A Larger Table

Went to First Watch for one of my favorite brunch meals and ended up talking about The Raceless Gospel Initiative and my book, “Take Me to the Water”: The Raceless Gospel as Baptismal Pedagogy for a Desegregated Church. I swear I’m always minding my introverted business and people just open up to me.

Dwight sat across from me at the community table and started telling me about his bad experience at a prosperity gospel- driven church while I looked intently at my egg whites. He wanted a good shepherd but instead was swindled out of $700. He wanted Christians to know that he wanted to go to church but sometimes, he just couldn’t do it after this experience, which included the pastor inappropriately touching a woman he was interested in. He asked me not to judge him and I told him that I wouldn’t.

He asked if I understood and I nodded my head. “I’m clergy,” I said. His eyes widened. “What do you do?”

I blurted out my work and witness and the couple next to us turned their heads and their chairs. They wanted to hear more and took the few stickers I had kept for myself and gave the last one to the manager, Mr. Thomas. He read it and said, “Now wait a minute! I’m going to have to read this again.” They started talking to him about the raceless gospel and our conversation on baptism and somebodiness.

“We had church today at the community table,” she said.
Yes, we did.

Sequel:

The witness of the community table at First Watch continues. The server found me on Instagram and left this message. I just need to be clear: I spend the majority of my days at home and in my head. I intentionally do not get out much. I am a devoted introvert who despises small talk and will physically retreat when there are too many people around. Sunday mornings when I have to preach are incredibly difficult. My cohort with the Shalem Institute nicknamed me “Star- Jonah” because… I don’t want to do this but I feel fully alive when I do. It’s complicated.

Ugh.

I regularly and routinely argue with God about why I have to keep saying it: raceless gospel, raceless gospel, raceless gospel. There. I said it. But I’m also sure of it and have left people, churches, positions and conversations in mid- sentence for the sake of it. Because this is what I’m supposed to do with my life and nothing will keep me from it.

This, the raceless gospel, is a calling and my life is intertwined so intimately and specifically that I couldn’t get away from it if I tried. The Raceless Gospel Initiative at Good Faith Media and this book, “Take Me to the Water” are a part of my prophetic task to denounce white supremacy and the racialization of Jesus’ gospel. I can do nothing else— even when all I wanted to do was go to brunch.

Starlette is director of the Raceless Gospel Initiative, associate editor, the host of the Good Faith Media podcast “The Raceless Gospel,” and a member of the the Good Faith Media strategic advisory board. An ordained Baptist minister, Thomas has served previously in both local churches and denominational entities. Her new book Take Me to the Water is available from the publisher, Good Faith Media, and elsewhere.

December 2023



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© Starlette Thomas, 2023