Racial and ethnic hostility is one of the most pervasive problems the church faces. It hinders our effectiveness as one body of believers. It damages our witness. Why won't this problem just go away?Because it is a spiritual battle.In response, we must employ spiritual weapons—prayer, repentance, forgiveness. In this book Brenda Salter McNeil and Rick Richardson provide a model of racial reconciliation, social justice, and spiritual healing that creates both individual and communal transformation. Read this book if you want to learn how to



- use your faith as a force for change, not as a smoke screen for self-protection

- embrace your true self and renounce false racial identities

- receive and extend forgiveness as an act of racial reconciliation

- experience personal transformation through the healing of painful racial memories

- engage in social action by developing ongoing crosscultural partnerships

This classic is now part of the IVP Signature Collection, which features special editions of iconic books in celebration of the seventy-fifth anniversary of InterVarsity Press. It includes a list of definitions and a discussion and activity guide for groups. A new companion Bible study is also available.



Rick Richardson is director of the Billy Graham Center Institute and its Church Evangelism Initiative, and professor of evangelism and leadership at Wheaton College Graduate School. He previously served as evangelism and discipleship pastor at Church of the Resurrection in Wheaton, Illinois, and helped launch Willow Creek Community Church's first multisite campus. His books include Reimagining Evangelism and Evangelism Outside the Box.







Brenda Salter McNeil is a dynamic speaker, an author, and a trailblazer with over thirty years of experience in the ministry of racial, ethnic, and gender reconciliation. She is an associate professor of reconciliation studies in the School of Theology at Seattle Pacific University and is also the author of Roadmap to Reconciliation 2.0 and A Credible Witness.







John M. Perkins is the founder of Voice of Calvary Ministries in Mendenhall, Mississippi, Harambee Ministries in Pasadena, California, and the Christian Community Development Association. His books include Let Justice Roll Down, WithJustice for All, and Making Neighborhoods Whole.



Foreword by John M. Perkins

Preface to the Signature Edition

Acknowledgments

Introduction

1. Is There Still a Race Problem?

2. Mission Impossible?

3. A Better Way

4. A New Model

5. How Worship Builds Bridges

6.Embracing Our True Selves

7. Receiving and Extending Forgiveness

8. Denouncing the Powers and Principalities

9. Ongoing Partnerships

10. The Trumpet Call

Appendix 1: Definitions

Appendix 2: The Principalities and Powers

Appendix 3: Exploring the Heart of Racial Justice: A Strategic Tool for Leaders

Notes

Bibliography

Recommended Resources