An inspiring and actionable guide to fight racial injustice by fulfilling Jesus's call to love our neighbors--starting with our Black Neighbors: our Black colleagues at work, the Black congregants at church, the new Black family in our neighborhood. Throughout American history, Black people have been bruised, robbed, and abandoned. While we've struggled to right the wrongs of the past and move toward racial healing, are we sticking closer than a brother or sister to our Black Neighbors--not just when tragedy hits, not with tweets and hashtags, but all the time, and with tangible actions?
Drawing parallels with the biblical story of the Good Samaritan, journalist Chanté Griffin unpacks the connection between the Robbed Man and our Black Neighbor in the U.S. She invites us to replace well-meaning but superficial responses with acts of love that flow from God's deep love for Black people. Using five Black Love Lenses--cultural love lenses born from shared African American cultural values--she unpacks meaningful ways through which we can see and love our Black Neighbors:
- Honor show overflowing respect and love
- Intimacy cultivate intentional closeness and community
- Stand Up use our voices and influence to stand up
- God's-gifts allow God's resources to flow through us to our Black Neighbor
- The Spirit of Love love lavishly through intercessory prayers
Through guided readings, prayers, and heart checks, Griffin equips us to undergo a spiritual and relational transformation that grows a deeper love for our Black Neighbors and ourselves.
