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Race and the Church

A discussion on identity, faith, and the pursuit of justice.

Christianity Today March 2, 2021

Last year, CT’s “Race Set Before Us” series helped challenge and inform Christians during a season of reckoning, lament, and heightened interest around issues of racial justice. Join moderator Vincent E. Bacote, along with guest speakers from the original series Walter Kim, Michelle Reyes, Jamal-Dominique Hopkins, and Sheila Caldwell as they discuss how we can pursue racial justice within our theology, churches, and society.

Our Speakers:

Vincent E. Bacote

Vincent E. Bacote, PhD, is associate professor of theology and director of the Center for Applied Christian Ethics at Wheaton College. A theology adviser for CT, his books include The Political Disciple: A Theology of Public Life and his latest, Reckoning with Race and Performing the Good News: In Search of a Better Evangelical Theology.

Want to learn more? Download our free resource with thought-provoking essays by CT writers of color exploring themes of racial identity, faith, and the future of evangelicalism.

Walter Kim

Walter Kim became the president of the National Association of Evangelicals in January 2020. He also serves pastor for leadership at Trinity Presbyterian Church in Charlottesville, Virginia, after ministering for 15 years at Boston’s historic Park Street Church. Kim received his PhD from Harvard University in Near Eastern languages and civilizations, his MDiv from Regent College in Vancouver, and his BA from Northwestern University. He regularly speaks at college campuses, churches, retreats, and symposia, particularly in the areas of biblical theology and cultural issues.

Jamal-Dominique Hopkins

Jamal-Dominique Hopkins is currently dean and associate professor of Religion and Theology at Dickerson-Green Theological Seminary at Allen University. He also is a Senior Fellow at the Seymour Institute for Black Church and Policy Studies and a Pedagogy Fellow at Yale University’s Center for Faith and Culture, where he is part of the Christ and Being Human project focused on revitalizing Christian higher education.

Hopkins can be followed at www.jamalhopkins.com and on Twitter and Instagram @phdhopkins.

Sheila Caldwell

Shelia Caldwell is the chief intercultural engagement officer for Wheaton College, a position she has held since 2018. She previously served as the advisor to the president on diversity, director for Complete College Georgia, and principal investigator for an Upward Bound grant at the University of North Georgia. She is a diversity and student success champion with nearly two decades of experience in higher education.

Caldwell earned a BS from Northern Illinois University, a MA from Argosy University, and a doctorate in education from the University of Georgia. She completed the Harvard Kennedy School Strategies for Building and Leading Diverse Organizations Executive Education program.

Michelle Reyes

Michelle Reyes, PhD, is the vice president of the Asian American Christian Collaborative and the co-executive director of Pax. She is also the scholar in residence at Hope Community Church, a minority-led multicultural church in East Austin, Texas, where her husband, Aaron, serves as lead pastor. Michelle’s work on faith and culture has been featured in Christianity Today, The Gospel Coalition, Missio Alliance, Faithfully Magazine and more. Her forthcoming book on cross-cultural relationships is called Becoming All Things: How Small Changes Lead to Lasting Connections Across Cultures (Zondervan, April 2021). Follow Michell on Twitter and Instagram.

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