The facilitator's guide to UNITED AGAINST RACISM grows out of a profound awareness that embedded deep within the Christian faith tradition is a call to justice as a precursor to unity. Where there is no justice, there can be no authentic unity. It may seem to be trite, but it is a fact, if you take away "unity" from "community" we are left "with" nothing. Our ability and willingness to unite is a marker of the beloved community to which our faith calls us. Today, in the United States, unity is a wistful hope, as justice seems farther and farther from reality. Even as we are preparing this document, eleven people in a Pittsburgh synagogue were gunned down with an automatic rifle because of anti-Semitic thinking that led to unconscionable action. Countless black and brown bodies continue to fall from fear, hate, and ignorance and our nation's leadership is preoccupied with building a wall and creating barriers to keep people out.
The authors of United Against Racism Facilitator's Guide—four professors of Christian religious education—desire to join with other learners in the pursuit and practice of an authentic Christianity, a religion free of racism. They believe in you and in the power of God to transform! In the midst of all that seems wrong the practice of an authentic Christianity is a profound act of hope.
Join the movement! Think, pray, and act so that everyone is able to live in that hope.
Unit 1: Awaken
Session 1: Cultivating Brave Space
Session 2: Exploring Historical Realities in America
Unit 2: Confront
Session 3: What Is Justice? Whose Justice?
Session 4: Justice Has a Price
Unit 3: Transform
Session 5: Adapt, Change, or Transform: Spiritual Practices to End Racism
Session 6: Next Steps in Action and Practice
