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The Baptist Center for Ethics will release their new video Beneath the Skin: Baptists and Racism this week. The Baptist General Convention of Missouri will be sponsoring a few screenings of the DVD in October or November in our state. If you are interested in hosting a screening of this new video please contact us to reserve a date (888-420-2426 extension 705 or jimhill@baptistgcm.org). We will also be making free copies available to our churches.
I am serving this year as chairperson of an ecumenical organization called Missouri Christians Against Racism and Poverty. We are committed to helping people of faith become more effective advocates for justice. I hope your church will want to share this important video with your congregation. We will provide information regarding how to order a copy from our convention office as soon as they are available.
I am very grateful for the work of the Baptist Center for Ethics and for their commitment to this project. Their web site indicates Beneath the Skin: Baptists and Racism considers past mistakes and future challenges regarding racial unity and social justice. From the trans-Atlantic slave trade to the current immigration debate, Beneath the Skin peels back prejudices and confronts them with biblical mandates. Interviewees come from nearly a dozen states and represent the best in Baptist life, including: preacher and activist Will Campbell, Aidsand Wright-Riggins of American Baptist Churches USA, and Javier Elizondo of Baptist University of the Americas.
Experts appearing in the DVD include:
• Laura Cadena, Baptist minister, Atlanta, Ga.
• Will Campbell, Baptist preacher and activist, Mt. Juliet, Tenn.
• Miguel A. De La Torre, associate professor of social ethics, Iliff School of Theology, Denver, Colo.
• Javier Elizondo, executive vice president and provost, Baptist University of the Americas, San Antonio, Texas
• Fitz Hill, president, Arkansas Baptist College, Little Rock, Ark.
• Jim Hill, executive director, Baptist General Convention of Missouri, Columbia, Mo.
• Charles Foster Johnson, Baptist minister, Ft. Worth, Texas
• Emmanuel McCall, pastor, The Fellowship Group, East Point, Ga.
• Yana Pagan, associate pastor, Upper Merion Baptist Church, King of Prussia, Pa.
• Joseph Phelps, pastor, Highland Baptist Church, Louisville, Ky.
• James Stallings, regional minister, Metropolitan Churches of New York, New York, N.Y.
• Alan Stanford, general secretary, North American Baptist Fellowship, Falls Church, Va.
• Douglas Stowers, pastor, Mount Calvary Baptist Church, Atlanta, Ga.
• Marilyn Turner, associate executive director, National Ministries, American Baptist Churches USA, Valley Forge, Pa.
• Wayne Ward, retired theology professor, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, Ky.
• Aidsand Wright-Riggins, executive director, National Ministries, American Baptist Churches USA, Valley Forge, Pa.
I am also grateful that our convention was one of the organizations providing for the project. Others providing funding for the DVD include: The Eula Mae and John Baugh Foundation, Christian Mission Concerns, National Ministries, American Baptist Churches-USA, Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, Baptist World Alliance, Baptist General Convention of Texas, First Baptist Church, Auburn, AL, Smoke Rise Baptist Church, Stone Mountain, GA, First Baptist Church, Memphis, TN, First Baptist Church, Savannah, GA, Faith Baptist Church, Georgetown, KY, Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of Alabama, Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of Arkansas.
The DVD will come with a 35-minute short-version for community screening which might be followed by a panel discussion and a 47-minute long-term version for use in church educational experiences (Bible study or discipleship training). The longer version is designed to use over a four-week period. The DVD will have an accompanying online discussion guide for the long version and a secondary Web page with a large volume of articles. The DVD will also have extra scenes for those who want a longer discussion experience. I believe it will be a great resource for churches seeking to help their congregations develop a better understanding of the racial issues confronting our ministries.
