You're listening to the Bible for normal people the only God ordained podcast on the internet. I'm Pete ends and I'm Jared bias.

Hello everybody welcome to this episode of the podcast and our topic today is systemic racism in the church and our guest is Andre Henry.

Yeah and Andre is a musician writer activist and has a book out now called all the white friends I couldn't keep and normally we don't I don't think typically we don't

sort of chase authors when their books come out and make sure we get them on the podcast but Andre's story I've been following for quite a while now and I was thrilled to see he came out with a book and it was a great conversation around racism and the church and just his story from being in pretty evangelical Christian spaces during the last handful of years and his slow transition and faith transformation and how all that was interplayed with race and Christianity and all the things

he's been learning and it just really appreciated that he came and just shared all the things that he's been up to and into and learning the last handful of years.

Yeah it's a compelling story and it's a necessary story to tell so let's get into it.

Is Christianity for white people growing up I heard people call this the white man's religion telling me things like racism isn't a priority God.

You know everyone is kind of trying to tell me that systemic racism doesn't exist everywhere I turn it seemed like white Christians were telling me that your struggle your pain the thing that could kill you any day is not a part of this faith and you talking about it is not welcome here.

There's something so romantic about winter and I don't know whether that's just because I'm a bit of a homebody and I love a five but I think it's just the holiday period is just for me it's the most romantic period and I think anyone who's listened to my records will know that I'm quite a big fan of romance.

Join in every sip with red cups now back at Starbucks.

With original music by Dan Gillespie sells subscription required see audible dot code or UK for terms right Andre thanks for being here it's great to have you on the podcast.

Thanks for having me.

Well you've got a pretty interesting and powerful story that began a few years ago that resulted in I from what I understand you shifting some matters of your faith but also even career choices and what you're what you're doing with your life and I think that's a story worth telling so walk

is through what happened.

Yeah and I'll try to be brief so like if there's something that you guys are like you really are interested in you can always you know double back on something but I'm

I would say that around 2016 is kind of like this watershed moment for me in my life where before then I always had dreams of you know being a singer songwriter professional singer songwriter

who to New York City after college and pursued that dream one one award as cap and all kind of stuff doing that but also part of that was ministry was just a huge part of my life I grew up in church in this end of

God and I felt like you know some form of a storm ministry or maybe teaching theology would be a part of my life you don't forever.

And in 2016 I was getting a master's in theology at Florida the last seminary pastina.

And I saw Philanocastial and believed that in front of this girlfriend and their daughter on Facebook live the day after the nation watched out and

certainly in New Orleans shopped the death by the local police department there and I made some commitments that day it was like a like enough is enough kind of

moment you know because you know we we've seen from you know when I was really got as I can elementary school from that was like

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