Ethnicity, Justice, and the People of God (Udemy.com)

Having returned to N.T. W’S Udemy courses after a long hiatus feeding my soul under other methods and mentors I came back to this course which had been sitting untouched in my “to do” box. In the very first video I was immediately plunged into the depth of thought and dare I say ‘Biblical revelation’ under a most enjoyable dialogue in wit and wisdom between the two presenters — and stirred up for getting into more of this! Thank you for this course.

The speaker speaks fast. There are one or two words I still cannot catch even when replaying. I think he explained the way racism is idolatry too quickly - I did not follow it. But I will re-listen.

As I engage the scripture and READ the Bible, unity and righteousness and justice as part of following Christ becomes more vital. To LOVE the LORD our God with all our heart, soul, strength and mind and LOVE our neighbor is the command we seek to follow. Thank you for helping me to "SEE" I need the collective journeys and foundations of other cultures and ethnicities to begin to understand unity and righteousness and justice and my part in the sin of systemic racism.

The practical discussion of concepts that influence so much argument in contemporary churches is really helping me to step away from the “ sound bites” and recognize the depth of perspective the Bible would point me to. In the course, Ethnicity, Justice and the people of God, I’m finding solid Biblical evidence that multicultural and ethnic unity isn’t a nice option for the church, it is a defining characteristic of what it means to be Christian.

This first session (actually numbered 3. Q&A: What is Justice) was fantastic. I'm already learning so much. I love the interaction between Drs. Wright and McCaulley. And I quickly jotted down all the scriptures they mentioned and will spend time in those before moving to the Reading of Isaiah 58. I was so excited by this first session that I have written to some friends letting them know that today is the last day to sign-up with a discount, and that they won't be disappointed. It is absolutely the best course I've taken in a long time -- maybe forever.

I am so grateful to listen to these academics engage in this relevant and gospel-centric discussion. It's a gift to have these topics presented so orderly and thoroughly in a cultural climate (speaking from United States) where bits and pieces of the race and justice crisis are routinely atomized, hijacked and distorted for this or that agenda. I'm grateful to learn, I'm grateful to reflect, and I'm grateful to change because of what I've learned here. I want the way to reconilation and peace that is offered in the wisdom of this course.

For anyone who wonders if the Bible has anything relevant to say about the current pressing issues of social justice and racism, this course answers a resounding ‘YES!’ More than that, it is a wake-up call to the Church to ‘retrieve, renew and rework’ social justice in our time as being vital to the witness of the Church to the watching world and vital to the Church's understanding of what it means to be the people of God. If this is your first N.T. Wright course, I would suggest that you first acquaint yourself with Wright’s merged lawcourt/covenant view of righteousness. EJPG is taught in collaboration with Professor Esau McCaulley, and I found that his way of talking about biblical justice varied somewhat from Wright’s. Theirs is a rich collaboration, in itself demonstrating the value of embracing ethnic diversity, and well worth the effort to integrate both voices. If you are like me, this course may leave you wondering, shocked even, as to how you could have missed something so important for so long.

In a word: brilliant! This course has helped me understand the Bible’s story in greater depth and increased clarity. It has helped me consider and frame new ways for the church to deal with issues of injustice and racial inequality. It has offered exciting insights for how God’s redemptive plan through Jesus’ death, resurrection, rule and return empowers the people of God to be something more of the ‘city on a hill’ our Lord calls us to be. The course will answer some of your key questions… • Why is justice such a neglected topic in the western church today? • How does the Scripture’s call to unity and oneness impact on cultural and ethnic differences? • What is the role of the church in seeking justice today, and what are the best ways for Christians/the church to address those issues? • How does God’s concern for justice relate to his plan to bless all nations? • How can you be concerned for matters of justice without diminishing your concern for Jesus and the Gospel? The lecture material from Profs Wight and McCaulley is engaging, evidencing the rich and robust research base one would expect from such high calibre scholars. But don’t let the scholarly tone put you off : the feels are informal and relaxed. The greatest ‘take home’ was the insightful interpretations of core biblical passages which western Christians, preachers and churches easily misread and misapply. The course provides a timely and helpful corrective for the all-too-common individualised, commercialised and self centred expressions of western Christianity. I am excited to think about the potential this course has to deepen - or even reframe - our common perceptions of discipleship and the impact it could have on the mission and purpose of the Church today. The course offers much (very helpful and insightful) discussion of issues surrounding North American racism and its origins. While aspects of those tensions are somewhat removed from my own Australian context, the material provides stimulating principles for Australians as they address local indigenous issues and other expressions of inequality. Bottom line: I loved this course. It has deepened my passion as a church leader, and excited my desire to see the church take the lead in building a more just and equitable society.

This course wonderfully explores God’s justice, biblical justice and the modern state of justice and overlays the three. Adding to the depth and texture was the diversity of Professors Wright and McCaulley. Yes, their academic backgrounds are alike, Professor Wright brings the white, Anglican UK perspective, while Professor McCaulley grew up in the black Baptist church in the US. The lectures are most informative, but their hearts shine through in the conversational sessions. A most timely and informative course.

I thoroughly enjoyed this course and hope to see more like it in the future. I kept coming back to asking why this course engaged me so much, and I think the answer is, "Because that's what the prior scripture-specific courses have been for." I noted that most every Biblical context used in the present course had already been included in previous classes. This course - and hopefully future ones along these lines - bring those concepts to a sharp point where they can be used to "de-weaponize" what our culture today seems to have weaponized on issues of race and justice.