In preparation for a few messages that will coincide with Martin Luther King Jr day and Black History month; I watched the film, CRASH yesterday. It's a movie that I have wanted to see for awhile but finally found the right context to view it. I thought this was a really, really good movie about a complex issue that affects us all in one way or another. It's a mature film for adults who really want to look at the issue of race and racial interaction, sin and redemption. I will try to see how to fit this in to the overall teaching.
I have a lot I want to discuss concerning the issue after moving and living in a racially diverse part of our city from the mostly white suburbs. The challenges of working with refugees and growing a purposefully multi-racial church and coming face to face with racism both from whites to colors and from colors to whites. There is a lot of talk about unity in the community and all that but, when it comes down to actual relationships with diverse cultures..our reality is far from our words. I have been surprised by the presence of racism in our city...its an issue that is overlooked, shied away from, tolerated and encouraged. The church is often the most segregated institution and on closer examination...or personal lives are very centered around our own races.
One of the values that I dug out of John 4 in planting this church was the racial interaction between Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well...two cultures coming together, both thirsty, both breaking cultural norms, both discussing truth and God was found in the midst of unlikely people learning to talk and share life.
I hope to help propel us towards a more radical living out of the "Wall Demolishing" nature of the gospel, in the days to come.
4 comments:
I own this movie if you ever need to borrow it.
I personally learned, in both life and this movie, that racism tends to be created in the assumption that it is already present. It would probably not even come up half the time if it simply wasn't brought up. Conflict arises more often from the ones who think the conflict will inevitably come from the others. So which is the prejudice really coming from?
Awesome film. Can't wait for the discussion to unfold.
Hey Eric, crash is good movie for those who try to pre-judge by the outward appearances, and how at the core of such pre-judice (or pre-judas for Christians) we can still find real courage in the midst of desperate times, we as Christian-Americans are in the middle of desperate times as well! I still remember reaching out in the east-central community and helping rebuild a mostly African-American church, that really opened my eyes to the real heart of racial separation.
Your friend Brandon
Great movie. I can't wait to hear a Christian perspective on such a devisive and base-line issue as this. You are absolutely right about this being so prevelant in our world and Christian world today. When I spent a year working with a black man (Raleigh) every day/all day/long hours/tired/sore/real, my eyes were blown open to the underlying themes of our world, both our perspective of "them" and their perspective of "us". I am enxiously awaiting this discussion
Mike Mike
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