Durham pastor's commentary on religion, racial tensions makes Amazon best-seller list
DURHAM (WTVD) -- "He has shown you, O Mortal, what is good. And what does the lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." Micah 6:8
That verse is the foundation for Six:Eight Church in Durham.
Dr. Harold Dorrell Briscoe Jr. is the pastor of the church. He prefers to go by Dorrell.
On Sunday morning, Dorrell took the national news stage to talk with CNN about faith in a time of racial crisis and his new book "There's a Storm Comin': How the American Church Can Lead Through Times of Racial Crisis".
Dorrell finished his Doctorate of Ministry degree at Duke University. His book was derived from his doctoral thesis written around three years ago.
"The book is essentially about the church taking the lead when it comes to speaking out and standing in solidarity with black people regarding systemic racism and police brutality," he said in a Facetime interview with Eyewitness News.
The book was released a short time ago -- on May 31 of this year. Dorrell says he's been overwhelmed with the support and the success of the book so far.
He says too often, the church is caught playing catch when a crisis, like the one we're seeing play out across the country, occurs. "So I challenge the church, particularly the white American church to begin to engage in the work of justice before the crisis hit so that you can be in a better position to lead and respond during it."
"If we claim to follow Jesus, we have to realize that Jesus was a brown skin afro Asiatic Palestinian Jew who lived in the first century under the brutality of Roman occupation. Jesus understood subjugation he identified with the poor and the hungry and he invites us to participate in a kingdom of justice of peace. He went out and liberated those who were physically and socially and spiritually oppressed. So if we claim to follow Jesus, then Black Lives Matter and we have to speak up and stand up and work to bring flourishing to our black brothers and sisters. "
One chapter in the book deals with responsiveness, and what the church can now do. Dorrell details that portion, saying "And what I talk about is -- hey listen right now, we need you to use your platform and your pulpit to speak with moral clarity and decisiveness. We need you to engage in truth - -telling to motivate and mobilize your congregation to work for societal change. "
