How evangelical Christians in Minnesota are responding to calls for racial justice

Next Wednesday marks two years since George Floyd, a Black man, was murdered by a white Minneapolis police officer. Floyd’s death prompted many Minnesota institutions to pay new attention to racial disparities in Minnesota. 

Some Minnesota churches and Christian institutions also have been grappling with how they supported racial prejudice and inequality in the past and what they can do now to address it. 

MPR News host Angela Davis talks about churches and racial justice, specifically how white evangelical Christians are responding to calls for racial equity. 

She’s joined by two leaders in the evangelical church and MPR News education reporter Elizabeth Shockman, who is reporting on a group of Black students pushing for equity changes at the University of Northwestern, a small evangelical school in Minnesota. 

Guests: 

• The Rev. Edrin C. Williams is the lead pastor at Sanctuary Covenant Church, which was started in 2003 in north Minneapolis as an intentionally multicultural congregation associated with the Evangelical Covenant Church. 

• Carl Nelson is president and CEO of Transform Minnesota, a network of evangelical Christian congregations across Minnesota. 

• MPR News reporter Elizabeth Shockman covers education.