What Has Geneva to Do with Ferguson?

Racial tensions have reached a fevered pitch over the past few years in the wake of numerous police shootings of unarmed black men. With few exceptions, white conservative evangelical churches have remained largely silent as their pastors and members wonder how the gospel applies to these issues. This workshop will examine how the gospel and the Reformed confessional tradition might inform our approach to racialized sin, injustice, and the Black Lives Matter movement. Issues to be covered include a brief look at how reformers like Luther and Calvin applied Scripture to the social injustices of their day and how the Reformed confessions (like the Belgic Confession, Heidelberg Catechism, and Westminster Standards) guide our thinking, speech, and actions around these pressing issues. Finally, we will consider practical steps churches might take to begin having these conversations.