As "God's chosen solution," the church is meant to speak distinctly and frankly to one another and to our broader culture.
“We, the church, are God’s chosen solution,” Pastor Antoine Payne began his opening statement at unCUFFED’s racial reconciliation forum, Becoming a Stable Bridge, on June 24th. Reading from 1 Timothy 3:14-15, Pastor Payne reminded us that the church is meant to speak distinctly and frankly to one another and to our broader culture. When sharing the truth of the gospel, we should share like Peter and John in Acts 4:13: courageously and unapologetically. This ability to boldly speak the truth is called as parresia, or “freedom in speaking, unreservedness in speech.”
Sounds simple, right? Yeah, not so much–especially as our world grows more divided around issues like race and politics. How do Christians balance parresia with love, empathy, and listening? How do we turn bold truth into a beacon of peace, compassion, and unity, rather than judgment and division? And how do we speak truth that produces social change while still honoring the Romans 13 command to respect authority? For many of us, these questions are complicated and spark uncertainty and fear that can hold us back from fulfilling our role as truth-speakers. But in order to live out our command to be God’s chosen solution to society’s racial brokenness, we must answer these questions and learn how to view parresia rightly, as a grace-filled gift from God. Here are some tips from Pastors Payne, George Lawson, and George Hopkins on how Christians can enter difficult conversations and engage in parresia in a God-honoring way.
Anchor yourself with God’s Word.
As Pastor Lawson put it (and demonstrated for us!) Christians should have conversations about justice and reconciliation “with open Bibles.” Ultimately, the truth we speak should not be simply a repetition of the world’s ideas or our own opinions: it should be the truth as laid out by God’s word, which unifies us all, even in disagreements or uncomfortable conversations.
Lead with love, compassion, and humility.
Our motivations matter. When practicing parresia, we must be motivated by a desire to honor God and kindly edify our Christian brother; otherwise our words are nothing more than harsh judgments or self-serving lectures. Our tone when addressing other Christians should always be loving and empathetic, and our guidance should take place in the context of a partnering relationship. Ultimately, the goal of parresia is not shaming anyone, but edifying them in the ways of the Lord, supporting them in their faith walk, and holding them accountable to the beliefs they profess. As Pastor Hopkins pointed out, this is even true when Christians speak out against the brokenness of the government or other social systems; we are not rebelling, but rather honoring God by calling them to live out the laws and values they have written.
Guide AND be guided.
Parresia is not a one-sided preaching, but a two-sided dialogue anchored in mutual trust and respect. No Christian should believe that they are all-knowing, nor should they ever look down upon another brother in Christ. Rather, we must believe the best about each other, seeing them as God’s beloved child and listening openly to their thoughts, experiences, and questions. Rarely does a conversation anchored in Christ leave one side “right” and the other “wrong”; both sides can receive the gentle guidance of another believer, moving each other forward in faith.
Trust that God’s grace is sufficient to withstand challenges.
Ultimately, practicing parresia requires a deep trust in God’s character, the knowledge that his grace is enough to weather “stepping on toes” as Pastor Hopkins put it. Through Jesus, God has already reconciled us to one another and unified us as his church, even as we struggle to overcome our sin and practice peace. When we center the grace that God has given us, we lose our fear and are freed to practice confident parresia.
Guided by this knowledge, unCUFFED is boldly stepping into tough conversations about the world we live in by hosting another social issues forum, this one about the challenges and blessings of cross-racial discipling. Be on the lookout for more details in the coming weeks.
As "God's chosen solution," the church is meant to speak distinctly and frankly to one another and to our broader culture.
“We, the church, are God’s chosen solution,” Pastor Antoine Payne began his opening statement at unCUFFED’s racial reconciliation forum, Becoming a Stable Bridge, on June 24th. Reading from 1 Timothy 3:14-15, Pastor Payne reminded us that the church is meant to speak distinctly and frankly to one another and to our broader culture. When sharing the truth of the gospel, we should share like Peter and John in Acts 4:13: courageously and unapologetically. This ability to boldly speak the truth is called as parresia, or “freedom in speaking, unreservedness in speech.”
Sounds simple, right? Yeah, not so much–especially as our world grows more divided around issues like race and politics. How do Christians balance parresia with love, empathy, and listening? How do we turn bold truth into a beacon of peace, compassion, and unity, rather than judgment and division? And how do we speak truth that produces social change while still honoring the Romans 13 command to respect authority? For many of us, these questions are complicated and spark uncertainty and fear that can hold us back from fulfilling our role as truth-speakers. But in order to live out our command to be God’s chosen solution to society’s racial brokenness, we must answer these questions and learn how to view parresia rightly, as a grace-filled gift from God. Here are some tips from Pastors Payne, George Lawson, and George Hopkins on how Christians can enter difficult conversations and engage in parresia in a God-honoring way.
Anchor yourself with God’s Word.
As Pastor Lawson put it (and demonstrated for us!) Christians should have conversations about justice and reconciliation “with open Bibles.” Ultimately, the truth we speak should not be simply a repetition of the world’s ideas or our own opinions: it should be the truth as laid out by God’s word, which unifies us all, even in disagreements or uncomfortable conversations.
Lead with love, compassion, and humility.
Our motivations matter. When practicing parresia, we must be motivated by a desire to honor God and kindly edify our Christian brother; otherwise our words are nothing more than harsh judgments or self-serving lectures. Our tone when addressing other Christians should always be loving and empathetic, and our guidance should take place in the context of a partnering relationship. Ultimately, the goal of parresia is not shaming anyone, but edifying them in the ways of the Lord, supporting them in their faith walk, and holding them accountable to the beliefs they profess. As Pastor Hopkins pointed out, this is even true when Christians speak out against the brokenness of the government or other social systems; we are not rebelling, but rather honoring God by calling them to live out the laws and values they have written.
Guide AND be guided.
Parresia is not a one-sided preaching, but a two-sided dialogue anchored in mutual trust and respect. No Christian should believe that they are all-knowing, nor should they ever look down upon another brother in Christ. Rather, we must believe the best about each other, seeing them as God’s beloved child and listening openly to their thoughts, experiences, and questions. Rarely does a conversation anchored in Christ leave one side “right” and the other “wrong”; both sides can receive the gentle guidance of another believer, moving each other forward in faith.
Trust that God’s grace is sufficient to withstand challenges.
Ultimately, practicing parresia requires a deep trust in God’s character, the knowledge that his grace is enough to weather “stepping on toes” as Pastor Hopkins put it. Through Jesus, God has already reconciled us to one another and unified us as his church, even as we struggle to overcome our sin and practice peace. When we center the grace that God has given us, we lose our fear and are freed to practice confident parresia.
Guided by this knowledge, unCUFFED is boldly stepping into tough conversations about the world we live in by hosting another social issues forum, this one about the challenges and blessings of cross-racial discipling. Be on the lookout for more details in the coming weeks.
“We, the church, are God’s chosen solution,” Pastor Antoine Payne began his opening statement at unCUFFED’s racial reconciliation forum, Becoming a Stable Bridge, on June 24th. Reading from 1 Timothy 3:14-15, Pastor Payne reminded us that the church is meant to speak distinctly and frankly to one another and to our broader culture. When sharing the truth of the gospel, we should share like Peter and John in Acts 4:13: courageously and unapologetically. This ability to boldly speak the truth is called as parresia, or “freedom in speaking, unreservedness in speech.”
Sounds simple, right? Yeah, not so much–especially as our world grows more divided around issues like race and politics. How do Christians balance parresia with love, empathy, and listening? How do we turn bold truth into a beacon of peace, compassion, and unity, rather than judgment and division? And how do we speak truth that produces social change while still honoring the Romans 13 command to respect authority? For many of us, these questions are complicated and spark uncertainty and fear that can hold us back from fulfilling our role as truth-speakers. But in order to live out our command to be God’s chosen solution to society’s racial brokenness, we must answer these questions and learn how to view parresia rightly, as a grace-filled gift from God. Here are some tips from Pastors Payne, George Lawson, and George Hopkins on how Christians can enter difficult conversations and engage in parresia in a God-honoring way.
Anchor yourself with God’s Word.
As Pastor Lawson put it (and demonstrated for us!) Christians should have conversations about justice and reconciliation “with open Bibles.” Ultimately, the truth we speak should not be simply a repetition of the world’s ideas or our own opinions: it should be the truth as laid out by God’s word, which unifies us all, even in disagreements or uncomfortable conversations.
Lead with love, compassion, and humility.
Our motivations matter. When practicing parresia, we must be motivated by a desire to honor God and kindly edify our Christian brother; otherwise our words are nothing more than harsh judgments or self-serving lectures. Our tone when addressing other Christians should always be loving and empathetic, and our guidance should take place in the context of a partnering relationship. Ultimately, the goal of parresia is not shaming anyone, but edifying them in the ways of the Lord, supporting them in their faith walk, and holding them accountable to the beliefs they profess. As Pastor Hopkins pointed out, this is even true when Christians speak out against the brokenness of the government or other social systems; we are not rebelling, but rather honoring God by calling them to live out the laws and values they have written.
Guide AND be guided.
Parresia is not a one-sided preaching, but a two-sided dialogue anchored in mutual trust and respect. No Christian should believe that they are all-knowing, nor should they ever look down upon another brother in Christ. Rather, we must believe the best about each other, seeing them as God’s beloved child and listening openly to their thoughts, experiences, and questions. Rarely does a conversation anchored in Christ leave one side “right” and the other “wrong”; both sides can receive the gentle guidance of another believer, moving each other forward in faith.
Trust that God’s grace is sufficient to withstand challenges.
Ultimately, practicing parresia requires a deep trust in God’s character, the knowledge that his grace is enough to weather “stepping on toes” as Pastor Hopkins put it. Through Jesus, God has already reconciled us to one another and unified us as his church, even as we struggle to overcome our sin and practice peace. When we center the grace that God has given us, we lose our fear and are freed to practice confident parresia.
Guided by this knowledge, unCUFFED is boldly stepping into tough conversations about the world we live in by hosting another social issues forum, this one about the challenges and blessings of cross-racial discipling. Be on the lookout for more details in the coming weeks.