Robert P. Jones and Greg Garrett.
Wilshire Baptist Church invites members of the community as Robert P. Jones and Greg Garrett, two observers of religion and culture, explore The Deep Roots of Racism in the Christian Church this weekend.
Jones is president and founder of the Public Religion Research Institute, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to fostering conversations about religion, culture and politics. He is author of the New York Times bestselling The Hidden Roots of White Supremacy and the Path to a Shared American Future (2023), White Too Long: The Legacy of White Supremacy in White Christianity (a 2021 American Book Award winner) and The End of White Christian America (2016). Jones regularly writes for outlets such as The Atlantic, Time and Religion News Service.
Garrett is the Carole McDaniel Hanks Professor of Literature and Culture at Baylor University, and his most recent book is The Gospel According to James Baldwin: What America’s Great Prophet Can Teach Us About Life, Love, and Identity. He is currently writing a book on racial mythologies for Oxford University Press. A seminary-trained Episcopal lay preacher, Garrett is canon theologian in residence at the American Cathedral of the Holy Trinity in Paris. He preached at Wilshire in 2020 and 2022.
On Saturday, April 13, at 3 p.m., Jones and Garrett will share a dialogue in the church’s sanctuary. Copies of their books will be available for purchase, and the first 25 people to arrive will receive one free book from each author. The talk will be livestreamed on Wilshire’s YouTube channel and will be available to watch later.
Garrett will preach Sunday morning, April 14, and after the worship service all are invited to Community Hall where Jones, Garrett and Senior Pastor Timothy Peoples will participate in a live Baptist News Global webinar hosted by BNG executive director and Wilshire member Mark Wingfield. Lunch will be provided at no cost. The webinar will begin at 12:30 p.m. and last 60 to 75 minutes.
You may sign up for childcare for the Sunday event here and for the webinar here. Wilshire is at 4316 Abrams Road.
