In this post I’ll share a talk with you that our Regional Staff Team experienced this summer when we convened virtually for a three day conference. The link to the video in this post below will take you to author and Northpark Theological Seminary professor Soong-Chan Rah. About 47 of us were gathered around the broader theme of social justice and race relations. In light of what our campuses, our ministry and our nation is enduring this 2020 – Year of Covid, Year of Cultural Unrest, Year of Financial Threat – turns out we heard from two of the most relevant voices God could have brought to our badly itching ears!
24 minutes. I think you should watch this.
The first talk is Soong-Chan unraveling themes, partly from his 2015 book Prophetic Lament (commentary on the Old Testament book of Lamentations) and partly from his new release Unsettling Truths. Soong-Chan takes a few minutes to greet some InterVarsity homies. You can fast forward to three and a half minutes into his talk where he digs into Lamentations. [Sheila Wise Rowe takes over after Soong-Chan with a talk on her book Healing from Racial Trauma. See previous posts.]
Probably not the juiciest book-plug you’ve heard all week, but I’ve been really excited about Soong-Chan’s talk and his book and the book of Lamentations! It’s helping me make sense of what I’m seeing all around me as I try to keep myself from coming off the rails in 2020.
IF… you watch Soong-Chan’s talk, let me also invite you to a google doc I’ve been using for watch parties I’ve sponsored. You’ll want to be on the google doc on your lappy while you’re watching Soong-Chan on your phone. I’ve outlined his talk there and left some spaces for viewers to leave their thoughts next to a few discussion questions. Feel free to leave your comments anonymously. I’d love to know what more people think of this!
Soong-Chan Video on Lamentations
Hope you are finding a way to get outside this fall. Its been the most pleasant autumn I remember in my 14 years here in Omaha! Take care!
PBR 