As for my studies, I only three classes and a thesis away from graduation. Lord willing all this will be completed in calander year 2009. Please pray that this is the Lord's will. . .
For those of you interested below is my thesis topic presentation/summary. . .
The Failure of the Reformed Tradition in America in a Display of God’s Glory: A Call for Racial Reconciliation and Integration.
For my integrative paper, I plan to write about the Reformed Tradition’s failure of reconciling and integrating a diverse blend of races within their churches. The heart of this paper arises from what Scripture says about the reconciliation that Christ has bought for His Church in Ephesians Chapter 2, and also how Scripture describes the New Heavens and Earth in Revelation Chapter 7. Ephesians 2:11-22 speaks of how Christ has brought down the divining wall of race and culture, and created a new society that is one in Him, all through the good news of the Gospel of grace. This vision of a new humanity is culminated in Revelation Chapter 7. Scripture here describes the New Heavens as place in which people “from every nation, from all tribes and people and language” are worshipping the Lamb who redeemed men and women without bias. While the Bible is exceedingly clear about the diversity of Christ’s Kingdom, the portrayal this reality has yet to be realized in His church.
For my integrative paper, I plan to write about the Reformed Tradition’s failure of reconciling and integrating a diverse blend of races within their churches. The heart of this paper arises from what Scripture says about the reconciliation that Christ has bought for His Church in Ephesians Chapter 2, and also how Scripture describes the New Heavens and Earth in Revelation Chapter 7. Ephesians 2:11-22 speaks of how Christ has brought down the divining wall of race and culture, and created a new society that is one in Him, all through the good news of the Gospel of grace. This vision of a new humanity is culminated in Revelation Chapter 7. Scripture here describes the New Heavens as place in which people “from every nation, from all tribes and people and language” are worshipping the Lamb who redeemed men and women without bias. While the Bible is exceedingly clear about the diversity of Christ’s Kingdom, the portrayal this reality has yet to be realized in His church.
If Christ has called His followers to pray for His will to be done and his Kingdom to come, on Earth as it is in heaven, then it is of vital importance that we examine the Churches failure to diversify its congregation, and look at what practical steps that can be taken to correct this problem, all for the Glory of God. Thus, this paper will examine the following topics:
A brief history of the Reformed Tradition
The history of race relations a the reformed tradition
A biblical definition of race and ethnicity
Modern race prejudice and its consequences in the Reformed Church
The Gospel – A Middle Class Privilege
· The monetary cost of hearing the truth
5. The State of the African American Church
· The reasons for the rise of the African American Church
· Liberation Theology and the Social Gospel
Difficulties and solutions to planting a diverse church for the glory of God
· The Cost of Discipleship (suffering and hardship)
· Need for Education
o God has revealed Himself through a book – literacy is needed
o Where the Gospel has been preached correctly, people have been educated
· Social Reform and Justice a Product of the Gospel
Some of the resources that I plan to use in completing this paper are as follows:
Westminster Confession of Faith Chapters 7 and 25
Neither Poverty or Riches by Craig Bloomberg
The Radical Reformission by Mark Driscoll
Confessions of a Reformission Rev. by Mark Driscoll
The Forging of the Races by Colin Kid
From Every People and Nation by J. Daniel Hays
On Being Black and Reformed by Anthony J. Carter
The Decline of African American Theology by Thabiti M. Anyabwile
The Faithful Preacher by Thabiti M. Anyabwile
The history of race relations a the reformed tradition
A biblical definition of race and ethnicity
Modern race prejudice and its consequences in the Reformed Church
The Gospel – A Middle Class Privilege
· The monetary cost of hearing the truth
5. The State of the African American Church
· The reasons for the rise of the African American Church
· Liberation Theology and the Social Gospel
Difficulties and solutions to planting a diverse church for the glory of God
· The Cost of Discipleship (suffering and hardship)
· Need for Education
o God has revealed Himself through a book – literacy is needed
o Where the Gospel has been preached correctly, people have been educated
· Social Reform and Justice a Product of the Gospel
Some of the resources that I plan to use in completing this paper are as follows:
Westminster Confession of Faith Chapters 7 and 25
Neither Poverty or Riches by Craig Bloomberg
The Radical Reformission by Mark Driscoll
Confessions of a Reformission Rev. by Mark Driscoll
The Forging of the Races by Colin Kid
From Every People and Nation by J. Daniel Hays
On Being Black and Reformed by Anthony J. Carter
The Decline of African American Theology by Thabiti M. Anyabwile
The Faithful Preacher by Thabiti M. Anyabwile
