Tony Evans - Kingdom Race Theology: Gods Answer to Our Racial Crisis

2022 by
ANTHONY T. EVANS

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

Adapted from chapters 10, 12, 15, and 16 of Oneness Embraced:Kingdom Race Theology for Reconciliation, Unity, and Justice by Tony Evans, 2011, 2022. A portion of chapter 4 was first published as A Kingdom Strategy for Community Transformation, The Urban Alternative, 2020. Some of the material in chapter 4 was first published in the Dallas Morning News. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB) New American Standard Bible, Copyright 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.lockman.org

Edited by Kevin Mungons

Interior Design: Ragont Design

Cover Design: Erik M. Peterson

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Evans, Tony, 1949- author.

Title: Kingdom race theology : Gods answer to our racial crisis / Tony Evans.

Description: Chicago : Moody Publishers, [2022] | Includes bibliographical references. | Summary: Americas racial conflict isnt over-and the current discussion hasnt brought us any closer. The beginnings of a helpful dialogue on diversity became a heated battle about systemic racism, white privilege, and Critical Race Theory, all framed by the slogan black lives matter. Bestselling author Tony Evans answers with a fearless and prophetic voice, pointing to Gods Word as the only lasting solution. Kingdom Race Theology helps people and churches commit to restitution, reconciliation, and responsibility. Together we can work across racial lines to repair the damage done by a long history of racial injustice-- Provided by publisher.

Identifiers: LCCN 2021044627 (print) | LCCN 2021044628 (ebook) | ISBN 9780802429193 (paperback) | ISBN 9780802473899 (ebook)

Subjects: LCSH: Race relations--Religious aspects--Christianity. | Racism--Religious aspects--Christianity. | United States--Race relations. | Racism--United States. | BISAC: RELIGION / Christian Living / Social Issues | RELIGION / Christian Living / Spiritual Growth

Classification: LCC BT734.2 .E929 2022 (print) | LCC BT734.2 (ebook) | DDC 277.308/3--dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021044627

LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021044628

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W e are living in a time of racial chaos, confusion, and conflict. The painful history of our countrys racial divide continues to plague us as a contemporary reality with no apparent resolution in sight.

We, the church, have allowed these battles to divide people of faith even more deeply than before, making us a co-conspirator to the racial epidemic we are continuing to experience in our nation. We cannot afford this. Our nation cannot afford this. Our sons and daughterswhether black, white, or any other colorcannot afford this. We can no longer afford to sit idly by representing the body of Christ as a mere wreck of its divine design. The solutions to the issues we face today are found only by applying a biblical and divine standard as answers to the questions before us. The church should be a model, at such a time as this, to reveal to the world what true oneness, equality, justice, and freedom can produce. Hell advances on the churchs doorsteps with fervent speed, and as long as we remain divided, it will continue to do so.

We can resist hells advances and heal a broken nation if we are willing to come together. First we must fill in our own gaps of understanding, our knowledge of our unique histories, and our relationships. We can repair our own fissures that lead to even greater divides. Then we will have visible solutions we can offer to a frayed society.

This short book introduces some of the material I cover in Oneness Embraced: A Kingdom Race Theology for Reconciliation, Unity and Justice. For those who are interested in a full treatment of this subject and its history in the church, by all means read the longer book. This shorter book also contains material I presented at Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas. As I addressed these issues at my own church, I found myself drawn into the national debate over race, racism, justice, and social theories. Sometimes I found my position mischaracterized by those who claimed I endorsed their views of the issue.

Like all other ideologies, racial theories must be examined and critiqued based on their conformity to Gods Word. Race and racism cannot be the grid for determining theology. Rather, Scripture alone must be the final arbitrator of what is legitimate or illegitimate for this and every other social theory.

Though my response to racial and social theories affirms the sufficiency and authority of Scripture over all ideologies, I do not declare them null and void of any merit. I may disagree, for example, with popular interpretations of racial themes or the connections many of their followers make to anti-theistic ideologies. I do not disagree with the totality of the points or purposes as they were originally intendedespecially its teaching of a more holistic and accurate history through narrative and creative storytelling. A proper understanding and application of Gods Word will enable us to nuance and distinguish between that which is valid or invalid (Heb. 4:12). It will also enable us to identify and correct the misuse of religion and the Bible by those who illegitimately use it to maintain racial superiority, division, and privilege.

One of the challenges of contemporary social theories is that many of their iterations have gained a popular foothold, forever locking black/white relations in an oppressor/oppressed matrix. To teach or imply to a young child that he or she will always be oppressed is to instill a victim mentality into that childs worldview and, thus, limit that childs ability to pursue his or her full potential. By focusing so heavily on institutional structures and systems, it often reduces personal responsibility, allowances for righting wrongs, or individual changes of mindset. Conversely, to imply that skin color and their concomitant privileges automatically places a person in an oppressor grouping locks them into a status from which there is no meaningful exit. Also, social theories that give academic analysis but leave us void of practical solutions create an unsatisfied hunger that leaves us stuck in a never-ending cycle of analysis without resolution.