Beyond Colorblind
Redeeming Our Ethnic Journey
(IVP, 2017)
WHO: Sarah Shin, resource specialist in the evangelism department of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship.
SHE SAYS: “Racially charged, ethnically divisive comments flood our social media outlets and news screens. Good intentions alone are ineffective medicine for such scars. The idea that we have transcended ethnic difference has been exposed as a mirage.”
THE BIG IDEA: People say they don’t see race. But in our broken world, ethnicity and racial identity are often points of injustice. We can’t ignore that God made us with our ethnic identities. But our brokenness can be restored and redeemed.
THE PROGRESSION:
This book has two main parts, “Redeeming Our Ethnic Stories” and “Stewarding Our Ethnic Identities.” In every chapter in each section, the author uses personal stories and accounts from others to skillfully guide the conversation about ethnic identity and how our brokenness around ethnicity can be restored with God’s healing.
She concludes by looking at how we can create a new culture that builds off of ethnic history and helps create something that is a blessing and helps others know Jesus. Each chapter ends with question for small group or individual study and a recommended reading list.
“We need to recognize what we are meant to be in our ethnic stories and identities so that we can Ask Jesus to restore us, It’s not just about being racially aware and sensitive so that you can be cross-culturally savvy navigator of a multiethnic group. It’s also about Jesus redeeming and restoring our ethnic identities, which makes for a compelling narrative that causes non-Christians to ask us about our faith.”
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A 2018 OUTREACH RESOURCE OF THE YEAR—Racial Reconciliation Category
Beyond Colorblind is wonderfully written, well-informed, thought-provoking and practically engaging—a credible resource from which individuals, leadership teams and entire organizations will benefit in pursuit of cross-cultural understanding, relationships and competence.”
Evaluated by Mark DeYmaz, an author, Outreachcontributing editor, founding pastor of Mosaic Church of Central Arkansas, and cofounder and president of Mosaix Global Network.
