Mark Vroegop

Thabiti M. Anyabwile

How Lament Opens a Door for Racial Reconciliation

Weep with Me

Nevin Marmion

As Christians, we must remember our brothers and sisters. We must remember to listen to them, love them, and weep with them when they are weeping. This is the premise of this book. We must have a posture of love and empathy towards our brothers and sisters hurt by the sins of racism and prejudice. We must lament with them these pains and any part that we have had in reinforcing them. And we must move from this love and lament toward further learning and action. Vroegop's book encourages a posture of empathy and lament, and it could not be more timely.

Stephanie Ridiculous

It's really important to me that all the well meaning majority Christians who read this book understand that Vroegop is constantly prompting you to seek emotional labor from minority Christians, and he makes no comment / gives no guidance on how to do that well.

Please, read this book. Please, work through the questions listed. Please *do not* randomly dial up your minority Christian friends and info / trauma dump on them about what you are working through / reflecting on / thinking about.

Ask first if they have the capacity / are willing / feel comfortable and *do not* pressure them into making space for you. If they say no accept that with humility and move on.

With that being said,
This is an excellent resource for folks wanting to take steps toward racial reconciliation. Vroegop's understanding of racism, race relations, and theology make him a solid source of wisdom in this arena. I particularly enjoyed how action-oriented this book is, and the discussion questions after each chapter are a great launching point for some really powerful conversations (when and if handled appropriately.) His frank discussion of majority Christians attitudes and historical tendencies felt very on point for me, and he appeals us toward better with sound Biblical principals. As with Deep Clouds, Dark Mercies, the call toward lamenting is powerful & is a lost spiritual practice I hope more of us return to.

Part three is directed toward minority Christians & is the part I was most concerned about. While I can't say if it's useful guidance for minority Christians, I will give one more caution to my fellow majority folks; do not use this book or Vroegop's hopes for minority Christians to demonize, pressure, manipulate, or cajole minority Christians in your churches or spheres. If they have decided that a space isn't safe/worth their continued suffering accept that with humility, too. I strongly agree with Voegrop's theology so far as no heart/situation is beyond God's redeeming power, but I think as often as the right call is to stay and endure, it is to leave; both are powerful testimonies that can be the catalyst for change, and while it's not the scope of the book, I do wish Vroegop explored that a little more.

Weep with Me How Lament Opens a Door for Racial Reconciliation

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