Navigating Racial Tension as American Christians

“Any way you look at it, black people have been enslaved in this country longer than we’ve been free. That’s one thing we have to understand. Then you have to understand the nature of slavery. The nature of slavery wasn’t just about physical bondage; it was about psychological warfare. And that psychological warfare does not go away in a generation or two.” — Justin Giboney

Date: April 4, 2018

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Event: MLK50 Conference, Memphis, Tennessee

Related:

From Bloodlines to Bloodline (John Piper)
Pitfalls White Churches Must Avoid When Pursuing Racial Unity (Christine Hoover)
Should We Abandon the Language of Racial Reconciliation? (Duke Kwon)

Find more audio and video from the MLK50 conference on the conference media page.

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Christina Edmondson, PhD, is a public speaker, mental health therapist, anti-racism advocate, and has served most recently as dean for intercultural student development at Calvin College. She also trains congregations and organizations nationally about implicit bias, multicultural accessibility, and leadership development. Christina and her husband, Mika, have two children.

Justin Giboney is an attorney and political strategist in Atlanta, Georgia. He is also the co-founder and president of the AND Campaign.

Collin Hansen serves as vice president for content and editor in chief of The Gospel Coalition, as well as executive director of The Keller Center for Cultural Apologetics. He hosts the Gospelbound podcast, writes the weekly Unseen Things newsletter, and has written and contributed to many books, including Timothy Keller: His Spiritual and Intellectual Formation and Rediscover Church: Why the Body of Christ Is Essential. He has published with the New York Times and the Washington Post and offered commentary for CNN, Fox News, NPR, BBC, ABC News, and PBS NewsHour. He edited the forthcoming The Gospel After Christendom and The New City Catechism Devotional, among other books. He is an adjunct professor at Beeson Divinity School, where he also co-chairs the advisory board.

Juan Sánchez (MDiv, ThM, PhD, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) has served as the senior pastor of High Pointe Baptist Church in Austin, Texas, since 2005. Juan serves as a Council member of The Gospel Coalition and is cofounder and president of Coalicion por el Evangelio. He is the author of numerous books, including 1 Peter for You, Seven Dangers Facing Your Church, and The Leadership Formula. He has been married to Jeanine since 1990, and they have five adult daughters.

Benjamin Watson is a former NFL tight end, as well as a writer, a speaker, and an activist. He is a college football studio analyst with the SEC Network, and he serves as vice president of strategic relationships with the Human Coalition, one of the largest pro-life and pro-woman organizations in the country. Along with his wife, Kirsten, he is the founder of The Watson 7 Foundation, a nonprofit focused on strengthening families. They live in Georgia with their seven children. You can find him on X and Facebook.