High-profile panelists discuss intersection of race and faith at The Crossing Church in Tampa and national Livestream
CAROL STREAM, ILL. (February 21, 2017) – In what Christian Post reporter Samuel Smith described as a “frank discussion (about) how Christians can bridge the racial divide in their communities,” Tyndale House Publishers (@tyndalehouse) brought together a number of prominent sports figures, authors, and pastors to The Crossing Church in Tampa on February 16 for Under Our Skin: A Forum on Race and Faith. The replay of the Livestream for groups and individuals is now available at Tyndale.cleeng.com.
An event attendee wrote, “This helped me to think about my views on race. My son has a white girlfriend. She would not have been my choice for him, only because of her race. Most of my nephews also either date or have dated outside of their race. Growing up I internalized “if she can’t use my comb, don’t bring her home.” I know that my children’s generation were not raised with racial views that I was raised with. I truly believe that my parents raised my siblings and me with their racial views from a place of love and protection because of their experiences. This forum caused me to revisit my views inside and outside my race.”
A follow-up to Benjamin Watson’s Tyndale book Under Our Skin, which examined the role of faith in healing the racial divide, the forum continued the conversation with thought leaders from various walks of life, but especially from the world of sports. In addition to Watson, panelists included Tyndale author and Hall of Fame football coach Tony Dungy, former NFL Walter Payton Man of the Year Award winner Warrick Dunn, Heisman Trophy winner and executive director of Desire Street Ministries Danny Wuerffel, author and speaker Mo Isom, Detroit pastor and author J. Kevin Butcher, University of South Florida head coach Charlie Strong, CBS broadcaster James Brown and executive director of Restoration Academy Ben Sciacca. ESPN’s Sage Steele served as moderator.
Wrote Watson on his Facebook account after the event, “So grateful for the wisdom, discernment, passion and conviction displayed by the people in this group at Under Our Skin Forum Thursday night. I know their labor was not in vain, as hearts were changed and feet were spurred into action across our country as we continue to heal the divisions among us. Honored to have been a part of this special event and looking forward to our paths crossing again! There is no wound that God cannot heal.
Sales were brisk at the book table—the number of books sold represented nearly 30% of the total attendance—and participants stood in line late into the evening to get their books signed.
Feedback after the event was overwhelmingly positive. A sampling of comments:
Best decision of the day was taking in the Under Our Skin Forum via video.
– Michael (Iowa)
I woke up this morning feeling hope and inspiration. Thank you again, Under Our Skin Forum. I think everyone in the US needs to hear what I did last night.
– Kim (Tampa)
You could not have done this any better. What a world-class event. World class. Truly something inspiring that will spread far and wide. We loved every minute. – Missy (San Diego)
Approximately 500 people attended the event and more than 30 groups from 15 different states participated via live streaming. In addition, CBN’s “700 Club” sent a crew to cover the event, Tampa-area’s Salem affiliate hosted a live remote, and the Tampa Times, among other media outlets, reported from the forum, which included a VIP dinner prior to the event.
The event web site is www.underourskinforum.com.
Tyndale House Publishers, founded in 1962, is one of the largest privately held Christian publishers of books, Bibles, and digital media in the world. Tyndale Momentum, Tyndale’s nonfiction imprint, is the publisher of many New York Times bestsellers and is known for integrity in building lasting personal relationships with authors and agents. Tyndale extends the ministry of its authors by contributing most of its profits to the nonprofit Tyndale House Foundation, which makes grants to help meet the physical and spiritual needs of people around the world. Originally founded to publish The Living Bible, a contemporary paraphrase of the Bible that became a global publishing phenomenon, Tyndale now publishes the Holy Bible, New Living Translation (NLT), the translation of choice for millions of people.
Contact: Todd Starowitz
Public Relations Director
Tyndale House Publishers
www.underourskinforum.com
