Race, Economics, and Apologetics

Deacon Ralph Johnson moves slowly and laboriously, shuffling as he walks. But ask him about his wife Connie and her ordeal at work, and he beams with pride. Everyone at the General Services Administration Building in Kansas City, Missouri knew Connie was a Christian because of the Bible on her desk and the Christian trinkets adorning her work area. One co-worker constantly harassed and ridiculed Connie as he passed her desk. He would often say, How can you believe that rubbish?Connie believed the implications of Genesis 1:26-28 and treated this co-worker with dignity and respect, just as she treated the rest of her co-workers. With the Spirit's enablement, Connie regularly produced the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23), living a beautifully attractive life at her workplace.The scattered church, I believe, is missing an opportunity for an embodied apologetic to address some of these racial economic disparities and inequalities. The church is divinely and uniquely equipped and empowered to attack and eradicate our racialized economy. But what is a racialized economy?