Destroying the Root of Racism
Copyright 201 Dr. Ron Webb . All rights reserved.
No rights claimed for public domain material, all rights reserved. No parts of this publication may be reproduced, stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the author. Violations may be subject to civil or criminal penalties.
Unless stated otherwise, all Scriptures are taken from the King James Version of the Holy Bible 1984 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission.
All Scriptures marked amp are taken from the Amplified Bible 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.
Library of Congress Control Number: 2015955174
ISBN: | 978-1-63308-183-3 Hardback |
978-1-63308-184-0 Paperback |
978-1-63308-185-7 Digital |
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TABLE OF Contents
FOREWORD
I t is with great enthusiasm and without reservation that I invite you to glean wisdom from the pages of Bishop Webbs new book, Destroying the Root of Racism . Written for such a time as this, Dr. Webb brings God front and center on every page and shines a light into our racially-motivated dark places so that we can see our fellow man of any ethnic or racial heritage as God does, co-heir with Christ and a child of the Most High God.
Bishop Webb doesnt excuse the church from responsibility for the ongoing racial violence and tension that surrounds many urban areas in the United States. Not dwelling on the negative, he presents a powerful message of standing up, stepping out of our comfort zones, and being on the front lines of restoration to aid those who have been damaged emotionally and spiritually by the cruelty of racism and prejudice.
In the tradition of his last written masterpiece, Leadership From Behind the Scenes , prepare to be WOWed by the simplicity and thoroughness of the solution Bishop Webb presents to the Body of Christ to erase racism from our culture in this generation.
Dr. Kitty Bickford, DBS, CPC Founder, Pasture Valley Children Missions
Author, Nonprofit Touchdown
and Do Your Own Nonprofit series
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
T his is one of the most difficult parts of writing any book the acknowledgments. There are so many people who played a major part in making this book a reality. Im so thankful that God placed such wonderful people in my path who have encouraged me, inspired me, prayed for me, and spoke wisdom into my life. I am so fortunate to have so many good friends, it would be impossible to list them all without leaving someone out, so instead I will say thank you to all of the special people in my life that have impacted my life.
To my wife Georgia, thanks for your patience and support in my writing this book. And thank you my children Ronnie, Jackie (Jerrell, Sr.), Tony (Ramona), and two of the greatest grandsons in the world, Jerrell, Jr. and Jaxson. To my incredible staff and advisors, Dave, Jackie, Jamie, and Jeanne: Thank you for all you do. My dear friends who are in an elite category and demand special mention include Dr. John Hagler, whose friendship has been filled with deep and transparent conversations thank you for your honesty. Special thanks to the late and great Alfonse Webb, Sr., and my very special mother who raised ten kids to love, honor, and respect those in authority.
Thank you, Benny Robertson, for your willingness to listen and share your heart on this sensitive matter, you are a great friend. To all my pastor friends who believe in the unity of spirit who will not allow race to divide us, thank you for taking a stand.
INTRODUCTION
A s I set out to write this book, I felt somewhat like the Apostle Paul as he wrote a letter to the church at Corinth. He said, For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote unto you with many tears; not that ye should be grieved, but that ye might know the love which I have more abundantly unto you. (2 Corinthians 2:4). When I observe the way this painful spirit of racism is tearing apart not only our country but the church as well, my heart breaks. However, this time was predicted in the Bible.
And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in diverse places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my names sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.
Matthew 24:6-10
Nation shall rise against nation . In other words, different ethnic groups or groups of people against one another. This racial divide makes my heart sick, especially when I see it in the Body of Christ. While there is so much I could write about in terms of racism, this book is not to cast a bad light on any specific race. Though I will be sharing a few of my personal stories, keep in mind that Im not writing from my own perspective, but from a Biblical one.
Im sure many of you have suffered from this demonic spirit of racism because all demonic spirits need a willing vessel. Its like a cancer, growing and spreading until it infiltrates every facet of our lives, down to the very structure of our society. This cultural cancer seems nearly impossible to overcome. Seminars, meetings, speechesnone of them seem to be making a difference. Even when the issue of racism is addressed, it only leads to more anger and frustration. Why is that? Because the world continues to see race as a problem of skin color. My friend, RACISM HAS NEVER BEEN A SKIN PROBLEM. IT IS A SIN PROBLEM!
We hear of so much violence in our country today through shootings and shedding of innocent blood. Lives end prematurely, and it seems as though theres no end to it. The June 25, 2015 South Carolina shooting is a perfect example. Nine innocent lives were taken when a disturbed young man turned a gun on the members of a Bible study he was attending. Though the church members posed no threat to the man, he killed them one by one because of the color of their skin. And all of this before our nation had recovered from previous racial tragedies such as the November, 2014 unrest in Ferguson, Missouri.
In light of these violent acts, many call for the removal of a flag as the solution. However, removing a flag doesnt remove the hatred from peoples hearts. As Ive often said, racism in not a skin problem, its a sin problem, an issue of the heart. Why are we as Christians sitting back and hoping the justice system will work it out? Our justice system, in its flawed state, is no match for the situation at hand. Without God, there will be no resolution.
