EDITOR’S NOTE: Jon Nelson, pastor of SOMA Community Church, Jefferson City, is president of the Missouri Baptist Convention (MBC). He also serves as chairman for the MBC Executive Board’s Racial Reconciliation Task Force.
If you know anything about me and my journey with Christ, you know that my passion is for the local church. I have said many times that “the local church is the hope of the world; there is no plan B.” In 2022 there may not be any subject more difficult to talk about publicly in this country than racial reconciliation. Despite this difficulty, the terms “racial justice” and “racial reconciliation” have become buzzwords within evangelical circles and within our convention. We knew that when we passed a motion on this subject – about which the Bible is clear – we wanted to do it in a way that not only unifies Missouri Baptists, but pushes us in the direction of fulfilling the Great Commission.
When Rev. Dr. Jeremy Muniz approached me about leading this Task Force, I was not only honored, but I was committed to stewarding the history and resources of our convention. Despite our challenges, I believe there are many reasons to not only remain within the convention but to help her proceed forward. Let me quickly address the idea that the SBC or MBC has forgotten our origins and/or glossed over our ethnic problems: I personally do not believe this is the case, but our task force does believe we are better prepared for future faithfulness as we take honest stock of our past. History is a great teacher, and we do ourselves a disservice when we fail to recall where we have been. As Albert Mohler has noted, “We have been guilty of a sinful absence of historical curiosity” (SBTS Report on Slavery and Racism, 2).
I believe your church has a vital role to play in reconciliation between people of different ethnicities. It actually strikes at the essence of what it means to be a Christ-follower. In Acts 11, Luke introduces us to the city of Antioch, a city which historians say contained eighteen different ethnicities, and yet remained segregated. Within this city, a church plant dedicated to her risen Savior crossed these ethnic lines in such a way that those in Antioch did not know what to call the believers, thus, a new name was coined – they called them Christians.
Since that time, biblical justice and racial reconciliation remain some of the most urgent matters of faith and public witness. One could argue that the primary fruit of the Gospel is not going to heaven when you die, but the miraculous new family created out of the death and resurrection of Jesus, just as we see in Antioch. In this respect, the cross of Christ is not just a bridge that gets us to God, but a sledge hammer that breaks down walls that separate us according to the world’s standards. But what would it look like to reflect this reality? This is one of many questions this Task Force examined, and on which we faithfully offer Missouri Baptists a way forward. But first, let’s examine ways we have been led backwards.
First, reconciliation is not found in colorblindness. God does not want us to be colorblind, but to be color blessed. Too often our society presents colorblindness as a virtue: “I don’t see color; I see people.” While this sentiment comes from a sincere place, colorblindness is not a virtue of the Kingdom of God but rather stands in the way of us participating in his full vision for His redeemed people. In the book of Revelation (7:9) we see the people of God gathered around the throne, and the Apostle John points out that they are from every nation, tribe and tongue. God recognizes and celebrates these differences of color and the unity we have in Christ.
Second, racial reconciliation is not found simply in diversity. Please hear me: diversity is a good thing, but in itself it is not reconciliation. Diversity is a great start, and on the surface representation can give the wonderful appearance of unity. However, the temptation arises for us to stop there. When the gospel is deeply at work, racial reconciliation results in a diverse community that embraces the unique gifts and acknowledges the distinctive sins of their ethnic-racial-social makeup while experiencing loving communion with others under the Lordship of Jesus.
If we are going to move ahead together as Missouri Baptists, we must truly assess our past and our present. We should admit the presence of ethnic divisions while acknowledging the progress we have made by God’s grace and power. We are not who we should be, but by His grace, we are not who we once were either. Until Christ returns or calls us home, I look forward to linking arms together in this imperfect convention in order to spread the gospel to a lost and dying world. Will you join me?