Texas Produced by United Methodist Information, official news office of the North Texas Conference of the United Methodist Church. To violate the physical, emotional, or social well-being of another is contrary to God's will. Racism is a sin. To have as a guiding principle that one race is superior to another in any way is contrary to God's creative order.
Community is a virtue.
To experience relationships harbored in safety and care where persons share and work together is according to God's will. Inclusiveness is a virtue. To welcome and be hospitable to others, including enemies and those who are different is according to God's creative order. The burning of church buildings where congregations worship who are predominantly African American is the most recent reminder of the reality that violence and community and racism and inclusiveness are in tension with each other. It has not yet been determined whether these burnings are isolated incidents where persons hear about burnings in other areas and independently choose to commit a similar crime in their locale or that these are committed by an organized effort of hate crime.