Premium Resources
Our premium resources are thoughtfully crafted and theologically well-grounded for clergy and ministry leaders to lead impactful studies and lively discussions. We charge a small fee to support our mission and content creators, but we can also accommodate your ministry’s financial situation - contact us.
PREMIUM SERIES
Our Hearts Were Strangely Lukewarm
Based on the book, Our Hearts Were Strangely Lukewarm: The American Methodist Church and the Struggle with White Supremacy, by John Elford, the General Commission on Religion and Race presents a Small Group Study and Online Course made especially for white Christians to engage in deep reflection and open dialogue about the impact of racism, with a focus on anti-Black racism, within both the church and society.
SMALL GROUP STUDY
You Are Here
The General Commission on Religion and Race offers this seven-part curriculum as a first step in understanding what racism is, how it has and still shows up in the church and society, and how it impacts and impedes the integrity and effectiveness of God’s people gathered as the church. This resource is designed primarily for use by small groups—church school classes, campus ministries, clergy support groups, congregational leadership teams, and community-wide, faith-based groups—in spaces where most of the participants are white.
All Premium Resources and Courses
Courses
Anti-Racism 101: Required Skills for White People Who Want to be Allies
This online course centers on one big idea: that anti-racism is anything that actually interrupts and dismantles racism. As a 101 course, the content will focus on defining anti-racism, identifying anti-racism, and practicing anti-racism by interrupting racism. The three sessions will roughly fall under these categories: theory (big idea), practice [working with the big idea), and personal (implementing the big idea).
By taking this course, students will:
Learn how to explain anti-racism to your church siblings or family
Build your skills in interrupting racism in real-time
Practice becoming stronger against white fragility – overcome the temptation to give up when the realities of racism become intense
Create a foundational toolbox to interrupt and dismantle racism that will ground any other anti-racism work you do
Our Hearts Were Strangely Lukewarm: The History of Anti-Black Racism in The Church
How did the U.S. Christian movement founded by John Wesley stray from his strong abolitionist teachings to largely embracing anti-Black racism for more than two centuries? And why did so many of white Methodism’s highest decision-makers throughout history balk at declaring racism as antithetical to the Gospel of Jesus Christ?
This three-session, self-directed course—based on the book, Our Hearts Were Strangely Lukewarm: The American Methodist Church and The Struggle with White Supremacy by the Rev. Dr. John Elford—offers a no-holds-barred look at the denomination’s checkered history of systemic and institutional racism targeting African American people.
Open to all, this course challenges white Christians to face the past and chart a more faith-filled, anti-racist future so that United Methodists may become co-workers with Jesus Christ to transform the world.
In this course you will:
Learn about early American Methodism’s struggle to reconcile God’s message of love for all people with the practice of enslaving Africans to build colonizer wealth.
Examine how Methodist General Conferences historically failed to take unflinching, unequivocable public stands and deliberate actions to counter white racism and white supremacy.
Witness the work of generations of anti-slavery Methodists who challenged the church throughout history to embrace the sacred worth of people of all races.
Follow the self-determination movements among Black Methodists, who created their own denominations and church groups to champion abolitionist, anti-Jim Crow, freedom and liberation movements.
Examine ongoing challenges that racism and white supremacy present to the United Methodist Church and the world.
You Are Here: First Steps for White Christians on Race and Racism
You Are Here: First Steps for White Christians on Race and Racism is an online course for Christians who want to acquire a fundamental understanding of race and racism from a biblical perspective. This four-part self-directed course offers videos featuring Robin DiAngelo and the Rev. Dr. David Anderson Hooker, reflections, and activities to help people of faith to recognize racism and begin to challenge it in their lives.
This curriculum is offered as a first step for white Christians, in particular, who are unsure about what racism is and unclear about its relevance to individuals, the church, and society as a whole. This resource is designed for individuals who are ready to learn about how racism operates, how it affects Christian communities, and how people of faith can recognize and resist racism.
Implicit Bias:
What We Don’t Think We Think
We invite pastors, teachers, and anyone who is interested in learning and teaching others about implicit bias to take this on-demand online course. This course is designed for you to take at your own pace and includes bonus content specifically for preachers.
This online course is based on the popular Implicit Bias Workbook. It is designed for anyone interested in learning and teaching others about implicit bias. The learning engagements included in each section allow for either individual work or group work, and offer optional sermon suggestions for preachers. Each learning engagement offers multiple entry points and honors the contextual wisdom you and others will bring to this material. Each exercise is an invitation to discover how God is leading you to use the knowledge gained in your faith group and community.
To purchase the Implicit Bias online course and the Facilitator’s Package as a bundle for $40, please click here.