Dealing with racism in ministry: Bernice King from #OC19

Orange Conference 2019 was an incredible experience. The speakers were great, and included a surprise guest I was not expecting. Bernice King (daughter of Dr Martin Luther King Jr) joined Reggie Joiner and some others in a panel discussion. Their topic? Dealing with the issue of racism in ministry.

Here are the notes that I took during that session. Race is important. Racism exists. But having difficult, real discussions will help all parties involved.

Thoughts from Bernice King

Be intentional about knowing people
- Even if you don’t know their story
  - It’s about following Jesus for real
    - Jesus didn’t spend much time in the temple
    - He connected with people outside of church
  - Be intentional about connecting with people from different: cultures, race, religion
    - Do it in their places
    - Eat their food
    - Get to know them and who they are
      - What they think
      - What they experience
- How do we not pass prejudice to the next generation?
  - Look in the mirror, explore your own feelings and prejudice
  - Every white ancestor was not a slave owner
  - Every black ancestor was not a slave
    - But some white ancestors were slave owners
    - Some black ancestors were slaves
  - The next generation may be able to teach us
    - They see human more than they see color
Have the hard conversations with people that are different
- If we can have those conversations, things can change
- Light doesn’t have a place with light. Light has a place with darkness, to dispel the darkness
Beam of darkness doesn’t exist. Beam of light does. Be a beam of light in the darkness.