Embracing the Body: A Multicultural Bible Study

Team Members/Contributors

Carrie Scott Ray-Thomas Memorial Presbyterian Church Contact Me

About this pastoral study project

Ours is an increasingly multicultural world. Nevertheless, churches continue to remain primarily composed of one or two ethnicities. This is not simply because churches don’t know how to be hospitable. It is in part because of the dynamics between “majorities” and “minorities”. Virtually any church that is not completely homogeneous has some ethnic group that is the “majority.” Those that are not part of that majority fear that their language won’t be spoken – neither the language of their tongue nor the language of their heart - and that their voices won’t be heard. They fear that at a deep level, they will not truly “belong.” Moreover, those who are minorities in the majority culture want a place where they can rest from the wearying assaults of minority status. The tragedy in Christ’s church is that we become segregated from each other and miss the wealth, depth and breadth of one another’s insights into God’s Word. I propose writing a Bible study that can be used within churches and among churches that lifts up perspectives, interpretations and stories from four lenses: African American, Korean, Latino and Euro-American, utilizing the insights of pastors, parishioners and professors, as we lean into our true identity as one in the Body of Christ.