Dear White Peacemakers Discussion Questions and Review written by the Hobbit on September 5th, 2022. This post contains affiliate links, you can find out more on our policies page or in the disclaimer at the bottom of the blog.
Know Before You Read
Title: Dear White Peacemakers: Dismantling Racism with Grit and Grace
Author: Osheta Moore
Date Published: May 18th, 2021
Pages: 248
Genre: Adult nonfiction; Christian social justice
A Brief Summary: Osheta Moore blends her stories with various biblical references to help others understand a black perspective on racism better.
Why Should You Read Dear White Peacemakers?
Racism is a sensitive topic. Completely rooted in the Bible, especially in specific teachings of Jesus, Dear White Peacemakers is a kind call to white Christians to be more aware and to be more active in the work of healing racial division. The book is well written and her personal stories are sometimes humorous and sometimes serious, but always on point. At times the seriousness and the humor run together in unexpected and thought provoking ways. It is very honest and open, and centers the concept of community. This is a great starting point for white Christians who want to know more of the experiences of black Americans and black Christians.
Continue Reading for our Dear White Peacemakers Discussion Questions
Dear White Peacemakers Discussion Questions
There are a number of great quotes from the book. And you could develop a series of questions from each chapter. For this review I have picked five quotes to discuss and also included some overall themes.
Themes to Discuss: Racism; Christian Anti-racism; Community; Grace
1) “Stories unveil our complexity and our beauty more than the latest Reuters report.” How did the personal stories in the book affect you? Does the use of story make the book more effective than a presentation with facts but no story?
2) “Jesus never calls us to have good hearts. He does, however, call us to have pure ones.” What is the difference between a “good” heart and a pure heart? How can the phrase “good heart” be used as an excuse?
3) “For first century Judeans like Jesus, the concepts of righteousness and justice weren’t compartmentalized the way they are in modern Western cultures. For Jesus and his contemporaries, a person’s righteousness was tied not only to their “vertical” holiness but also to their “horizontal” holiness — what we could easily consider as “justice”.” In what other ways do we assume that concepts in the first century had the same meaning as today? How can we better live out what the New Testament says?
4) “To Jesus, the life of a disciple is not transactional, it’s transformative.” What are some of the ways modern Christianity has become transactional? How much value do churches place on transforming lives?
5) “We want the way that we oppose racism to reflect the non- violent love of God revealed in Jesus. More Christians will want to join us in this work if they see it as God-honoring. Anti-racism peacemaking honors God the way Jesus did: by challenging oppressive systems, graciously loving sinners, and calling disciples to leave their self-interest behind and follow him to the cross. That’s what’s needed in this moment in history.” How well is the church doing at honoring God in these ways? What could it do better?
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