People talk about issues of race and justice in the United States as issues of ‘justice and injustice.’  Sometimes we launch into debates about ‘the proper role of government.’  But that is not the original framework from which these issues were asked and debated.

The purpose of our discussion groups in A Long Repentance: Exploring Christian Mistakes About Race, Politics, and Justice in the United States is to show how these issues began as Christian heresies.  Colonialism changed Christian beliefs and practices.  Since Christians enacted and institutionalized these practices, we bear a unique responsibility for changing them.  We must continue to resist the very heresies that earlier Christians put into motion.  The journey is long and challenging.  It may be impossible to see the end.  But along the way, it is also inspiring and sometimes breathtaking.