mercy & justice
racial reconciliation & justice
At Redeemer West Side we pursue and promote Biblical paths of justice that enable our entire community to flourish as we seek and proclaim Godly righteousness.
Read our theological statement on race.
Justice, Race and Scripture: A Theological Foundation
Gospel & Race Cohort
The Gospel & Race Cohort is an intentionally multiracial and multicultural community of 8-12 people that explores issues of culture and race through a biblical and gospel lens. Our time together will be a journey of learning more about ourselves, growing personally and spiritually, building cross-cultural community and friendships, expanding the way we see and move through the world, and becoming better equipped to work for gospel reconciliation and justice. Research has shown that growth in cultural awareness and competence typically requires a person engage in 60-90 hours of critical development opportunities over 6-9 months. Real growth and trust in this area takes time and intentionality which cannot be crammed into a weekend seminar.
The cohort meets twice a month and runs from October through May.
Christianity and Progressive Social Justice Class
Justice. Equality. Diversity. Compassion. What does the Bible have to say about all these things?
From a historical perspective, the Christian faith is the origin and source of so many progressive values today. So Christians should be the greatest champions of these values. At the same time, there are some key ways that the gospel’s vision of human flourishing conflicts with the secular vision. This is not because Jesus wants to keep us from true fulfillment; rather, it’s because Jesus is calling us to something deeper and far better.
Join us for this five-week class as we seek to disentangle biblical views on justice from the secular progressive view on matters like race, sex, and gender. As we see where the two visions overlap and where they differ, we begin to catch a glimpse of the better story that the gospel invites us into. We hope you will leave with greater wisdom and compassion as you navigate these important matters in your own life and with the people you care about.
*Note: This class is currently unavailable
Grace & Race Network
This is a group within the Redeemer family of churches and ministries who seek to embrace the Gospel call to redeem relationships across ethnic/racial barriers. See a list of events, talks, and resources they have put together in the past.
Pray March Act 
Redeemer West Side is partnering with Pray March Act (PMA), which is a coalition of churches committed to work toward racial justice in our city. Among other things, PMA is focused on policy advocacy in the areas of housing, public education, and the criminal legal system. Together, we are seeking to build a biblically grounded and well-informed policy platform in these areas and then to use our collective voice to advocate for more just policies in our city. If you have any interest in being involved, you can sign up directly through their website or talk to Pastor Paul about more details (paul.yoo@redeemerws.com).
One of the convictions that has informed our partnership with PMA is that the church can and should pursue justice beyond forming and equipping individual Christians. While the church will continue to equip and release its people to pursue mercy and justice as individuals, we also believe there is a role for the church as a collective to seek justice. If relief is giving someone a fish and development is teaching someone to fish, reform is changing the conditions of the pond. Through wise policy advocacy, we believe the church can play a role on the level of reform to work toward a more just world for all people.
