Gracism

This morning at church we had the privilege of hearing Dr. David Anderson speak about Gracism. Gracism is looking at color, class, and culture in a positive way by extending the love of God to people of all backgrounds. He mentioned that by being a Gracist we are being bridge builders, connecting to each other as the body of Christ.

Gracism is based on 1 Corinthians 12.

A couple of take-aways that stuck with me are these: There is a difference between a church that is multicolor and a church that is multicultural. Multicolor is just that: faces of different colors within the church, but their stories aren't acknowledged. A church that is multicultural is one who has faces of all different colors who are recognized and their stories are heard making them connected with each other in the body of Christ. Our stories and journeys are what bring us closer as the body of Christ.

The second take-away: One of the 7 Sayings of being a Gracist: I will stand with you (1 Corinthians 12:25) If we are the majority in any given situation, our job is to reach out to the outside of the circle to help the minorities no matter who they are or the color of their skin. God has shown positive favor for you and me regardless of the color of our skin, our culture or our class. We are all part of the body of Christ working together for the same cause.

I encourage you to do 3 things if you feel led to do so:

1) Listen to his message by clicking this link http://956fa994854188911909-c71cb442ed95f1221771aafb2743621…

2) Pick up a copy of Gracism: The Art of Inclusion by Dr. David Anderson. We are reading it as a church (though Stefan and I just picked up our copy today!)

3) Find ways in your community, church, etc. where you can become a bridge builder connecting cultures to one another in the body of Christ.

To learn more about David Anderson and his ministry, click here.

Peace and Love.