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Who Cares about Race Relations? October 11 & 12

This week's scripture references:

  • Revelation 7:9-10
  • Romans 7:7-8:11
  • Galatians 3:28

Questions for today:

  1. Piet mentioned three institutions given by God: family, church, and government. What do you see as the role of each of these institutions? What happens when they either fail in their responsibilities or take on the role of one of the others?
  2. Does God have something to say about race relations, and if so what does that mean for us in terms of the decisions that we make and the actions that we take in our everyday lives?
  3. Is God the author of ethnicity? Of diversity? What does this mean about how we treat each other?
  4. In your opinion, has the Church (big C Church, not just Woodcrest), overall, done more to help or to hurt race relations?
  5. Is it appropriate to be talking about race relations at church during a weekend service?
  6. Who has modeled racism or intolerance in your life? Conversely, who has modeled appreciation for diversity? How did these attitudes work out in the lives of these people?
  7. What do you think about trying to legislate appreciation for diversity? Assuming that the law can’t force people to love each other, is there a place for this issue in the law or the civil code?
  8. Does “loving” people who are different from you feel like an obligation? If so, can you really call that love?
  9. How diverse is the group you’re in right now? What do you think of a predominantly white church talking about the appreciation of ethnic diversity?
  10. If a person does not actually believe that all people are truly equal, is there any hope for that person acting in an appreciative, or even tolerant, way towards people of different backgrounds?
  11. How many real friends do you have who are of a different ethnic background from yourself? How welcome do you suppose people of different races feel in coming into your inner circle of friends?

Are there any specific prayer requests?

Prayer Prompt: Father, please help us to express your love in full measure to all people, regardless of their backgrounds.