Episode 363: Books That Shaped Our Ministry Part One--The Bible Told Them So

In our latest series, pastors Erica, Sarah, and Steve each get a chance to play "show and tell" to highlight a book that has been important or somehow formative for their ministry, theology, or work as a pastor.  Starting off this series, Erica presents a book called, The Bible Told Them So: How Southern Evangelicals Fought to Preserve White Supremacy, by J. Russell Hawkins, that takes a look at how the Bible was used, misused, and abused in several American church denominations to reinforce racial segregation in the United States, and what it means for how we approach the Bible today.  In the course of the conversation, we'll explore BIG questions like, "How do we tell if we are misusing the Bible to suit our own agendas?" and "How do we know when to speak up, when to be silent, and when to make room for other viewpoints on issues in our time and setting?" With the case of racial segregation in the 19th and 20th centuries, we can explore how people risked their livelihoods to speac against racism, and how others worked within structures and systems to preserve it--and we might get a starting point for examining our own lives and where we are called to speak up, and at what cost.  This is also a conversation about how to be more faithful and honest readers of the Scriptures, so it also connects with our every day spiritual life, too.  Join the conversation here on Crazy Faith Talk!