Rev. Dr. Brenda Salter McNeil is the president and founder of Salter McNeil & Associates. She is a renowned speaker and leader in the field of racial, ethnic, and gender reconciliation, and author of A Credible Witness: Reflections on Power, Evangelism and Race. This article appears courtesy of a partnership with Salter McNeil & Associates.
Posts By This Author
How White Churches Co-Opted My Racial Reconciliation Work
Brazos Press
TO UNDERSTAND MY evolution as a reconciliation leader, you must first understand that I began my journey sincerely believing that if I could convince evangelical Christians that reconciliation was not some politically motivated agenda but a biblical calling rooted in Scripture, they would pursue racial justice. For years I tried to be biblical enough, nonthreatening enough, patient enough, persuasive enough, theologically rigorous enough, so that no one could say I had a hidden agenda.
That’s what my ministry was about for a very long time. I preached the good news of multiculturalism and diversity at churches and conferences. I led workshops and taught seminars and told people about inclusion and equity and how Jesus demonstrated these principles in his ministry.
But along the way, there were indicators that my approach, while good and well-intentioned, was not effecting the type of change I knew in my heart needed to take place.
Why are the First Family's Hairstyles a Political Issue?
Sister Sotomayor: Lady Justice
Sonia Sotomayor was confirmed more than one month ago, so why, you may ask, am I just now penning a blog about her historic appointment to the U.S. Supreme Court? The answer is easy -- I was scared. I was scared of offending members of the SMA community because of Justice Sotomayor's position on various hot-button issues.