United? We Pray

Overview: What do you see in the church and the world that is not in line with God's word and His will? Isaac and Irwyn Ince discuss their "divine dissatisfactions" in the church and the world with regards to race. They also touch on Ince's new book. Listen as they answer questions like: What is the racial status quo of today's American Church? How did Wilmington, North Carolina go from 56% black to 15% black? How does the racial history of a city affects the ways one plants a church? Does a church who supported segregation in the past bear responsibility to right past wrongs? What are the challenges for majority culture in racial reconciliation? For minority culture? What are a few concrete steps for pursuing unity in diversity in the Church? Links & Show Notes:Irwyn Ince’s book: "The Beautiful Community: Unity, Diversity, and the Church at Its Best" Wilmington's Lie: The Murderous Coup of 1898 and the Rise of White Supremacy

Austin and Isaac continue the discussion on unity, diving deeper into the particulars of racial unity. They give insights on how to be wise around the conversation on race, and share ways that people live out their faithfulness in the pursuit of racial justice.

Overview: "How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!" (Psalm 133:1)  In a tip of the hat towards the name of our ministry, Isaac and Austin give a two-part series on Unity, a hot touch word in the conversation on race. Listen in as they discuss: How would we define unity, and specifically, Christian unity? Why is unity so important anyway? What is unique about the American experience that we should pay special attention to unity? If unity is so important, why should we bring up "divisive" topics? How does the manner in which we bring up these conversations affect the conversation itself?

Overview: "Men ought not to content themselves with a general repentance, but it is every man's duty to endeavour to repent of his particular sins particularly." (Westminster Confession, Chapter 15.5,6, part two). Following James Choi’s article, Isaac and Austin discuss ways in which they see racism, particularly against Asians, in this unique season we live in. Listen in as they discuss: Is COVID-19 creating racism, or revealing it? Why is calling the Coronavirus a “Chinese virus” racist? What can fear drive us to in a time of pandemic? What are ways we can combat the racism that we see today?

Overview: "O God, we don't know what to do, but our eyes are on you." (2 Chronicles 20:12).  During the coronavirus outbreak, there has been panic, fear, and disruption to our lives, both individually and corporately as churches. But praise God, we're not the only Christians who have had to weather this kind of storm. On Nov. 3, 1918, Francis J. Grimké, pastor of 15th Street Presbyterian Church in Washington D.C., preached a sermon to his church, which reopened after public gatherings were banned amid the epidemic of influenza—an epidemic in which 3,000 D.C. residents lost their lives. Grimké gave 8 remarks to his congregation, and answered questions such as: What is the meaning of this epidemic? What were God's purposes in it? What does it teach us about race prejudice?  What do we learn about the value of church and of faith in Jesus Christ? Come and be comforted by brother Grimké's words as he preaches to us still today.

Overview: Austin has a curious interaction while hosting a booth at a recent conference. This makes Isaac and Austin reflect on why exactly it is that we do what we do here at United? We Pray. Surely it’s not for cool points for being part of the “social justice fad”? Why do we care so much about this conversation as it pertains to God’s Church?

Overview: Isaac catches up with friend and original co-host Trillia Newbell! Isaac and Trillia talk Black History Month and how they and their families are celebrating it. Listen in as we discuss: How does understanding history help us understand our current historical moment? How does understanding history help us love our neighbor? Why do we have black history month? What are good ways to celebrate black history month?

Overview: Austin was surprised find out that one of his former bosses in Christian ministry was a former member of the Ku Klux Klan. Having been redeemed by the Lord from his former nature, Thomas Tarrants now shares with us insights into the ideology of his past. Listen in as we discuss: How did far right ideologies originate? How and when does far right ideology come to grow in a person's mind? Does far right thinking still exist today? What is the main motive of those who think this way? In what ways can someone who calls themself a Christian still have racist tendencies? What is the connection between nominal Christians and white identity politics? How easy is it to spot someone with far right ideologies today? What happened to the white supremacists of the '60s after the Civil Rights Movement? How the power of prayer can conquer even white supremacist ideologies Links & Show Notes: Consumed by Hate, Redeemed by Love: How a Violent Klansman Became a Champion of Racial Reconciliation [Amazon]

Overview: Isaac has a new co-host! Isaac and Austin introduce season 5 and give a preview of what's to come. They take some time to mourn the death of Kobe Bryant, and discuss how it affects the African-American community. Austin also reflects on a recent talk he gave about race, and the outcome of it.

Overview: “The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector.” (Luke 18:11) Collin Hansen, Editorial Director of The Gospel Coalition, joins Isaac Adams to discuss the wounds of racism in the South. From the history of the University of Alabama football team to 16th Street Baptist Church, the brothers discuss how racism affects all facets of life. Most tragically, instead of being beacons of light, too many churches in the South became bulwarks of ongoing resistance to racial integration. Join the brothers as they discuss whiteness as an identity, why Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s questions in his Letter from a Birmingham Jail are just as pressing today as they were when he first wrote them, and other questions like these: What led you to think deeply about race? Who are you educating? How are you educating them? Racism and church membership rolls—what do they have to do with each other? How should we think through the retort, "Just preach the gospel?" Show Notes: Talk: "History of Birmingham" by Collin Hansen Article: "More Christian Than Black or White" by Isaac Adams

Overview: "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23) "Racial logic is the air we breathe." If this is true, how does this affect our understanding of race and racism? Why are these issues about more than personal, individual morality and how do we see them manifest in structures and systems? Moreover, how might Christians faithfully disrupt patterns of exclusion and injustice? Join Isaac Adams and David Leong as they talk about race, place, and their connection; listen for an encouraging testimony of how one church's stubbornness and faith has borne beautiful fruit, by God's grace. Other topics the brothers discussed include:   Racial identity formation, white fragility, redlining and gentrification Lament and sitting in places of discomfort and pain Not rushing to "fix racial problems" but realizing that this tendency in some of us may be a part of the problem

"Lament is a prayer in pain that leads to trust." Why is understanding songs of sorrow so important for our thinking about race? Why is lament so important that a third of Psalms are lament? Join Isaac Adams and Mark Vroegop as they answer these questions:

Despite division over their alma maters, Thabiti Anyabwile and Isaac Adams come together to talk about hope and its importance for the work of racial reconciliation.

In this episode, the rest of the leadership team join Isaac to talk about what roles they play on the United? We Pray team, and why they do what they do.

How are you praying for the 2020 election? How might we as Christians prepare to speak about it with one another in a way that shows the world we are Jesus’ disciples? In this episode, Isaac Adams and Trillia Newbell team up again to discuss the heightened political animosity and polarization that too often characterizes Christians online. Yet as Christians we are called to a love of neighbor that involves gentleness, being slow to speak, quick to hear. To bring us toward that kind of love, the Lord may need to tear down our political idols. “We will grapple to keep them,” Trillia says, “which can lead us to fight and be enraged with one another.”