by Leo Schuster, Lead Pastor at City Church, and Valerie Tompson, Executive Director at City Church
What does it mean to bring beauty into broken places in the area of justice, particularly racial injustice? How do we imagine that at City Church?
An implication of the biblical teaching that God fashioned every human being in his image is that we are all created equal in the eyes of God, deserving of enormous dignity and respect from one another. Human sin, however, has seriously disrupted this original design, contributing to the evils of prejudice and racism.
We live in the most racially diverse city in the nation. But due to the brokenness of our city, Houston remains significantly segregated, and sadly, this is particularly visible on Sundays in places of worship. Our prayerful dream for City Church is that we will be a different kind of church, an authentic community of faith that will increasingly reflect the refreshing diversity of our city. This is not an easy path. It requires humility, grace, and listening. Far too often the church has been a part of the problem. Whether intentionally or otherwise, through our actions or inactions, with our words or in our silence, we have often been complicit.
Though racism is powerful, the gospel is a far greater power. Jesus began his ministry by announcing that he had come to overturn oppression and injustice. This mission would eventually lead him to the cross, where he would shed his blood for people from every tribe, tongue, and nation. This is the gospel—the good news that has the unique capacity to overcome the evil of racism.
The gospel is central to our identity at City Church and this is an important gospel issue. Essential to the outworking of our faith as Christians, to what it means to be the light of the world—the city of God within the city of Houston—is to engage with our culture and work to address injustice—localized and systemic—wherever it exists.
So often when thinking about racial discord, it might be tempting to think about how we need to help others, not realizing that engaging with people who are different than we are will bring beauty into the broken parts of our own lives. If we believe we’re all created in God’s image, what if we also really believed we can more fully experience him while in relationship with people in a racially diverse community of faith? Not only will that help us to grow in our faith, that experience might even give us a foretaste of what heaven will be like.