9Marks Tackles the Race Issue

The September/October 9Marks eJournal (PDF) tackles the issue of racism and does so very helpfully.

Here are the articles, interviews, reviews, and discussions that it contains:

• Thabiti Anyabwile and Jonathan Leeman: “Starting the Conversation with Earth, Wind, and Fire”

• Rickey Armstrong, Anthony Carter, J. D. Greear, Sam Lam, Eric C. Redmond, Juan R. Sanchez Jr., Kevin L. Smith, Ed Stetzer, Justin Taylor, David Wells, & Jeremy Yong: “Pastors’ and Theologians’ Forum on Race”
• Sam Lam: “Nine Lessons I Learned From Yellow (And One More)”
• John Piper: “Did Moses Marry a Black Woman?”
• D. A. Carson: “Five Steps for Racial Reconciliation on Sunday at 11 a.m.”
• John Folmar: Pastoring a Multi-Ethnic Church
• Thabiti Anyabwile: Many Ethnicities, One Race
• Rickey Armstrong: Review of On Being Black and Reformed, by Anthony J. Carter
• Anthony J. Carter: Review of From Every People and Nation, by J. Daniel Hays
• Ken Jones: Review of The Faithful Preacher, by Thabiti Anyabwile
• Eric C. Redmond: Review of Reconciliation Blues, by Edward Gilbreath
• Juan R. Sanchez Jr.: Review of Being Latino in Christ, by Orlando Crespo
• Jeremy Yong & Geoffrey Chang: Review of Growing Healthy Asian American Churches, edited by Peter Cha, S. Steve Kang, and Helen Lee
  

I enjoyed John Piper’s article, and he makes a solid case for not only not prohibiting but also encouraging interracial marriages.

Opposition to interracial marriage is one of the deepest roots of racial distance, disrespect, and hostility. Show me one place in the world where interracial or interethnic marriage is frowned upon and yet the two groups still have equal respect and honor and opportunity. I don’t think it exists. It won’t happen. Why? Because the supposed specter of interracial marriage demands that barrier after barrier must be put up to keep young people from knowing each other and falling in love. They can’t fellowship in church youth groups. They can’t go to the same schools. They can’t belong to the same clubs. They can’t live in the same neighborhoods. Everybody knows deep down what is at stake here. Intermarriage is at stake.

. . .

Here is where Christ makes the difference. Christ does not call us to a prudent life, but to a God-centered, Christ-exalting, justice-advancing, counter-cultural, risk-taking life of love and courage. Will it be harder to be married to another race, and will it be harder for the kids? Maybe. Maybe not. But since when is that the way a Christian thinks? Life is hard. And the more you love the harder it gets.

Check out the latest eJournal (PDF).

HT: Justin Taylor

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