Podcast | Best Christian Workplaces

S6E10: Bringing Reconciliation and Hope to a Culturally-Divided World

Written by Best Christian Workplaces | March, 08 2021

David Bailey, Founder and Executive Director of Arrabon, shares a harsh reality saying, "we know our world is broken." But what David focuses on, and has dedicated his life to, is helping Christians build reconciling communities. When there's reconciliation only then can we experience the restoration of relationships. T

 

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In this episode:

  • What does the word 'Arrabon' mean? (02:10)
  • 'Arrabon means' "a foretaste of what is to come...the Church, a foretaste of a reconciled heaven to our divided world" (02:16)
  • Where and how did Arrabon originate? (03:09)
  • "A lot of ministry leaders, pastors, and business leaders are not thinking about anthropology" (05:00)
  • A biblical rooted way to inform and teach on race, class in the kingdom (07:22)
  • Being a part of a church community produced the vision to be Arrabon: a reconciled community (07:33)
  • So, what stands in our way for this being a reality in the U.S., Canada, or pick any country? (08:43)
  • "What the Christian leader can do is to discern—what does it look like to be a reconciling community in our places of influence?" (11:07)
  • How cultural artifacts dictate cultural narratives (13:56)
  • Examples of what a great culture artifact should be (17:00)
  • Spend 40% motivating businesses to think about creating new opportunities for those who have historically not had them (17:20)
  • Invest in artists and storytelling (18:17)
  • The type of communities you create are culture-making (19:19)
  • Let's make conscious choices to live in different communities (23:58)
  • A few examples of artifacts that hold up and point to racial reconciliation that Arrabon has helped bring about (25:33)
  • 5 pillars of a reconciling community(26:09)
    1. Reconciliation is spiritual formation (26:17)
    2. Increasing cultural intelligence (27:11)
    3. Learning diversity of narratives (27:49)
    4. Participate in cross-cultural collaboration (28:25)
    5. Engage in reconciling culture-making (28:43)
  • 48% of millennials are people of color (27:17)
  • The power of Christians deciding to be a part of reconciling communities (35:08)
  • Song: Purge Me (35:20)
  • Diversity and inclusion as a means to an end (38:18)
  • Christian leaders need to be the shepherd of the flock that God has entrusted to them (39:59)
  • "Every community may or may not be a diverse community, but every Christian community ought to be a reconciling community." (42:42)

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