The Church of Scotland report does not blame people today for actions in the past, but it does affirm that racism is a sin because all humans have “equal dignity in the eyes of God.” It is hoped that education will help church members learn about the previous connections to slavery.
Princeton University is considering a petition, signed by nearly 300 members of the campus community, to remove a statue of John Witherspoon. According to the petition, “paying such honor to someone who participated actively in the enslavement of human beings, and used his scholarly gifts to defend the practice, is today a distraction from the University’s mission.” In place of the statue, the petition requests an informational plaque that would describe both the positive and negative aspects of Witherspoon’s legacy.
Vice President Kamala Harris sparked criticism from Christians and pro-lifers this week when she compared the views of pro-lifers with those of pre-Civil War slave owners.
In most of the world today, slavery is unthinkable. Is it possible that we could ever reach that same place with abortion in America?
Dr. King understood the significance of Israel, and his visit to Jerusalem was remarkable in many ways. But he also understood, and indeed reflected on, the significance of Israel to Black slaves in the U.S.
Chuck Colson would say that, barring the message of salvation, the greatest gift Christianity gave the world is the idea of the image of God. Christians need to know and understand the image of God for three distinct reasons.
Tomorrow, however, offers us an opportunity to come out of our ideological and political corners and agree to commemorate a significant day in American history. Every American, regardless of politics or background, should reflect on a day marked in many African American communities for over 150 years. Tomorrow, June 19th, is Juneteenth, the anniversary of the day in 1865 in which the particularly vicious evil of chattel slavery effectively came to an end in this country.
Outgoing Southern Baptist Convention President J.D. Greear opened up the two-day Southern Baptist meeting using a different gavel than the one traditionally used. The traditional gavel was named for John A. Broadus, a founding faculty member of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Broadus was a slaveholder and a believer in white superiority. So, instead of using the Broadus Gavel, Greear used the Judson Gavel, named for the first SBC missionary.
Southern Baptist Theological Seminary has decided not to change the names of some of the school's buildings named for men who owned slaves. The school did, however, set aside a substantial amount of money to fund scholarships for African American students.
