Lecrae on connecting with other cultures, overcoming self-hate, and anger and heart-break felt amid young people’s response to racism and violence:

Lecrae on connecting with other cultures, how he overcame self-hate, and the anger and heart-break felt amid young people’s response to racism and violence

This past week I attended the Legacy Disciple Making Conference where a panel discussion was held on racism in lieu of all of the various events that have taken place in our country as it pertains to race relations.

The event was kicked off with the question where does racism come from. As the panel moved along, more in depth issues were covered such as diversity in leadership in the church, genuinely connecting with other cultures, how racism is not an American problem but a worldwide problem, and looking at people from a perspective from outside of one’s own.

Lecrae is quoted as saying, “We have to do away with the idea…, “Aren’t we all Christians or Aren’t we all Americans…?” What I think a lot of people do not take into account is your perspective of what Christian culture is or American culture is fueled by your own ethnicity and in your own personal culture. So when you say well aren’t we all Christians you’re saying aren’t we all like what I think Christians are or what I think Americans are. And we are saying why does it have to be about race?”

The above statement was the basis for which Lecrae declared the need to develop deep and meaningful relationships with people of different backgrounds from outside of one’s own culture. He also discussed how at one point he learned what were new and conservative perspectives regarding race and Christianity that caused him to hate his own culture at one point and time.

The most notable portion of the discussion was when Lecrae described young people in his area of Atlanta after the Michael Brown shooting. He noted how angry and heart-broken they felt and how they just wanted someone to grieve with them and allow them to grieve without reprimanding them as if it is no big deal.

Panel contributors were Joe Thorn, Elicia Horton, Lecrae, and Soong-Chan Rah. The panel was moderated by poet Joseph Solomon of Chase God TV.

See the video clips below: