racial divisions, instead of understanding how our authentic baptism unites us above and beyond our racial identities.
I believe that, together, with other churches, we need to consider this sin of racism in our community and in the workplace, and search for ways to be a part of the solution.
We will have conversations around a seven-week book study on America’s Original Sin starting this Thursday, May 18th and continuing through July 6th (except May 25th). Members from other churches and their pastors, Reverend Peter Bynum, First Presbyterian; Reverend Carol Carkin, Central United Methodist; and The Reverend Nancy Cox, All Saints’; will each lead one of the sessions during the series. Grace Lutheran and St. James Lutheran have also been invited to join in this community-wide conversation. All sessions will be at 7:00 PM at All Saint’s Episcopal Church on Lake Concord Rd. Books are available for $11 at the church.
Please join me in having conversations about this important issue.
We are delighted to have Toussaint Romain begin our conversation on racism and white privilege on Thursday, May 18th at 7 pm as a kick-off to our study of America’s Original Sin. He is a Public Defender in Charlotte. Romain became a key figure, civil rights leader, and peace-keeper during the protests of the Shooting of Keith Lamont Scott in September 2016. Romain was featured on live television several times both for interviews and as a peace-keeper forming a physical barrier between himself and the police on the second night of the protests. Romain is also an adjunct Professor of criminal justice and criminology at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte campus, where he instructs constitutional law. –Chuck Collier