HIGH SCHOOL
HOPE AND HARD CONVERSATIONS STRIVING FOR RACIAL SHALOM AT LITTLE ROCK CHRISTIAN ACADEMY
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By Dr. Justin Smith, Head of Upper School
It is now cliche to speak of 2020 being a most unusual and difficult year. Political and racial tensions, differences regarding masks, vaccines, social distancing, loss. Definitely a year unlike any other, marked by anxiety, fear, and suffering for many. And yet, we are comforted by words from the apostle Paul when he says, “we know that God works all things for good for those who love him and are called.” All things . . .for good . . .for those who love Him and are called called. (Romans 8:28) In late spring 2020, our Head of School Dr. Arnold designated 15 cross divisional teams charged with a variety of tasks to help our school community flourish during this difficult, chaotic year. The teams collaborated creatively, working hard throughout the summer to prepare for meeting the needs of students, teachers, and families. Out of this collaboration, the high school group of the Student Support team prioritized creating a structure for supporting students emotionally and spiritually in order to cultivate humility, kindness, and a deeper love for God and others. These intentionally small Advisory Groups of 12-13 students grouped by grade level, and meeting two to three times per week, provided that structure. The 12 THE WARRIOR • SPRING 2021
weekly time was spent in discussion based on a curriculum written in-house called The Warrior Way, and included community building activities, and prayer. Contributors to The Warrior Way included student writers. The material was designed to bring glory to God and offer hope and encouragement to our students by exploring a variety of topics. During the spring semester, our students and their advisors spent six weeks exploring the concept of honor and race using selected text and videos from Pastor Miles McPherson’s The Third Option: Hope for a Racially Divided Nation. We asked the question: How could we embrace hope on such a tough subject as racism? Isn’t hope what is being offered in Romans 8:28 in spite of difficulty and suffering? Biblical hope was just what we wanted to explore with our students in these discussions. Pastor Miles McPherson wrote his best-selling book and created an e-course to help believers understand the concept of honoring the image of God in one another and to provide an antidote to the tendency we have to ignore or be at a loss as to how to talk about the issues of race that divide our country and our communities.
