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Vroegop invites you to mourn with him over the brokenness that has caused division and to use lament to begin the journey toward a diverse and united church
Gospel unity creates racial harmony.
However, Martin Luther King Jr. once said that the most segregated hour in America is eleven o’clock on Sunday morning. Equipped with the gospel, the church should be the catalyst for reconciliation, yet it continues to ignore immense pain and division.
In an effort to bridge the canyon of misunderstanding, insensitivity, and hurt, Mark Vroegop writes about the practice of lament, which he defines as “the biblical language of empathy and exile, perseverance and protest.” Encouraging you to “weep with those who weep” (Rom. 12:15), Vroegop invites you to mourn with him over the brokenness that has caused division and to use lament to begin the journey toward a diverse and united church.
Features Prayers of Lament From
Thabiti Anyabwile
Trillia Newbell
Jarvis Williams
John Onwuchekwa
Collin Hansen
Isaac Adams
Danny Akin
Mika Edmondson
Jason Meyer
Garrett Kell
Foreword: Thabiti Anyabwile
Introduction: Dream: The Vision of Racial Harmony
Part 1: Lament in the Bible and History
Chapter 1: Pray: The Language of Lament
Chapter 2: Listen: Lesson from African-American Spirituals
Chapter 3: Walk: The Bridge of Lament
Part 2: Lament and Majority Christians
Chapter 4: Weep: The Healing Grace of Empathy
Chapter 5: Speak: Ending the Painful Silence
Chapter 6: Repent: Remembering with Remorse
Part 3: Lament and Minority Christians
Chapter 7: Protest: The Voice of Exiles
Chapter 8: Triumph: Redeeming the Pain
Chapter 9: Believe: Dare to Hope
Conclusion: Lament: An Open Door for Racial Reconciliation
Appendix 1: Psalms of Laments
Appendix 2: Learning-to-Lament Worksheet
Appendix 3: Sample Civil Rights Vision Trip Itinerary
Bibliography
General Index
Scripture Index
| Contributors | Mark Vroegop |
|---|---|
| ISBN | 9781433567599 |
| Format | Paperback |
| First published | August 2020 |
| Dimensions | 140mm x 216mm x 14mm |
| Weight | 0.24 kg |
| Language | English |
| Pages | 224 |
| Publisher | Crossway |
I am so grateful to God that Mark Vroegop has written this book. Far too often our discussions about racial harmony and reconciliation center on analysis, history, strategies, or the ‘best practices’ of those who have made some progress with regard to inclusion and diversity. What is overlooked is the primacy and power of empathy, ‘weeping with those who weep.’ This profound sense of identification is what the Bible calls lament. I am thankful to Vroegop for calling us to the heart of the matter—our hearts. Weep with Me is a gift and a treasure.”
If the sinful and tragic issues of racial injustice do not drive Christians to lament, it can only be because we do not, or will not, see the reality all around us. This book by the brilliant and faithful Mark Vroegop helps us to see that lament is not despair and resignation but instead the first step toward healing and restoration. This book will help Christians of every ethnicity to learn to love one another and to bear each other’s burdens.
When conversations on race and racial reconciliation seem to produce more heat than light, and more accusation than appreciation, Mark Vroegop provides a timely word in Weep with Me. He reveals the simple yet poignant power in the prayers of biblical lament, teaching us the need to weep with those who weep. Lament gives language to both speakers who’ve suffered and listeners who long to understand. This is the hope of lament and the hope of the book: that the language of lament would bring blessing out of brokenness. The author is neither a hopeless romantic nor a helpless idealist. With realistic expectations and unbridled hope, Vroegop conveys inspiration from the biblical language of lament to help us find ways that will promote trust, understanding, and hope. He has helped me to love, listen, and lament; to learn and to leverage. Reconciliation is never easy, yet because of the gospel of Jesus, I will still dare to hope.
