Editor’s Note: Sadly Rev. John Thomas has called for a “Sacred Conversation on Race” to be held on Trinity Sunday. The only hope for the human community is to enter into union and communion with the Triune God exclusively through Jesus Christ. Why? Because the Holy Trinity - in the mysterious union of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, one God - embodies the perfect community of love and “shalom” that humanity craves. The United Church of Christ has too long neglected the historic Trinitarian orthodoxy of it’s Congregational, Evangelical and Reformed forebears. The United Church - and Rev. Wright - have waffled on the fact that salvation is found only in Jesus Christ. Entering into any discussion of race, racial reconciliation, or unity within the church without re-establishing our connection with the doctrine of the Trinity and the doctrine of Jesus Christ as the unique Savior of the World is, at best, premature and will be ill informed even if such a call to “dialog” were sincere in the first place rather than a smokescreen to hide the true beliefs of a small percentage of the larger church and it’s current leadership.
From Biblical Witness Fellowship
CONFESSING MOVEMENT CALLS UCC TO SUSPEND DIALOGUE ON RACE
Given the present reality of our church and society, we call on the leadership of the United Church of Christ to suspend plans to initiate a church wide “dialogue on race,” scheduled to begin May 18th!
While we applaud the many faithful pastors who will use this Sunday to speak to their congregations in a Godly way about racial reconciliation, this is not the time for the UCC to seek further publicity in this way. This is an historic hour in America. Whether we will vote for or against him, the candidacy of our Christian brother and United Church of Christ member Barack Obama for the presidency of the United States has shattered our racial barriers as no other event in our history. He has called us to a unity and hope that transcends our history of racial division. Unfortunately, the President and leadership of the United Church of Christ, in support of UCC Pastor Jeremiah Wright, damaged Obama’s candidacy by refocusing attention on racial division in a way that, sadly, energized racism in the nation. We call our church not to compound this error by engaging in ‘dialogue’ on the pain of the past or the issues that divide.
The United Church of Christ is in no position to offer leadership on this subject. The presidency of John Thomas has had a poor record on race - landmarked by the alienation of the entire Puerto Rico Conference and the failure to respond to the African American Pastors Memorandum of 2004. The United Church of Christ is one of the least racially diverse protestant denominations in the United States.
Now is the time to authenticate the unity that begins with personal transformation through faith in Jesus Christ. Only when we die to ourselves and receive life in Jesus Christ do we become a people of one blood, one name, one character, one history and one future. We call on the United Church of Christ to live our Christ-given unity in repentance and humility rather than presume to dialogue about race.
Athanasian Creed for Trinity Sunday
Sounding Off on Trumpet Magazine
Excerpt: Since Wright is the only reason the UCC is calling for a “sacred conversation” this Sunday, it’s appropriate we ask questions not just of ourselves, but also about him:
Does Wright yearn for true reconciliation between the races? Or, the defeat of one race and triumph of another? What, if any, progress does he see in America’s race relations?
That’s what I’ll be asking Sunday.
