CT Politics Blog reader Alison Bowen took these photos outside polls in New York City. Send more photos and stories to cteditor@christianitytoday.com.
Michelle Sanchez always expected perfection. Growing up, that expectation guided her to great success. Yet God had a much greater plan for her in mind; a plan that required a journey of untangling her toxic pursuit of perfection from the racial dynamics of her past. Today that journey has led her to become a voice for change and fueled her passion for using discipleship to help heal racial inequalities and build a beautifully diverse and beloved community in a nation (and world) fractured by division and distrust.
Guest Bio:
Michelle T. Sanchez (MDiv, ThM) has served in various discipleship and evangelism leadership roles for more than a decade, most recently as executive minister of Make and Deepen Disciples for the Evangelical Covenant Church. She’s the author of a trilogy of books that provides Christ-centered racial discipleship for all ages: Color-Courageous Discipleship, Color-Courageous Discipleship Student Edition, and the picture book, God’s Beloved Community.
After studying international business at NYU, Michelle worked as an investment banker at Goldman Sachs and ministered to international students with Cru in New York City. She has served in various capacities with the Institute for Bible Reading and the Lausanne Movement. She is a frequent conference speaker, a regular columnist with Outreach Magazine, and a contributor to The Message: Women’s Devotional Bible (forthcoming).
Michelle completed seminary degrees at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, spiritual direction training at Boston College, and field studies on the life and times of Jesus at Jerusalem University College. She’s thoroughly enjoyed experiencing colorful cultures in 38 countries and territories worldwide—and counting! Michelle and her husband, Mickey, live with their two children in greater Chicago.
Notes & Quotes:
“Your coming to Jesus is just the beginning. He doesn’t invite us to make converts. He invites us to make disciples who can, in turn, eventually grow and make more disciples.”
“The reality is the Bible is full of references to ethnicity, to injustices related to ethnicity, the need to heal and to mend these things. It’s all over the Word of God, and it’s a vital need in our world today, but we don’t always see it.”
“The Lord created differences within us, ethnicity as a gift, as a source of joy and enrichment for humanity really, and to bring glory to himself. But the reality is that in a fallen world, things that were meant for good can become twisted. So our differences in a broken world tend to lead to disparities.”
“Beloved community is a phrase popularized by Martin Luther King … he wanted to see people both in a diverse community and an equal community, but one in which people are willing to lay down their lives for one another in the very love that God has shown to us.”
“When it comes to race and ethnicity, these are embodied concepts. These are embodied ideas, flesh ideas of the real flesh and blood. So, in order to transform or to have an awakening, what I have seen is it often involves some kind of real-life experience, with real-life people, in actual geographic places, so that we can see, we can experience, so we can understand.”
Links Mentioned:
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Visit Michelle’s website to purchase and further explore various Color-Courageous Discipleship books and resources.
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Verses Mentioned:
Acts 2:1–13 (Pentecost)
Acts 6:1–7
Does baptism with the Holy Spirit happen to everyone when they believe the gospel or does it occur later? Has the gift of prophecy ended in the modern era? What does speaking in tongues really mean?
On this episode of The Russell Moore Show, Christine Caine speaks to these questions and more. As an author, speaker, and co-founder of the anti-slavery nonprofit A21, Caine has a global perspective on the supernatural. She and Moore talk about various beliefs regarding spiritual gifts, why Christians have differing opinions about them, and what the implications are for believing (or not believing) that miraculous gifts still operate today. They talk about the importance of Scripture, possible misuses of prophetic words, and the ultimate purpose of gifts like prophecy or healing: pointing people to Jesus.
Their conversation plays by the “Tell Me Where I’m Wrong” rules: Moore is only allowed to ask questions to better understand the guest’s point of view. If he starts to argue, the guest is supposed to stop him.
Episodes in the “Tell Me Where I’m Wrong” series include:
Rainn Wilson Tells Me Where I’m Wrong on Spirituality
Ross Douthat on American Religion and Where Martin Luther Was Right and Wrong
Bill McKibben Tells Me Where I’m Wrong About Cultural Christianity
Shane Claiborne Tells Me Where I’m Wrong on the Death Penalty
Ligon Duncan Tells Me Where I’m Wrong on Infant Baptism
Resources mentioned in this episode include:
A21
Sam Storms
Michael Cromartie
Do you have a question for Russell Moore? Send it to questions@russellmoore.com.
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“The Russell Moore Show” is a production of Christianity Today
Executive Producers: Erik Petrik, Russell Moore, and Mike Cosper
Host: Russell Moore
Producer: Ashley Hales
Associate Producers: Abby Perry and McKenzie Hill
Director of Operations for CT Media: Matt Stevens
Audio engineering by Dan Phelps
Video producer: Abby Egan
Theme Song: “Dusty Delta Day” by Lennon Hutton
