as Chuck Mingo We settled into a conversation about race, but he was convinced that God didn’t just call him into this universe. He also believes he is not called to do it alone. This explains why when he talks about race, he and his writing and ministry partner, Troy Jackson, see it as a mission for the body of Christ to join what God has given us. Maybe. He called on them to do the same when leading service efforts. Undivided exists to bring racial healing to a divided world.In Chuck’s new book live without distinctionIn his co-author with Troy, Chuck provides a framework for how the body of Christ can join God and bring heaven on earth by loving people of all shades and skin colors.
Chuck: I was at a point where I had stopped fighting the call to write a book. I didn’t want to write a book. And in fact, I’ve now told people on the other side of the writing process that I know exactly why I didn’t want to write the book, it’s a really difficult process. I think the saving grace was that I wasn’t writing it alone. I ended up writing this song with my brother and co-creator of this record, Troy Jackson. In many ways, this book is a microcosm of The Undivided’s journey. That is, God gives you a vision and you begin to pursue that vision in obedience. But even the greatest visions come with setbacks and challenges.
CH: What were the challenges in writing this book?
Chuck: There’s an enemy in my heart and self-doubts like, “Am I qualified to write this book? Why am I doing this?” There are so many books written on this subject, but there is also the external challenge of how to write a book about race in the 2020s in a clear and convincing way. I know it challenges people and not everyone. You will like what you read. I am so grateful for the long and arduous journey it took to publish this book. Because I think this book will help us sharpen and refine our thinking and vision for the work God has called us to do. And we believe that what we have written can encourage others who want to continue in this work.
CH: How did you and Troy meet?
Chuck: We met in 2014. Troy led a faith-based community organizing organization called the Amos Project. They did racial and economic justice work in the Cincinnati area. Troy was building a team and organizing a major project centered around preschool education in Cincinnati. The pastor who introduced me to Troy said, “If we’re going to get things going at Crossroads, we need two people on board.” Troy was one of them. So Troy and I met at our church. I think it was probably around December 2014. He had just returned from Ferguson, Missouri, where he was marching with many others about what happened to Michael Brown.
CH: You and Troy lead a ministry called Undivided. Can you tell our viewers more about that?
Chuck: Undivided’s mission is to unite and inspire people for racial justice.and we will say the order [of those words] It is important. So the first thing we do, and kind of the core of Undivided, is a two-hour-a-week, seven-week experience. Most of this is currently being done virtually. But, of course, when we first started, we were doing these things in person to bring people into diverse groups and have faith-based and facilitated experiences. We root this in Biblical truth each week. What does God say about this? How does this relate to what it means to follow Jesus? And it also offers people the opportunity to have experiences that help them share and hear stories about their differences with those in their group. . We do that through historical context, providing a history from which people respond in some way, but also training in skills such as empathy and good listening across differences.
CH: What happens during those seven weeks?
Chuck: Over these seven weeks, people develop and practice rhythms that help them understand each other’s stories and share their own.Gain a divine imagination of how followers of Jesus can fulfill their mission Micah 6:8 It is to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with God. And we want to build vehicles that help people do that.
CH: Why is this racial unity work so important and how does it connect to the work you are doing at Undivided?
Chuck: found that nearly 50% of people who walked the seven-week journey had never had someone of a different race at their dinner table. They are people who have worshiped together, people who have gone on missionary trips together, but they have never actually engaged in the intimate act of breaking bread with someone of a different race, and nearly half of them have never done so. I had never done it before. So what I’m saying is that while the Bible offers a compelling vision for living without division, structurally so much of our lives in this country are living in division. It means that there is. Undivided is therefore intended to be a tool to help people unite and move through life together.
CH: How do you define “justice”?
Chuck: When we talk about justice, we believe that what we are talking about is a fair system in which all people thrive, and that justice must be done proactively. So, you know, when people talk about the word justice, unfortunately, and I admit it has been adopted by many, Biblically speaking, it’s the word “justice.” unhappy, appears 419 times in the Old Testament. It is where we protect the fatherless and protect the widow. This is obviously talking about “social justice,” but it feels like that word is also being used a lot. It is also part of how God defines Himself.I think about things like psalm 89 It says righteousness and righteousness flow from the throne of God. So, as followers of Jesus, I believe that when we talk about justice and undividedness, we are talking about Biblical justice. We are talking about the kind of justice that is reflected in God’s character as practiced in public life, found in the Bible from Genesis to Revelation.
Image credit: Baker Publishing
