|
Emphasis Mine In Bible Verses
ON THIS PAGE
The Savior's Unconventional Inclusive Approach
Unqualified Acceptance?
The People Jesus Excluded
Jesus was radically and unconventionally inclusive, however, If you think He simply accepted people just as they were, you would be very wrong. Here are some of those who were excluded by Jesus or warned that they could be.
The Divine Commission
The Inclusiveness And Exclusiveness Of The Early Church
They did exactly what Jesus did
Who Are We To Cut Ourselves From?
Not only Christians who persistently sin, but we Are COMMANDED
to separate ourselves from those who teach and practice false doctrine.
Is Homosexuality a Sin?
We need to make an unbiased examination of what the Biblical texts actually say about homosexual behavior
How Should Christians Treat Homosexuals?
How Paul Dealt With Sexual Immorality In The Corinthian Church
Are we forgetting one of the biggest problems in the church today?
Jesus' Unconventional Inclusive Approach
In Jesus' day the Pharisees (separated ones), a Jewish sect during the Second Temple period were authoritative teachers and interpreters of the law. They strictly observed the rites and ceremonies and insisted on the validity of their own oral traditions harshly judging those who did not as strictly observe their interpretation of the Law. Thus they looked down upon the majority of the Jews as unspiritual sinners and avoided them as far as possible including any physical contact.
In view of which it is no surprise that they vehemently opposed Jesus Christ who in their eyes was radically inclusive especially considering the time and the society that He lived in.
Not only did Jesus personally select His disciples, Those He chose (ex. uneducated fishermen, a tax collectors) were not exactly what anyone (then or now) would consider ideal material to lead what would become a global movement.
And that was only the beginning.
During His entire time on earth Jesus did not associate with the religious elite, wealthy or powerful, but put His hand out to those who were regarded as sinners or ritually unclean. In fact, when one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to his house for a meal during which a woman known as a sinner anointed his head with oil and washed His feet with her tears, the Pharisee was offended because Jesus did not rebuke her for touching Him (Luke 7:36 - 39)
Tax Collectors
In Jesus' time even ordinary Jewish citizens would have had no wish to associate with tax collectors. The Romans imposed several extremely high taxes on the Jews which were collected by a independent contractors - usually Jews who worked with Rome and often used unsavory methods to become wealthy at the expense of their countrymen. They apparently collected more than they were required to keeping the extra for themselves.
Thus they were a despised bunch treated as sinners and political traitors ie. religiously excommunicated and socially rejected. Yet, as Mark relates immediately or soon after Jesus called the tax collector Levi (Matthew) to follow Him, He was seen eating with Levi and other tax collectors and sinners.
As He passed by, He saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting in the tax office, and He *said to him, "Follow Me!" And he got up and followed Him. And it *happened that He was reclining at the table in his house, and many tax collectors and sinners were dining with Jesus and His disciples; for there were many of them, and they were following Him. (Mark 2:14-15 NASB)
Lepers
Sadly, leprosy seemed to be rather common in days gone by. As far back as in Moses' time, God gave the Israelites very specific instructions on how to deal with it. Anyone who had a skin blemish (swelling, scab or "bright spot") on his skin was required to go to the priest who determined the nature of the skin lesions according to very stringent criteria. (See Leviticus 13) If the person was diagnosed with leprosy he was considered unclean ...
Once again, Mark tells us that not only did the leper break every rule by presenting himself to Jesus who was known as a holy man, but Jesus himself utterly broke social and religious convention by touching the leper who was immediately cleansed Mark 1:40-42). As we know from some of Jesus' other healing touching the afflicted person was not a requirement.
After which Jesus instructed the healed leper to follow the requirements of the law because only the priest had the authority to determine that he was now clean. Thus He could be restored to the community from which he had been excluded. (Mark 1:44 NASB)
Women
Although they were not outcasts from society, women were often treated as second class citizens. As said by Rev. Dr. Mark D. Roberts
Some ancient rabbis even refused to teach women. One said, "Rather should the words of the Torah be burned than entrusted to a woman . . . . Whoever teaches his daughter the Torah is like one who teaches her obscenity" (Mishnah, Sotah, 3.4). Another rabbi discouraged men from even speaking with women, "Who speaks much with a woman draws down misfortune on himself, neglects the words of the law, and finally earns hell" (Mishnah, Aboth, 1.5). [01]
I guess they weren't reading the Old Testament as well as they should have been. The historical data in the narratives of pre-monarchical Israel reveal a rather important level of influence of women on the historical unfolding of Israel, as well as indications of special care from the heart of God for His daughters. See Women in the Heart of God ./god_and_women.html
Once again Jesus, flouting the social conventions of the day, treated women as God intended them to be treated (See Article Linked Above). He regularly interacted with women speaking and even teaching them. He commended Martha's sister Mary saying she had chosen "the better part" (Luke 10:37-42) when she sat at His feet and listened to Him rather than attending to the duties of a hostess.
Luke 8:1-3 tells us that as Jesus traveled from village to village preaching the kingdom of God, He was supported in part by many women out of their private means. Also accompanying Him were women who had been healed of evil spirits and sicknesses including Mary Magdalene. In fact, it was to Mary that Jesus first showed Himself after the resurrection - a powerfully symbolic action.
Unqualified Acceptance?
These stories in the Gospels have obviously caused many to think Jesus accepted people just as they were. They would be very wrong. If you read the accounts of His dealing with the tax collectors and sinners with a discerning eye you will see that Jesus' inclusion of these groups of people ostracized by society was not as Dr. Mark Roberts puts it, the "Come as you are and stay as you are " variety. [02]
Although there is no question that Jesus reached out to sinners, He didn't include them in the kingdom of God as they were. A perfect example is...
The Woman Caught in Adultery
When a woman caught in the act of adultery was brought to Jesus by the religious leaders who reminded Him that according to Mosaic Law she should be stoned to death (Leviticus 20:10). (The fact that they did not bring the guilty man before Jesus makes one wonder whether the leaders were using the woman as a pawn in their battle with Jesus).
Jesus' response was to completely ignore them. Instead He stooped down and wrote in the sand. No one can know what it was He wrote ...
But when they persisted in asking Him, He straightened up, and said to them, "He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." (John 8:7 NASB)
The accusers gradually melted away leaving the woman alone with Jesus. Straightening up, Jesus said to her,
"Woman, where are they? Did no one condemn you?" She said, "No one, Lord." And Jesus said, "I do not condemn you, either. Go. From now on sin no more." (John 8:10-11).
Jesus forgave the woman but instructed her to not sin again.
Matthew, the tax collector didn't continue in his despised occupation but became one of Jesus' entourage - later writing the Gospel that bears his name.
Mary Magdalene only became one of Jesus' followers after she was freed from demonic possession.
Nicodemus: The Gospel of John records a conversation between Jesus and a leading Pharisee named Nicodemus. In this context Jesus explained that in order to see the kingdom of God, one must be "born from above" (John 3:3; or as the Greek is traditionally rendered, "born again"). By implication, if Nicodemus rejected Jesus as God's Son and was not born again, he would not be included in the eternal life of the kingdom. [03]
The People Jesus Excluded.
Jesus made it very clear that not everyone would gain entrance to the Kingdom. As He said,
Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. "For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it. (Matthew 7:13-14 NASB)
Some of those who were excluded by Jesus (or warned that they could be) included,
Those Who Did Not Prioritize The Kingdom
Christ did not include those who were unwilling to put the kingdom first in their lives - you had to have your priorities straight.
a) Mark told the story of Jesus' interaction with a wealthy man who asked how he might "inherit eternal life" (Mark 10:17). In reply, Jesus reminded him of six of the Ten Commandments which the man claimed to have kept since his youth. He then told the wealthy man to give away that which he loved more than the promise of eternal life, i.e. his money and possessions.
Looking at him, Jesus felt a love for him and said to him, "One thing you lack: go and sell all you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me." But at these words he was saddened, and he went away grieving, for he was one who owned much property. And Jesus, looking around, *said to His disciples, "How hard it will be for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God!" (Mark 10:21-23 NASB)
b) On one occasion, when a man whom Jesus had called to follow Him asked permission to go and bury his father first, Jesus responded by saying, "Allow the dead to bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim everywhere the kingdom of God." (Luke 9:60 NASB)
c) Another said, "I will follow You, Lord; but first permit me to say good-bye to those at home." Jesus' response? "No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God." (Luke 9:61-62)
Self Righteous Hypocrites
Matthew 23:15-39 records Jesus' thunderous criticism of the religious elite in which He accused them of not only failing to enter the kingdom themselves but keeping others out as well. He called them hypocrites (several times), blind guides, murders, serpents, brood of vipers, fools and other less than complimentary names.
But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you lock people out of the kingdom of heaven. For you do not go in yourselves, and when others are going in, you stop them. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cross sea and land to make a single convert, and you make the new convert twice as much a child of hell as yourselves. (Matt 23:13-15).
After relating the parable of the two sons, Jesus asked the chief priests and the elders which of the sons they thought did the will of their father, to which they correctly answered "the first"
"But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, 'Son, go work today in the vineyard.’ "But he replied, 'I do not want to.’ Yet afterward he regretted it and went. "And the man came to his second son and said the same thing; and he replied, 'I will, sir’; and yet he did not go. "Which of the two did the will of his father?" They *said, "The first."
Jesus *said to them, "Truly I say to you that the tax collectors and prostitutes will get into the kingdom of God before you. "For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him; but the tax collectors and prostitutes did believe him; and you, seeing this, did not even have second thoughts afterward so as to believe him. (Matthew 21:28-32 NASB)
The Savior had made His point.
It is no wonder the religious leaders strenuously opposed Jesus every way they could, eventually silencing him by accusing Him of crimes He did not commit then turning him over to the Romans to be crucified.
Sinners:
As said earlier, soon after Jesus called the tax collector Levi (Matthew) to follow Him He was seen to be dining with many tax collectors and sinners who were following Him (Mark 2:14-15). This obviously provoked a reaction from the religious elite who demanded to know what He was doing.
When the scribes of the Pharisees saw that He was eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they said to His disciples, "Why is He eating and drinking with tax collectors and sinners?" And hearing this, Jesus *said to them, "It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick; I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners." (Mark 2:16-17 NASB)
This was not a surprising question considering that the Pharisees separated themselves from everything and everyone they thought unholy. In spite of observing Yom Kippur for generations the thought that sinners could be redeemed somehow never crossed their minds.
Jesus had a completely different mindset. As He told the Pharisees, those who are whole do not need a physician. and that He had come to call not the righteous, but sinners to repentance
What you believe about Biblical repentance is quite literally a matter of life or death. Much of the modern church preaches a watered down message of "just "believe and be saved". This in spite of the fact that on innumerable occasions, the Scriptures record God as warning that He will only have mercy on those whose repentance is real, but will destroy those who do not repent and turn from their sin.
Scripture presents Repentance and Faith not as the same thing, but literally as two sides of the same coin. Quite simply, you can't believe without truly repenting.
See Repentance - The Missing Message www.inplainsite.org/html/repentance.html
The Divine Commission
After His resurrection, Jesus' final instruction to His disciples was to go and
... make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." (Matthew 28:19-20 NASB)
Jesus did not send out the disciples with the good news that all people are included in the kingdom of God. Although His invitation has been extended to all, it isn't "absolute" in the sense that everyone is invited to join him without qualification or condition. In other words, although the Kingdom was (and is) open to everyone, entrance is on the Savior's terms.
And we see exactly the same way of thinking in the early church.
The Inclusiveness And Exclusiveness Of The Early Church
Inclusiveness
Some two decades later Paul made the point that regardless of race, ethnicity, economic status, or gender, everyone is invited to become members of the body of Christ and citizens of His Kingdom.
For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3:26-28 NASB)
In other words, no human distinction would exclude people from the church if they put their faith in Christ. They would receive the Spirit and become equal members of the body of Christ, the church (1 Corinthians 12:12-13).
Unfortunately much of the church did not and does not heed what Paul said in Galatians.
See Footnote I - Prejudice, Bigotry and Racism in The Church
Exclusiveness
The church in Corinth seemed to be an enthusiastic congregation not lacking in any gift and were eagerly waiting the revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 1:7) However, they also seemed to be a rather immature, quarrelsome, and competitive bunch.
They had divided into groups and were holding up various leaders as being superior to the others, believing that those that spoke in tongues were more spiritual than those that could not, they vied for certain gifts. Nor were they waiting until everyone was present before they partook of the Lord's Supper. (See 1 Corinthians 11)
However, none of these were sins.
What was a sin was the fact that a man was having sexual relations with his step-mother, an blatant immorality that was being ignored.
It is actually reported that there is immorality among you, and immorality of such a kind as does not exist even among the Gentiles, that someone has his father's wife. You have become arrogant and have not mourned instead, so that the one who had done this deed would be removed from your midst. (1 Corinthians 5:1-2 NASB)
In no uncertain terms, Paul told them that they had to exclude the sinner from their community. He did not instruct the Corinthians to take this particular man through the steps of reconciliation because he was clearly not a true believer. Paul referred to him as a "so-called brother" and a "wicked man. And there was always the hope that this drastic step would bring the sinner to his senses and cause him to repent and return to the fold.
Who Are We To Cut Ourselves From?
In a previous letter Paul had instructed the Corinthians not to associate with immoral people (1 Corinthians 5:9). Because the Corinthians apparently understood Paul's instructions to mean that they should cut off relationships with the immoral people of the world, Paul had to clarify what he meant in a second epistle
I did not at all mean with the immoral people of this world, or with the covetous and swindlers, or with idolaters, for then you would have to go out of the world. But actually, I wrote to you not to associate with any so-called brother if he is an immoral person, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindler - not even to eat with such a one. For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Do you not judge those who are within the church? But those who are outside, God judges. remove the wicked man from among yourselves. (1 Corinthians 5:10-13 NASB)
Although living in this world makes it impossible to completely avoid immoral people, the Bible very clearly states that we have to scrupulously avoid Christians who are guilty of the same behavior. In other words, if someone in the church continues to sin and does not repent that person is to be excluded and not even shared a meal with.
 Note: Additionally few seem to realize that Christians are commanded to separate themselves from those who teach and practice false doctrine. THE BIBLE CALLS THEM "ENEMIES". See Fraternizing With The Enemy ./fraternizing_with_the_enemy.html
All of the above gives rise to two questions
A. Is Homosexuality a Sin? and
B. How Should Christians Be Inclusive of Gays and Lesbians?
Is Homosexuality a Sin?
There are now many churches that unconditionally accept gays and lesbians - this based on their belief that homosexuality is not a sin that has to be repented of in order to be saved and admitted into God's kingdom.
One has to conduct an unbiased examination of what the Bible actually says about homosexual behavior because whenever it speaks positively about human sexuality it is always in the context of male-female sexuality. In contrast it always speaks negatively about same-sex practice.
Homosexuality And The Bible ./homosexuality_and_the_bible_.html
centuries the answer to that question seemed obvious, but in the last few decades pro- homosexual commentators have tried to reinterpret the relevant biblical passages.
Incidentally, homosexuality is far from the only type of behavior that will keep the offender out of the kingdom.
Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, (1 Corinthians 6:9 NASB)
Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. (Galatians 5:19-21 NASB)
Note: Idolaters are not just people who worship graven images, but those who put other things before the Lord. Greed and idolatry are the same thing according to Colossians 3:5 that reads "Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry."
How Should Christians Treat Homosexuals?
But none of this means that a gay person should not be treated with the same respect as everyone else.
Many Christians believe they should not allow 'those type of people' anywhere near our churches. However, believers who treat gays and lesbians with disrespect or contempt says more about the believer than it does about the sinner.
Think about how Jesus treated all sinners. He didn't unquestioningly accept them but called for them to repent, turn their lives around and follow Him. See Sin, Repentance and Salvation on THIS Page
So should we.
What we cannot do is affirm the sexual/lifestyle choices made by gays. Associating with a gay or lesbian, inviting them to your church, or even being friends with them does NOT mean you endorse or even accept their lifestyle and this should be made clear in the kindest possible terms. Let us remain true to our convictions, but not let these convictions keep us from reaching out to people and showing them what the love of Christ means and what His offer to all humanity means.
We have to extend the same offer Jesus made to the people of His day with the same caveat - They have to repent and change before they are forgiven their sins and accepted into His kingdom.
However, homosexuals are not the only sinners. Note Paul's severe reaction to persistent heterosexual sin.
How Paul Dealt With Sexual Immorality In The Corinthian Church
When it was reported to Paul that sexual immorality of a kind that did not even exist among the Gentiles (someone was sleeping with his father's wife) existed in the Corinthian church, he was understandably very upset and largely because it was being tolerated. The church had not done a thing to take care of the situation. Perhaps they thought they could be religious, yet so what they liked when it came to sex. They may also have considered themselves 'loving' and 'open minded' just as many of our modern churches do.
Paul however, was not quite as tolerant. Although not physically present, he had already judged the man and had decided to 'turn him over to Satan for the destruction of his body, so that his spirit might be saved on the day of the Lord.
It is difficult to know what exactly Paul meant. Some believe that excommunication was intended but does not really answer the question of how the offender's body would be destroyed but (hopefully) his spirit would be saved in the 'Day of the Lord'. (In 1 Timothy 1:20, Paul said something similar i.e. he had delivered Hymeneus and Alexander to "Satan, that they might learn not to blaspheme)
What we can be certain about is that Paul's solution was a very drastic one which makes me wonder how many would remain sitting in our pews should we also take similar action against persistent heterosexual sinners.
Please note: There is a difference between those who blatantly and willfully sin and this who have an addiction. The former need to be strictly deal with according to Scriptural guidelines. The latter need help which should be given unstintingly.
The following excerpt from an article entitled Pornography in the Church: A New Epidemic reflects the massive scale of a usually well hidden problem and should we follow the Bible's instructions makes me wonder .
Shocking statistics released by Net Accountability reveal that 50 percent of evangelical pastors viewed pornography last year. A study by Internet Filter Review revealed that 53 percent of Promise Keeper men viewed pornography the week before the survey, and 17 percent of women admitted to struggling with pornography addiction. Focus on the Family recently reported that one in seven calls to their pastoral care line concern Internet pornography. [04]
Mike Genung who struggled with sex addiction for 20 years before God set Him free in 1999 is the director of blazinggrace.org, a ministry to the sexually broken. He writes on Crosswalk.com
Wanting to prove the numbers wrong, in the spring of 2004 I approached the leadership of our church and asked if we could survey the men on the topic of pornography. Our numbers will be different; "half" can't be true here, I thought. Of those who responded, 25 percent had looked at porn within the past 30 days, 44 percent within six months, and 61 percent within the year. The real statistic is probably higher; I heard later that a number of men didn't fill out the survey "because they were afraid of how it would be used." [05]
Footnote I - Prejudice, Bigotry and Racism in The Church
Unfortunately the church has had a long history of discrimination against people of a different race and color. For example,
Martin Luther was known for his vitriolic polemics against those he considered to be 'enemies' of the faith - the Jews. In 1543 he wrote "On The Jews and Their Lies" in which he expressed very antagonistic, virulent and hateful views towards them - for some 200 pages. For instance, Luther said the Jews were,
boastful, arrogant rascals who to the present day can do no more that boast of their race and lineage, praise only themselves, and disdain all the world in their synagogues, prayers and doctrines... a defiled bride, an incorrigible whore and an evil slut, with whom God ever had to wrangle, scuffle and fight. If He chastised and stuck them with his word through his prophets, they contradicted him, killed his prophets, or, like a mad dog, bit the stick with which they were struck".... [06] Much More About Martin Luther HERE ./martin_luther.html
Southern Baptist. James Petigru Boyce and John A. Broadus, the founding faculty members of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, were also slave owners who served as chaplains in the Confederate army. In 1857, the former's fellow Princetonian Basil Manly, Jr. drew up the Abstract of Principles, that every Southern professor, upon election to the faculty has signed. However, Manly was a slave owner and pro-slavery lobbyist who used the Bible to justify slavery. [07]
These prejudices persisted in the pulpits of prominent Southern Baptist churches well into the twentieth century. W. A. Criswell two-term elected president of the Southern Baptist Convention and senior pastor of the First Baptist Church of Dallas for five decades was a fiery and outspoken segregationist. "He attacked preachers who supported integration and particularly railed against both the National Council of Churches and the NAACP, calling them "good-for-nothing fellows who are trying to upset all of the things that we love as good old Southern people and as good old Southern Baptists." [08]
"Even a decade after his views on race and the biblical support for segregation supposedly changed, Criswell continued to conjure up the spirits of white supremacy and implicitly endorsed the resulting racialized social arrangements". [09] Note: This article is well worth reading.
The Church of England apologized for racism experienced by "countless black, Asian and minority ethnic people" over the past 70 years".
The church's General Synod (legislative body" voted to issue an official apology and commission an outside expert to prepare a report on racism, race and ethnicity in the church. Speaking at the synod, the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, who is the church's most senior bishop, said there was "no doubt" that the Church of England was still "deeply institutionally racist". [10]
The Modern World
The following is a quote from Sojourner's Magazine (Emphasis Added)
... although the majority of black Americans (84 percent) think president Trump is racist, when Trump called Neo-Nazis and White Nationalists "very fine people..." or when he referred to "sh**hole countries" or called immigrants "rapists..." or praises confederate generals, or uses rhetoric to disparage Muslims, the white church did what it has often done in the face of racism — nothing. Rather than immediate and bold denunciations from the white church, there's been either silence or even strong displays of support for the president. [11]
Note: It took Trump 48 hours to condemn the Ku Klux Klan, neo-Nazis and white supremacists after violent clashes left one woman dead in Charlottesville, Virginia. And that came only after a storm of criticism even from prominent people in his own party.
End Notes
[01] Dr. Mark D. Roberts. The Inclusiveness of Jesus (Section C)
http://markdroberts.com/htmfiles/resources/christianinclusiveness.htm#sep1504
[02] ibid.
[03] ibid.
[04] Mike McCormick. Pornography in the Church: A New Epidemic. Global Christian Center.
https://globalchristiancenter.com/mens/overcoming-temptations/16765-pornography-in-the-church-a-new-epidemic
[05] Mike Genung. How Many Porn Addicts are in Your Church?
https://www.crosswalk.com/church/pastors-or-leadership/how-many-porn-addicts-are-in-your-church-1336107.html
[06] Martin Luther On The Jews and Their Lies. The book can be read online here -
http://danielhammarberg.com/martin_luther_on_the_jews.pdf
[07] The Encyclopedia Of Alabama http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/h-1182
[08] Richmond Free Press. Pastor whitewashes history of Southern Baptist denomination.
http://richmondfreepress.com/news/2016/jul/29/pastor-whitewashes-history-southern-baptist-denomi/
[09] Curtis W. Freeman Never Had I Been So Blind: W. A. Criswell's "Change" on Racial Segregation.
http://jsr.fsu.edu/Volume10/Freeman.pdf
[10] Ivana Kottasová. Church of England to apologize for being ‘deeply institutionally racist. February 11, 2020
https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/11/uk/church-of-england-racism-apology-gbr-intl/index.html
[11] Stephen Mattson. The White Church Has Been A Steady Oppressor
https://sojo.net/articles/white-church-has-been-steady-oppressor
|
