WTL Conversations S2E8 [audio]: Shane Claiborne and Robert P. Jones on Christianity and White Discomfort

A dialogue hosted by the Red Letter Christians podcast.

Feb 23

Dear #WhiteTooLong readers,

Greetings from the road this week, where I’ve experienced both the joys of in-person conversations and the continued stresses of discerning appropriate pandemic safety protocols. I’ve also been aware that even things that were headaches in the before times—like rental cars breaking down—have a strange tinge of adventure attached to them. Compared to the eternal groundhog’s day of pandemic life, these small misadventures at least seem novel.

The week has been a whirlwind:

Thursday and Friday: Speaking about the legacy of white supremacy in American Christianity at the Sarasota Institute for Lifelong Learning (SILL).
Saturday: Speaking at a powerful conference at Baylor University’s Truett Seminary on the theme, “Racism in the White Church: Do We Want to Be Healed?”
This week: Visiting Tulsa’s new Greenwood Rising history center and conducting interviews for my new book with a range of people who were involved in commemorating the 100th anniversary of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre.

As I’ve been conducting interviews this week, I continue to be moved by the dedication of people from all races, ethnicities, and backgrounds who have spent years doing the hard work of truth-telling and repair in their local community. On the outside wall of the Greenwood Rising history center is one of my favorite quotes from James Baldwin that testifies to the importance of these efforts:

“Not everything that is faced can be changed; but nothing can be changed until it is faced.”

WTL Conversations: Shane Claiborne and Robert P. Jones on Christianity and White Discomfort

I’ve long been grateful for Shane Claiborne’s voice and ministry, and I was honored to have the opportunity to join him for a conversation on Christianity and the theme of “white discomfort,” which is gaining so much currency among Christian conservatives across the country. You can tune in to our conversation on the Red Letter Christians podcast below.