Can the Church Be Trusted to Handle Jesus?

by Starlette Thomas | Sep 7, 2021 | Opinion|The Raceless Gospel Initiative

“I trust Jesus to handle the church. I’m not sure I trust the church to handle Jesus.” The author is unknown but the sentiment is shared by many. Christians have to get Jesus’ story straight if we are to ever get on the same page. We share in common a sacred text, but...

Building Community Is Hard, But Essential Work

by Starlette Thomas | Aug 23, 2021 | Opinion|The Raceless Gospel Initiative

Summer is coming to a close, and parents are preparing for another school year unlike any other. The pandemic caused by COVID-19 continues with the Delta variant, putting masks back on faces and on school supply lists. We are learning more than reading, writing and...

Churches Have a Faith Problem: Not Believing Women

by Starlette Thomas | Aug 16, 2021 | Opinion|The Raceless Gospel Initiative

For all of the faith that its leaders claim to espouse, the church has its doubts. The majority of its members do not believe women — no matter what she is talking about. We believe that God speaks to us, that God will heal us and deliver us but cannot believe that...

In Church and Politics, Words Can Hide Insidious Aims

by Starlette Thomas | Aug 2, 2021 | Opinion|The Raceless Gospel Initiative

If you want to know if your church believes in democracy, then go to a church business meeting. Pay attention to who is handing out the minutes, giving the financial report and moderating the meeting. Take note of who is sitting on several committees, namely the...

White-Privileged Ignore Back-Crushing Stance

by Starlette Thomas | Jul 26, 2021 | Opinion|The Raceless Gospel Initiative

Two billionaires race to outer space as the earth burns in the western United States. It’s not the beginning of a joke. It’s certainly not funny. Richard Branson and Jeff Bezos have been given too much space, too much airtime on cable news outlets. I need another...

Church Hurts: Bullies Must Be Called to Task

by Starlette Thomas | Jul 19, 2021 | Opinion|The Raceless Gospel Initiative

Church hurts. I learned this painful combination of words as a seminarian. Our professor assigned a book titled Nasty People by Jay Carter. I read the book and quoted it as required in a paper for the name of a class I no longer remember. But the words didn’t mean...