When people hear “racial trauma,” a lot of things come to their mind. In this episode, we sit down with Kyle J. Howard, a Biblical and racial trauma counselor in Atlanta and ask him to define “ racial trauma.” We walk through what this looks like on a practical level, how the Bible relates to it, and we even get his thoughts on The Statement on Social Justice and the Gospel.

Passage of the day:

"I love you, Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer, my God, my rock where I seek refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I called to the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and I was saved from my enemies. The ropes of death were wrapped around me; the torrents of destruction terrified me. The ropes of Sheol entangled me; the snares of death confronted me. I called to the Lord in my distress, and I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry to him reached his ears." (Psalm 18:1-6, CSB).

Interview Notes:

7:38-16:32 - Kyle's journey from gang member to racial trauma counselor.

17:00-22:07 - Defining "racial trauma."

23:50-31:30 - How can people have racial trauma if they have never experienced slavery or Jim Crow?

32:54-38:30 - Is the term "white fragility" helpful or unhelpful?

39:50-47:20 - Does using the term "white" automatically create a negative connotation? Is using the term"white" and "black" mean we have given over to social conditioning ourselves?

48:12-56:04 - Counseling minorities who feel like they have assimilated.

58:02-1:03:35 - Addressing the charge of being a slanderer.

1:04:45-1:10:25 "Just preach the gospel" and pursuing unity.

1:10:40-1:15:17 - Problems with the Statement on Social Justice.

1:16:08-1:19:14 "Why are they trying to put me on a train I don't want to be on?"

1:19:52-1:22:10 - Kyle's perspective on the heart of the matter in the disagreements on social justice.

1:22:50-1:29:10 Practical advice to people trying to engage with racial trauma.

Links mentioned:

Kyle J. Howard's website

Trauma healing, conciliation focus of racism forum by Diana Chandler

Suffering and the Heart of God: How Trauma Destroys and Christ Restores by Diane Langberg

Urban Apologetics Responds to Dr. White

"Philosophical" Response, Racialism Again, Calls Including Church of Christ Question

The Color of Compromise by Jemar Tisby

Credits:

Theme music by: David Butler

Produced by: David Butler

Podcast design by: Jake Cannon

Additional consulting by: Nick Francis

Sponsored by: Christian Standard Bible, Switch Coffee, JM Films