Goals and Objectives for Every Family
To make our biblical worldview primary and our cultural worldview secondary
To commit to making our faith the filter in which we respond to all things
To teach our children the importance of coming together across all lines (racial, socio-economic, political, etc.) to ensure justice is righteously served and the new normal becomes an environment and a culture where safety, equity, and unity is established.
To be a Christian family that promotes a spirit of unity (oneness), while rejecting the desire for uniformity (sameness)
To commit to making our faith the filter in which we respond to all things
To teach our children the importance of coming together across all lines (racial, socio-economic, political, etc.) to ensure justice is righteously served and the new normal becomes an environment and a culture where safety, equity, and unity is established.
To be a Christian family that promotes a spirit of unity (oneness), while rejecting the desire for uniformity (sameness)
1 .Start early. Like a discipleship model, the sooner you begin having a healthy discussion about ethnicity and social injustice, the easier it will be to develop their hearts for loving and welcoming people from all cultural backgrounds.
2. Make sure prayer and God’s Word is always the starting point and the foundation for the conversation.
3. Realize, as the primary influence in your child’s life, you set the tone for how he or she will view and respond to racism, social injustice, and discrimination.
4. Be honest and transparent. Admit to your children your biases in a way that shows them, no matter how old you get, you are always learning, growing, and evolving.
5. Be honest and transparent, in an age-appropriate manner, about the ugliness of bigotry and oppression. Do not let the media propaganda and divisive rhetoric develop your child’s worldview on this issue.
6. Be intentional about developing a Christian culture within your home where there is consistent learning about the importance of respecting and loving others.
2. Make sure prayer and God’s Word is always the starting point and the foundation for the conversation.
3. Realize, as the primary influence in your child’s life, you set the tone for how he or she will view and respond to racism, social injustice, and discrimination.
4. Be honest and transparent. Admit to your children your biases in a way that shows them, no matter how old you get, you are always learning, growing, and evolving.
5. Be honest and transparent, in an age-appropriate manner, about the ugliness of bigotry and oppression. Do not let the media propaganda and divisive rhetoric develop your child’s worldview on this issue.
6. Be intentional about developing a Christian culture within your home where there is consistent learning about the importance of respecting and loving others.
7. Share stories of both resistance and resilience. Children need to hear both sides, not just one side.
8. Stress the importance of standing up for both righteousness and justice, through the lens of Scripture, not through the opinions of the culture.
9. Consider inviting families from different cultures and backgrounds over for times of food, fellowship, and healthy conversations.
10. Monitor their social media engagement, activities, and interactions. Often, harmful behaviors are birthed through the bridges of negative media propaganda that perpetuates
divisiveness.
11. Remember, it’s a marathon and not a sprint. Meaning, you cannot have one conversation; you must have many.
8. Stress the importance of standing up for both righteousness and justice, through the lens of Scripture, not through the opinions of the culture.
9. Consider inviting families from different cultures and backgrounds over for times of food, fellowship, and healthy conversations.
10. Monitor their social media engagement, activities, and interactions. Often, harmful behaviors are birthed through the bridges of negative media propaganda that perpetuates
divisiveness.
11. Remember, it’s a marathon and not a sprint. Meaning, you cannot have one conversation; you must have many.
Jeff Wallace is nationally known as an author, urban ministry communicator, innovator, and thought-leader. For 23 years, he served as pastor of youth development and executive pastor at Peace Baptist Church in Decatur, Georgia. He currently serves as the executive director of the LIFT Tour and the Youth Pastor’s Summit for Student Leadership University (SLU), in Orlando, Florida. SLU is a national organization designed to develop and equip student leaders to think, dream, and lead. Jeff enjoys doing life with his wife Quovadis and three boys, Jeffrey, Christopher, and Cameron.