SURJ FAITH
"Please move away from the sidelines and unite together -- regardless of your faith or religious practice -- to seek an end to hatred and violence . . . What happened to our family is part of a larger attack on Black and Brown bodies . . . We call on all people, public officials, faith leaders and Americans from all walks of life to help address the festering sores of racism as it spurs an unforgiving culture of violence."
- Rev. Waltrina Middleton, longtime organizer, whose cousin Rev. Depayne Middleton, was killed in the massacre at Emanuel AME Church.
- Rev. Waltrina Middleton, longtime organizer, whose cousin Rev. Depayne Middleton, was killed in the massacre at Emanuel AME Church.
Who are we meant to be to each other? What kind of world to we want to build together?
How do we as white folk engage the deep work our faith/spiritual traditions call us to,
to assure all creation lives in dignity and free from harm?
How do we as white folk engage the deep work our faith/spiritual traditions call us to,
to assure all creation lives in dignity and free from harm?
SURJ-Faith supports white faith/spiritual leaders and communities to talk bold action in the fight against racial oppression. This work includes rooting out the ways white supremacy culture shows up in our faith/spiritual institutions and withdrawing our moral support for systems of harm and violence that undergird the racist structures in which we live.
Check out our current campaign, "Community Safety For All," for a concrete way be involved in the work of dismantling white supremacy.
Check out our podcast for white Christians, "The Word Is Resistance," bringing an anti-racist lens to the weekly lectionary readings to support our work towards collective liberation.
Check out our current campaign, "Community Safety For All," for a concrete way be involved in the work of dismantling white supremacy.
Check out our podcast for white Christians, "The Word Is Resistance," bringing an anti-racist lens to the weekly lectionary readings to support our work towards collective liberation.
SURJ-Faith Resources
- "On Romans 13:" SURJ-Faith Coordinator Rev. Anne Dunlap offers an interpretation of Romans 13:1-7 to counter those who use the text to sanction oppression. "'Be subject to' does not mean 'obey the laws because laws are good and government is good because God said so.' It means to make a choice. God’s way, or Rome’s way?"
- Countering Anti-Jewish Oppression Resource: Anti-Semitism/Anti-Jewish Oppression (AJO) is one tool of white supremacy. This list of articles and books is particularly pertinent to Christians and UUs for understanding Christianity's role in the development of AJO, how to dismantle AJO in biblical interpretation, and how AJO also upholds white supremacy. We continue to update this list.
- "13th" Faith Discussion Guide: This guide for the documentary "13th" about the 13th amendment and mass incarceration of people of color offers reflections and action suggestions in response to the film.
- Resipisence: A Lenten Devotional for Dismantling White Supremacy: This book is a project of SURJ-Faith, Movement in Faith, and Seminary of the Street, published in February 2018 for the Christian RCL Year B lectionary texts. “Resipiscence” is defined as “a change of mind or heart, reformation, a return to a sane, sound, or corrected view or position” (Merriam-Webster). The contributors within these pages are absolutely calling for a change of both mind and heart in the way we love or do not love our neighbor, a reform in oppressive structural institutions, and in light of the national political tone, a resolute call for a return to a corrected view of what and who made, makes, and will make this country great. Link above is for the PDF. Spiral-bound print-copy available here; limited print copies.
- SURJ-Faith is on Twitter and we have our own Facebook group for sharing news and resources.