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November 21, 2024

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Fostering Biblical Justice & Unity

At Harding, we want to love with more than words alone. In June 2020, we formed the Committee for Biblical Justice and Unity to continue to learn and grow. This kind of growth is a continual process, and we are in the first steps. We are committed to the path of justice, and it is our deep hope that Harding will become a place of racial equality and reconciliation.

The goal of the Committee for Biblical Justice and Unity is to discuss, evaluate, and develop avenues to educate and provide racial justice, equality, and reconciliation in our school community.

Community Values

  • We approach this dialogue with our first and foremost identity in Jesus Christ, understanding that what unites us in Christ is bigger than anything that might divide us. However, we do not hide behind our Christianity to ignore the real and ongoing issues of injustice.
  • Our discussions are always about “I, us, and  we,” never about “they and them.”
  • This is not a political forum.
  • In the spirit of James 1:9, we commit to being “quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry.” Our intent is to receive and process.
  • We assume positive intent when others speak while remembering that intent does not always equal impact.
  • What is said here stays here, but what is learned here leaves here.
  • We lean into discomfort because this conversation is uncomfortable for many.
  • We won’t all agree, but as Christians we commit to loving our neighbor, entering into the conversation, and listening well even when we disagree.
  • We recognize that while some can step in and out of this conversation, many others cannot. There is significant pain associated with this conversation, and we must be aware of these wounds.
  • As Christians, we approach this conversation with grace, mercy, and love, and with the Biblical mandate to see everyone as uniquely created in the image of God.

These values were adapted from the Christian Educators Diversity Alliance.

Updates

  • January 5, 2021

    Several years ago, the Harding leadership committed to the development of an environment in which people of all races would be welcome and where the love and justice of Christ would saturate the culture. We have made many strides toward that end but recognize that we have a long way to go. Like the rest of the country, we were profoundly troubled by recent events and resolved to redouble our efforts.

    As a Christian school, we see racial reconciliation as the establishment of harmony flowing from love among people who are different from one another but are all created in the image of God (Imago Dei). While some current initiatives toward justice have value, they do not all originate from the perspective of the Imago Dei. Because of this, we do not believe they have the complete answer. Our commitment is to God, to one another, and to the obligation to lead our students to a Savior, not to a social construct.

    We have received specific questions asking if we are aligned with the Black Lives Matter organization. We are not, in the same way that we are not aligned with any other political or social organization. However, we absolutely say “Black lives matter” with no hesitancy.

    The Harding leadership is resolute in our commitment to Biblical racial justice. We WILL move forward. But we will move circumspectly and seek to ally ourselves with those who are listening to the Spirit of God. As we continue on this journey together, we will continue to provide resources that will tether us to our foundation in Christ. Please trust that as we engage in difficult conversations, we do so relying on Biblical justice, motivated by reconciliation and unity, and guided by hope.

  • September 5, 2020

    From Sheronda Holmes, Director of Diversity and Inclusion: “In an effort to recognize and validate our students, I would like to speak to the recent injustices from a perspective that is centered around our faith and commitment to scripture, rather than partisanship. This statement will be read at the start of every opening season game for fall sports this year.”

    As we have watched recent events, we are reminded that not all experiences in our country are equal. We are reminded that there are spaces, moments, and systems where men and women, boys and girls are judged by the color of their skin, rather than by the Image of God within them.

    Sadly, there have been numerous examples in our country that are stark reminders of continued inequality and tragic dehumanization of God’s image bearers.

    Harding Academy stands on the Biblical truth of justice. We stand with centuries of Christ-followers who have followed the words of Isaiah and of Jesus “to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

    We believe the claim of Genesis 1, that humankind is made in the image of God.

    We believe the claim of Genesis 2, that we breathe with life breathed from God.

    We believe the claim of Genesis 3, that this world is broken.

    We believe the claim of Genesis 4, that life is precious.

    Because of our belief in the sacredness of life, we believe that “Black lives matter” is a holy statement.

    We are hurting. We are angry. We are mourning. We stand together with those who think we do not hear them and that their voice does not matter.

    We pray, as Jesus prayed, that “God’s kingdom come,” and that “his will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”