Ethnicity, Justice, and the People of God
Discover the intersection of justice, ethnicity, and faith in this unique course by Prof. Esau McCaulley and Prof. N.T. Wright. Explore the historical and biblical foundations of justice, learn how to address injustice, and witness to God’s vision for a diverse and inclusive community. Perfect for Christians, church members, educators, small group leaders, pastors, and anyone seeking to understand and challenge structures of sin in society.
What you’ll learn
- How the range of meanings of ‘justice’ diverge and intersect in society and the Bible.
- The historical and ecclesial conditions behind present-day division in the Church.
- Contributions of the Reformation, Modernity, and Post-Modernity to racist ideas.
- The nature of sin in the world.
- How the coming of Messiah Jesus forced a radical recategorization of traditional group ideologies.
- What it means for God to be the ‘God of Justice’, manifest through Jesus.
- Scriptural resources for addressing injustice.
- The foundations of Black ecclesial theology and responses to structures of oppression.
- God’s Kingdom vision for a gathering of culturally diverse peoples to God’s family.
We are excited to introduce a unique, team-taught course with guest-lecturer Prof. Esau McCaulley, Associate Professor of New Testament at Wheaton College, & Prof. N.T. Wright. This collaboration, which centres around the contribution of the Bible to contemporary discussions of ethnicity and justice, is the result of a continued friendship that began when Wright served as McCauley’s doctoral supervisor at the University of St. Andrews. The initial lecture opens with a conversation between Prof. McCaulley and Prof. Wright as they explore why these themes are vitally important today.
Ethnicity, Justice, and the People of God represents the thought of two world-class biblical scholars who throughout their careers have shared a commitment to reviving overlooked emphases of biblical justice in the public imagination. This course traces various strands of thought regarding ethnicity and justice throughout history and the various responses people in the Church have offered. Along the way, both scholars highlight scriptural resources to aid believers in witnessing to injustice and practical possibilities for participating in God’s vision to put all things right.
Historically, some in the Church have used the scriptures and their faith to enable, uphold, and embolden structures of injustice. However, these same scriptures and faith have been used by others in the Church to respond to and resist these systems. By affirming that from the very beginning, God’s plan for New Creation was a gathering of diverse peoples to all share in the divine story, in different but compatible ways, Prof.’s McCauley & Wright encourage students to deepen their understanding of how race, justice, and faith come together in the life of God’s people.
This course contains 10 teaching sessions along with quizzes to check your comprehension, Q&A sessions, reflection questions to help you deeply engage with the material, whether individually or in conversation, as well as a bonus section which includes an extra lecture, interview materials, and reflection resources. There are no extra academic articles or required readings. We invite you to join us for this exciting collaboration between Prof. McCaulley and Prof. Wright.
Who this course is for:
- Christians seeking to better understand structures of sin from a Biblical perspective.
- Church members wanting to practice the signs of the New Creation in everyday life, especially as it pertains to injustices.
- Educators beginning to challenge themselves and congregations towards more boldly inclusive theology.
- Small group leaders gathering resources for corporate learning about justice.
- Pastors and educators seeking a model for how to engage in conversations and collective theological reflection on responsibility to the Oppressed.
- Students feeling hopeless in the face of persistent societal sin.
