Devotional – February 25, 2025

From The General Commission of Religion and Race of The United Methodist Church:  

Equity says . . . 

1. Everyone does not begin from the same starting place.  There are historic, systemic, and on-going inequities in our political, economic, educational, health, religious, and other systems, where discrimination “lives” within the structures themselves. 
2. Even if the rules of the game are the same, the game itself gives privilege to some at the expense of others.
3. Oppressions (racism, classism, ageism, etc.) will end when we address and dismantle the assumptions, values, and systems of oppression which actively resist treating all persons with dignity and respect.
4. Everyone’s right to vote is protected and their access to voting is promoted. For example, no one has to travel an unreasonable distance to reach a voting station, workers are given paid time-off in order to vote, everyone has a ballot in their language, etc.
5. We can eradicate racism by both “doing no harm” and by “doing good”; i.e. racism will end when we actively work to stop the actions that lead to racial injustice and when we engage in the work of dismantling its root causes.

For more information on the work of the General Commission on Religion and Race for The United Methodist Church, here is a link to their website.

Peace Be With You. – Paul