Judson hosts conversations about race

When it comes to race, is being colorblind the best approach?

In today's society, colorblindness might actually be contributing to the problem in hurting race relations, says Chris Lash, director of ministries for Judson University.

How to have pragmatic conversations about race while upholding cultural identity is the goal of Judson's "Beyond Colorblind" series, which launched Monday.

Best-selling author Bryan Loritts, lead pastor of Abundant Life Church in Mountain View, California, kicked off the series focusing on the challenge and promise of multiculturalism in church life. He spoke about extending God's love, even when it is difficult, to a packed crowd of more than 500 people in the Elgin college's Herrick Chapel. Loritts is president of the Kainos Movement, an organization whose goal is making the multiethnic church the new normal.

Guest speakers will address this topic during the 10 a.m. chapel service at 1151 N. State St. - Ebele Onyema, director of Love Works, a ministry devoted to social justice and leadership development, will speak Wednesday and Daniel Hill, senior pastor of River City Community Church in Chicago, will speak Friday. The events are free and open to the public.

"This series is geared toward students who are like me who grew up in a predominantly white community, who may have been taught the highest good was being colorblind. But what comes after that?" said Lash, 27, a Batavia High School graduate. "It's to move beyond the questions of how or why race is important."

Lash said he wants to counter the culturally and racially charged dialogue in the media, on social media and within Christian circles where conversations about race often revolve around blacks and whites being unified in faith, Lash said.

"If we are one, how does that change the way we talk about privilege, multiculturalism?" said Lash, who hopes to create a campus that is welcoming of minority students. "We are a predominantly white campus that lives in Elgin. There is a large Hispanic community right in our backyard. I want to challenge this community. ... What does it look like for you to pursue multiculturalism now ... (and) move out of your homogeneous zones? It goes beyond a lot of definitions of tolerance and what it means to love someone genuinely."