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Tackling White Privilege

By Rick Lawrence
Executive Director

At the dinner table a few nights ago, my wife, my 18-year-old daughter, and I were talking about “white privilege”—a volatile term that has been around for awhile, but grabbed the spotlight in 2020. After my daughter offered her own take on the built-in advantage white people enjoy in our culture, I said: “I think of it as an obstacle race, where some of the contestants at the starting line have to wear a 50-pound backpack. It’s not that some of those over-burdened racers might not finish well, but the odds are stacked against them.” 

Of course, this is not a metaphor that many in our culture can easily swallow—it  sounds like a negation of their hard work and enterprise. This is why the bridge-building work we need to do, across our racial chasms, seems so daunting. So, in another of our ongoing conversations about diversity and relational restoration, I asked Reachable Reconciliation founder Fred Oduyoye how he handles the “white privilege” issue in his coaching cohorts made up of ministry leaders (warning: the video ends a little abruptly because of [my] user error).

https://player.vimeo.com/video/521163724

Continue vital conversations such as these when you embark on a five-month journey in a Reachable Reconciliation Cohort! 

Fred Oduyoye will use his expertise to help you engage in the hard work of reconciliation. 

The Cohort includes:

– 5 live online training sessions (90 minute) each month with your facilitator Fred Oduyoye
– Additional materials, assignments, and resources sent to your cohort between sessions
– A private online community to share in discussion, ideas, and connection

Get the full details and fill out the interest form here!

Rick Lawrence is Executive Director of Vibrant Faith—he created the new curriculum Following JesusHe’s editor of the Jesus-Centered Bible and author of 40 books, including The Suicide Solution,The Jesus-Centered Life and Jesus-Centered Daily. He hosts the podcast Paying Ridiculous Attention to Jesus.

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