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TechnoratiWhile the educational DVD asserts that racism is far from eradicated either inside or outside of the church, it shows how many Baptists are working together to break down dividing walls of race and ethnicity.
It examines both past mistakes – like the role of white Christians in trans-Atlantic slave trade and during segregation – and current and future issues like immigration.
Last month, the DVD won the award for best documentary at the International Black Film Festival of Nashville.
“We knew the narratives were powerful and the interviews were effective and moving,” commented Parham.
“We knew the broad sweep – from a slave castle outside Accra, Ghana, to Southern Baptist Theological Seminary – encapsulated social movements and theological arguments,” he continued. “We knew that recalling some of the worst and best moments in Baptist history would challenge Baptist church members. We knew that Baptists know they must deal with this issue.”
Though the DVD highlights the issue of race among Baptists, Parham says it’s really about more than Baptists.
“It is about how historically some Christians justified theologically slavery and segregation. It is also about how contemporary Christians see theologically and read culturally encoded racism,” he explained.
The DVD is currently available in both a 47-minute version designed for use in Bible study classroom settings over a four-week period and a 35-minute edition for use in public screenings along with a panel discussion. Each version has four main chapters: "Racism Defined," "Opening the Bible," "Encoded Racism" and "Five Ways Forward."
This week, the students of Baylor went to work to begin spanning the divide that some say appears to separate black and white students.
Like BCE’s Parham, Baylor students have criticized the school for simply reacting to racially motivated incidents and not encouraging racial tolerance from the first day students step on campus by holding seminars and discussions for freshmen during welcome week, the Tribune-Herald reported.
On Tuesday, at least 40 students of various races, religious backgrounds and viewpoints discussed race relations at a weekly “Frankly Speaking” dialogue at Baylor University, according to the Waco Tribune-Herald.
Wednesday morning chapel services furthermore included presentations by the newly formed Bias Motivated Incident Support Team and about 60 students, faculty members and school administrators gathered at Miller Chapel at 4 p.m. for a prayer rally for unity.
On Friday morning, student groups like the Association of Black Students and Baylor’s National Association for the Advancement of Colored People chapter are holding a silent march in hopes of stamping out fast any campus racism there may be.
With nearly 14,000 students, Baylor University is the largest Baptist university in the world by enrollment. According to annual rankings published by U.S. News & World Report, the university is currently tied for 75th place out of 248 national universities.
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