God and Race: A Guide for Moving Beyond Black Fists and White Knuckles

by John Siebeling, Wayne Francis

A White pastor and a Black pastor, close friends who have each built racially diverse congregations, offer a model Christians can follow to open necessary conversations about race, encourage unity, and foster mutual respect to heal a wounded nation riven by racial tension and political tribalism.
For years, Pastors John Siebeling and Wayne Francis have led thriving congregations that are the embodiment of diversity; Siebeling in Memphis and Francis in New York City. Many churches and leaders have sought their counsel, hoping to emulate their success.  At the height of the Black Lives Matter protests in Summer 2020, they pooled their insights and experiences to help others facilitate conversations about racism. The guide they developed is the basis of God and Race.  Siebeling and Francis examine the White-Black tension from both perspectives and answer all the uncomfortable questions we’re afraid to ask—regarding ourselves, our families, our work and relationships, and the church. Most important, they provide practical steps anyone can take to become part of the solution. Whether you are a church leader or just a caring person who wants to make a difference, God and Race provides inspiration and guidance to help you become an agent of reconciliation and change. These two wise pastors teach you how to find your voice and join Jesus in healing, to help bring our divided communities together with open minds, open hearts, and open hands. Many Christian books on race either do not ask the hard questions or, if they do, speak as critics outside the mainstream church. Siebeling and Francis probe the meaning of racial reconciliation and reveal how the church can be a positive and effective leader to move us forward, beyond hate and injustice, to equality and love.

Genres: Nonfiction

272 pages, Hardcover

Published January 18, 2022

Reviews

[MG · Rating 5 out of 5]

For churches who have members with conflicting views on race, this is one of the best books to read together. Written by two pastors, one Black and one White, they gently but wisely help us understand God's position on the topic, how to understand our cultural moment, and provide direction on how Christians can lead the way forward.

[Andy Littleton · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a topic that needs to be addressed and the authors are clearly practitioners who have walked the walk. I wished the authors got deeper into the implications of the gospel as it applies to the issue. I think it would have made their good ideas sink deeper into the souls of committed Christians. The authors also come from a more Pentecostal tradition which tends to be more integrated. In a sense, this is a reason we should tune in to their perspective, but I also wondered how much of their strategy would work outside of their tradition. That said, this book would be helpful for anyone willing to listen and engage. The advice and path is sound and anchored in their experience and clear commitment to the topic.

[David Ochabski · Rating 5 out of 5]

John Siebeling serves as a senior pastor of The Life Church and is a founding board member of the Association of Related Churches. Wayne Francis leads the New York location of The Life Church. The aim of this book is to address the race problem as it relates to church practice. It is separated into four parts, covering the topics of hope, heart, household, and the house of God. There are acronyms, reflective questions, and memorable lines throughout the book that help put theory into practice. One example is STEPS: speak up, take personal responsibility, educate yourself, pray, and start building diversity in your relationships. It concludes with a guidance to coming together, reconciling a view of earth as it is in heaven, through confession, apology, and collaboration. This book is recommended to public theologians and laity interested in helping to solve current race relations issues.

Book reviewed for Eleutheria, Liberty Divinity Journal (Volume 6, Issue 1).

[Marie-Ange Janvier · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like this Audiobook! I think churches need to be less segregated and more diversified. Like Martin Luther King jr said «  The most segrated place in America is at the pulpit on Sunday morning ». If you look around your place of worship and everyone looks like you, how do you represent the church of God? I’m not just talking about the people that attend church only but also in leadership of the church too. I like the strategies that each of the pastor put forward as they have implemented these strategies in their own church. I realize that because the first step is to have an open dialogue with each ethnicity to understand each other. Coincidently, they also recommend to have friendship outside of your race to gain insight and perspective of other cultures besides your own. They even go as far to create a diversity group/committee in church to help navigate integration with diverse cultures in church. What I appreciated the most with audiobook is that there is two perspective, one being the White pastor John in Memphis and the other Wayne the Black pastor in NYC. Each talk to White and Black audiences with their experience and strategies along with using scripture from the Bible to illustrate their point. You don’t have to be Christian to appreciate their insights. It’s a fantastic point of view to put down your barriers to listen to each other. Loved it!

[Tyler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great hearts, tough topic, solid message

The sole comment I have on the book: Identity in Jesus frees us entirely from racial, cultural, political, and other world-identities. There is a tension throughout the book in arriving to this revelation but it just falls short. The Church must be open to diversity and we must posture our hearts accordingly for God to move. Diversity however is not a prerequisite for God to move. It is the result of the posture of our hearts, becoming a reflection of Jesus who gathers indiscriminately to himself. In this context I feel like the the book describes diversity as a pre-condition for God to move when it is the result of the posturing our hearts and our seeking to be more like Him. I have no doubt both authors believe this but felt they skirted that revelation in favor of being more culturally relevant. It is a great book but I would caution recommending it to new believers and younger Christians who are not firmly rooted in the word.

[Tim Roegner · Rating 3 out of 5]

A black pastor and a white pastor share practical steps Christians and the Church can and should take to improve race relations and reduce racism. It's a good read for anyone starting out on this journey.

[J.J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I especially liked that this book alternated between a white and a black author, both focused on informing and educating from their points of view, always pointing back to God.

[Shannon Bradbury · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a must read for those who wishing to dive deeper into injustice and racial equality. Told from the perspective of two pastors (one white and the other black.) And how racism has affected the church, their lives, and our community. An excellent resource to read a s a group wanting to understand each other and work towards healing in our communities. Each Pastor gives ways to reach out to one another. An excellent read! I wish I would have read this book sooner.