Guidelines
1 total work
In this contribution to the "Guidelines Series", Francis Bridger tackles the issue of race relations, an area where the Church has often been influenced by insensitive, insular prejudices when the Gospel clearly calls for a more compassionate approach. Having briefly surveyed the history of the ethnic minorities in Britain, Francis Bridger looks at how race becomes a social and political issue with the ideologies of left and right becoming diametrically opposed. He concentrates on the theological aspects of the issue, starting with a section on narrative theology looking in detail at the treatment of black Christians by white denominations and the subsequent formation of black-led churches and the development of black theology with its distinctive structure and content. The core of the book deals with the relationship between theology and culture and sets out to examine our unity and mutuality in relationships, in creation, in the incarnation, in redemption, and in the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom itself is taken as a model for renewed human society where unity and mutuality in the Body of Christ enable us to practice renewed relationships.
The author concludes by applying his analysis to the current meaning and practice of justice and power in society today. The church is called to give the moral lead, to press for political and social change, and to build models of community where affirmative Christian action can help eradicate past injustice and pave the way for a harmonious embodiment of racial unity.
The author concludes by applying his analysis to the current meaning and practice of justice and power in society today. The church is called to give the moral lead, to press for political and social change, and to build models of community where affirmative Christian action can help eradicate past injustice and pave the way for a harmonious embodiment of racial unity.