From the back cover...
When we become new creations in Christ Jesus, our primary identity is in Christ,' observes Owen Hylton. Born into a black West Indian family, but living primarily in a white British world, he never felt entirely accepted in either place. 'Realizing that my identity was first and foremost in Christ was incredibly releasing,' he admits.
Crossing the divide and embracing diversity is at the very heart of God's plan and purpose for his church. But in order to do this, we need to be aware of some of the reasons why people have stayed apart: our histories and prejudices, our lack of awareness and appreciation of one another.
Owen defines sin as the greatest problem of humankind, separating us from God and setting us at odds with one another. The cross is ultimately a place of forgiveness and reconciliation. As new creations in Christ Jesus, forgiven and restored, we can confidently and joyfully celebrate our oneness, whatever our colour, status, gender or nationality.
Praise for Crossing The Divide:
"Deeply rooted in Scripture and practically shaped by hands-on involvement in a mulitcultural church, Owen serves his readers magnificently" - Terry Virgo founder of the Newfrontiers Family
"This book could not have been written a decade ago; it's a time-and-motion study in diversity in the here and now." Joel Edwards - General Director of the Evangelical Alliance 1997-2009
"Simplifies and clarifies the complexity of such a dicey topic." David Anderson - Author of Gracism
"Open, real and challenging, full of theological, pastoral and leadership insight, and a must-read for anyone involved in a local church" - Steve Tibbert - Senior Pastor, Kings Church, Catford, UK
"Rooted in biblical truth and gathered from the experiences of a pastor who is intentional about building a multicultural church, this book displays a pratical outworking of God's own passion to gather for himself a people from all the nations." Gavin Peacock - Former Chelsea captain and Associate Pastor of Calvary Grace, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
About Owen:
Owen Hylton - Owen serves as the full-time pastor of Beacon church and is part of the Newday management team. He is married to Pauline and they have three daughters. Before leading Beacon, Owen was on the full time staff team of Kings Church in Catford. Owen also spent 14 years working in the civil service and is author of the book ‘Crossing the Divide – a call to embrace diversity.
Owen firmly believes that: "The battle for our generation is not multisite churches, large numbers being gathered and excellent (professional) meetings that look diverse. Come on, God’s purpose is way bigger and better than that! The scary truth is you can build all those things, without any help from God! The previous generation battled for a new expression of church life (the charismatic) and the empowering presence of the Holy Spirit. In God’s economy, that is the perfect foundation for building truly diverse churches that have gone some way to deal with issues of racial injustice and inequality; the impact of which is far greater than we might imagine."
This book will serve you well in helping you develop your thinking in this important area of building churches which truly embrace diversity and the multi-coloured wisdom of God. If you haven't read it yet you should!
You can buy a copy here.