Love & Unity
While multiethnic/multiracial churches are biblical and good, in prayer, the founders of 21st Century Church felt impressed not to strive for either of those goals. The reason is that if you desire a multiethnic church, you may get just that. Still, there is no guarantee that the different ethnic/ racial groups gathered will show self-sacrificial love for each other or display unity as one Body of Christ. Furthermore, attempts to be multiethnic often exclude gender and other forms of bias that equally demean the image of God in God’s people.
Because of this, 21st Century Church has partnered with the Love & Unity Project to further the idea that all people have value is, in its essence, a Christian idea and worth defending as a church whether or not political parties do so. Exercising love and unity is a crucial discipleship issue. By Love and Unity, we mean that we will actively combat any form of bias that seeks to position one person or group above another. Bias includes personal (conscious and implicit) as well as systemic bias. Systemic bias can be defined as inequity within health, educational, governmental, judicial, legal, religious, political, financial, media, or cultural institutions towards individuals of an oppressed or marginalized group.
The implication of this is that this statement is inclusive. We may frequently name race, class, and gender, but wherever the image of God in people is marred by bias, 21st Century Church has a place in speaking out and acting against it. We don’t consider these issues “political.” To learn more about the Love & Unity Project at 21st Century Church or partner with the Love & Unity Project, visit the website.
Visit Love & Unity Project Website