Chapter 9 – Ongoing Partnerships
Summary
“ [This is] the condition in which most of us begin: ignorant, isolated, and alienated from people who are unlike us. We are strangers who communicate differently, have difference cultures, eat different foods, enjoy different music, and see the world from different points of view. We are socialized [...]

Chapter 8 – Denouncing the Powers and Principalities
 
Summary
“According to Paul, principalities and powers are the personalities and forces that dominate our lives and our world.  These personalities and forces are visible and invisible, earthly and heavenly.  They include human rulers, large world structures, angelic beings like Michael, and demonic beings like Satan.” (113)
“These unseen powers [...]

 
Chapter 7 – Receiving and Extending Forgiveness
Summary
“ . . . we live in a society where ethnic stereotypes abound, false images that are promoted in the media and through selective news reporting. These stereotypes then take root in our hearts and minds, and if we have personal experiences that reinforce them, they can profoundly [...]

Because we are Christians, the Christmas season (that is, from approximately Thanksgiving through New Year’s Day) is one in which our family is particularly focused on Jesus.  Traditions my husband and I (both raised in believing families) experienced as children included attending Christmas Eve candlelight service, giving gifts in celebration of Christ’s birth, and gathering [...]

Chapter 6 – Embracing Our True Selves
 
Summary
 
Every day we all – consciously or unconsciously – receive false messages that attempt to define us and tell us who we are. As these messages penetrate our heart, we develop a false self-identity that influences how we view others and ourselves. (74)
 
God wants to replace those false words with [...]

 Chapter 5 – How Worship Builds Bridges
   
Summary
 In this chapter, the authors share a story about a “concert of prayer” event in downtown Chicago. More than 1,200 people gathered. Eleven different denominations were represented as well as various races, including African American, Caucasian, Latino, Native American, Asian, and many others. This group held two things in common: “a commitment [...]

Before our adoption, I thought I already knew how to successfully create a biracial family through adoption.  My heart was in the "right place."  I was perplexed at the vast amount of adoption training our agency required.  For example: How many close friends do you have that are of a minority race? How many role models within your child’s culture [...]

Chapter 4 – A New Model
Summary

In this chapter the authors present two primary models that have been used for racial reconciliation up through the present, and then present their own model.

Relational or Interpersonal Model:

“Make a friend with someone from another race or ethnicity, and you will bring about social change through friendship, [...]

Chapter 3 – A Better Way
 
Summary
This chapter begins by describing a time when the 2 authors were working together in preparation to teach a seminar on the book of Acts. They struggled particularly with Acts 2. McNeil noted the multiethnic dimensions stating “it was not by accident that God revealed his Spirit and [...]

Chapter 2 – Mission Impossible?
Summary
“We are experiencing more racial and ethnic diversity—and the challenges that come with it—than any generation that has ever preceded us. In the face of this reality, we are called to work together to make this world a better place—to represent the kingdom of God on earth. We are called to [...]