A Sacred Conversation on Race

The Rev. John Thomas, head of the United Church of Christ, greets members of the Danville congregation after his sermon. Photo by Kimberly White, special to the Chronicle

There is a wonderful article about a congregation in Danville, California - a United Church of Christ congregation -- same denomination as the one lead by Rev. Jeremiah Wright -- the article is in today's online version of the San Francisco Chronicle. (Note: You may need to register with sfgate.com to read it. But, you do not have to pay a fee. It's free.)

The leader of the national United Church of Christ denomination, the Rev. John Thomas, spoke in Danville yesterday and urged congregants to have a national conversation on race.

Here is an excerpt from the article written by Matthai Kuruvila.

"The ugliness we watched on television as media manipulators tried to scare us from voting for an African American candidate by presenting a deliberately frightening caricature of his African American pastor reminded us of how ugly the conversation on race can be," said Thomas, president and general minister of the United Church of Christ.

Thomas' sermon was followed by the first in what is expected to be a series of discussions about race at the 320-member Danville Congregational Church, one of many United Church of Christ churches participating in the effort. Hymns and prayers during the service touched on themes of reconciliation and fellowship with neighbors of all kinds, with an emphasis on race. The service included a collective prayer about the issue.

"Gracious God, as we gather here this day, we are deeply aware of the sin of racial hatred and prejudice that distorts your divine plan for human life," the congregation said in unison. "You created us in divine likeness, diverse and beautiful, but too often, we have failed to see every race and every person as a reflection of your image."

Now this is what Love Thy Neighbor is all about.

And maybe it's time that Christians (and others) got together to have a national conversation about the bigotry directed at lesbians, gay men, bisexual men and women, transgender people ... and my all-time favorite group ... Questioning. A lifetime of questions, deeply explored: what's not to like?

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