As we explore being 'artisans of the common good' (2018-2019 year theme), part of our task is to look at ways that our common good is suffering in our world today, and where we can learn and listen. This Lent, we will be taking the first step in that learning and listening to be better neighbors to one another around the topic of race. This is a tiny sliver of the conversation and the beginning of a long journey for us as a congregation. We hope that Lent will be an opportunity for us to listen, to have grace for one another, to not have all the answers, and to begin working for a healthier vision around race in our country together, especially from the perspective of our faith.
Thanks to the Westwood Memorial Foundation, especially the Prazak and Bell Funds, for sponsoring our Lent series.
Interview Sermon + Westwood U Sessions
(A special thank you to all of our guest speakers!)
Introduction to Conversations About Race
Dr. Darrell Jodock
Professor Emeritus of Religion at Gustavus Adolphus College
A discussion of “race” and “racism” and of race in the Bible,
along with the following: Why this topic? What will this series
cover? What religious questions arise from the topic of race in
the U.S.?
How Slavery Became About Race
Dr. Sarah Ruble
Associate Professor of Religion at Gustavus Adolphus College
A visitor to the United States in 1799 would have noticed that, in the new country, race mattered. In this session, we will explore how the idea that black people and white people were different kinds of people came to be seen, by many white Americans, as natural and how that idea affected politics, economics, and religion.
Slavery, Race, and Christianity Before & After the Civil War
Dr. Sarah Ruble
Associate Professor of Religion at Gustavus Adolphus College
During this session, we will learn why those who fought against
one another in the Civil War, who shared many beliefs and practices, could not come to a theological resolution to the problem of slavery. We will also explore what happened after the war and how the reunion of the country affected the rights and opportunities of African Americans.
Lee-Ann Stephens
Equity Coach at St. Louis Park Public Schools
Minnesota and Race in the Post-Civil War Years
Dr. Bill Green
Professor of History at Augsburg University
This session will examine the birth of “Minnesota exceptionalism”--the idea held by many white Minnesotans after the Civil War that Minnesota did not have a problem with racial violence--and its effect on race relations in the state.
Richard Webb
Director for Inclusion and Equity at Redeemer Lutheran Church
Our Calling as Christians
Dr. Darrell Jodock
Professor Emeritus of Religion at Gustavus Adolphus College
Given what we have learned in this series, what are our next
steps? What more do we need to learn about racism and its
effects today? What guidance does our Christian faith provide?
What are we called to do?
Repentance & Reformation: Lessons from a Wider Lens
Dr. DeAne Lagerquist
Professor of Religion at St. Olaf College
