We may not like to think about it, but in the shadows of Dallas’ glossy buildings, must-go-to eateries, luxury homes, Fortune 500 companies, internationally known megachurches, and ribbons of highway, lies an ugly history.

It’s a history of white supremacy that includes a public lynching of a 65-year-old black man at Akard and Main in 1910, Klansmen marching through Oak Cliff, and the infamous Dallas Klan No. 66, which was at one time considered by members the nation’s largest Klan chapter. Dallas Klan members came from every walk of life. Businessmen. District attorneys. Journalists. Judges. Doctors. Ministers.

A moving opinion piece in July expands on this history, along with books like this about the subject. They’re worth reading as Dallas plans to remove two Confederate monuments because the writers offer context to the history of white supremacy in Dallas.

Identifying context is a prayerful place to start for local churches who seek a prophetic role today in the public discourse about race. The Klan decreased in popularity after World War II. During a 2016 march, opponents outnumbered marching Klansmen.

As Jesus followers, we must vigilant to ensure that ideas promoted and reinforced by the Klan decades ago don’t get a chance to cling like barnacles. It’s never enough to repudiate prejudice and racism in word alone. Prejudice and racism require dismantling because Jesus followers overcome darkness; we don’t flow with it: 

For though we live in the flesh, we do not wage war according to the flesh. The weapons of our warfare are not the weapons of the world. Instead, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We tear down arguments, and every presumption set up against the knowledge of God; and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.…” (1 Cor. 10:2-5)

Because the only context that matters is the Lord’s.

You know what happened. We all do.

We can’t overwrite the memory of a young woman being killed on the streets of Charlottesville, Va.

We can’t delete the mental file of pastors being beaten.

We can’t turn off the audio of people shouting hate, carrying torches, and relishing a nighttime march that resurrected the horrors of Hitler’s concentration camps, saluting Nazis, and Klansmen who lynched and burned their way through the South.

We can choose to overlook what happened in Charlottesville, not far from the Monticello plantation owned by President Thomas Jefferson. But a decision to keep silent about events this weekend, and every day this week, doesn’t halt the precarious direction our nation has taken.

We also may try to explain away the anger seething in the country, but that won’t stop its corrosive effect. Fractures run deep within “We the People.” Studies and polls back that up. The Southern Poverty Law Center reports that a staggering 917 hate groups are active in the United States. (Check out a map of these groups.) The Anti-Defamation League reviewed more than 2.6 million tweets last year that depicted a rising level of anti-Semitism. When joined with anti-Israel movements on college campuses here and around the world, one national leader said that anti-Semitism is reaching "pandemic" levels.

Even more disturbing, a poll of experts told Foreign Policy in March that the United States could be poised for another civil war. The experts based their observations on trends in this country that mirror similar movements around the world.

The Civil War devastated the nation and may have claimed the lives of up to 850,000. Church groups split over the issue of slavery. Baptists, Methodists and Presbyterians. Religious leaders even contorted theology to justify racial superiority.

For example, R.L. Dabney, a Presbyterian, Calvinist, and Confederate, defended the “biblical righteousness” of slavery. He served briefly under Confederate General Stonewall Jackson. After the war, Dabney's racism didn't end. He called blacks “a sordid, alien taint.” He also wrote in the 1870s that it was “unjust to tax ‘oppressed’ white people to provide ‘pretended education to the brats of black paupers.’ ”

During the height of the war, the Union Army upheld anti-Semitism through the infamous General Orders No. 11 issued by General Ulysses Grant. The infamous order expelled Jews as a "class" of people from Mississippi, Kentucky, and Tennessee for smuggling cotton in war zones. (Read detailed stories about what happened here and here.) Jews weren't the only ones illegally selling cotton in the underground market. They weren't the majority. But the order singled them out. In fact, Gen. Grant said that "the Israelites" were an "intolerable nuisance." (He later apologized for his anti-Semitic position.)

President Lincoln rescinded the order shortly afterward, but the directive had a chilling effect on Jews who worried about their place in America even after the war's end. 

As the nation wades into turbulent waters, Jesus followers should pause and remember the pivotal roles the church has played in the past. Too often, we were on the devilish side of history. It's imperative that we implore God to help us see what He sees and align ourselves with that. His perspective transcends ours. His kingdom will outlast our country.

We can seek God’s heart about what shoe-leather, one-on-one ministry looks like today. Not yesterday. Not 100 years ago. Today. The words of Dabney and the racist acts of Grant during the war are reflected in our discourse today. The church can't participate in darkness. Through the power of the Lord, we overcome the darkness. We pursue authentic ministry that disciples individuals and challenges them to repent of repugnant attitudes. We sort out true faith versus counterfeit beliefs that hide hate. We hold onto the Bible, which says that righteous men and women recognize the roots of evil:

"Evil men do not understand justice, but those who seek the Lord understand all things" (Prov. 28:5).

The only Person who can eternally transform anyone or anything is Jesus, not a ballot or a political party. And a heart gripped by the love of Jesus always is the first line of just defense against the firestorms of hate.

Photo by Andrew Pons on Unsplash

Children will be returning to school soon, and parents are getting their children ready. Everything from backpacks to textbooks to clothing to electronics will be needed.

Estimates show that back-to-school retail sales will reach $29.5 billion, an increase above the $27.3 billion in sales seen in 2016, according to the National Retail Federation’s annual survey conducted by Prosper Insights & Analytics. Per household costs will reach $688 compared with $674 last year.

American families have faced rising costs as they get their children ready for school. For instance, 10 years ago parents were paying only $563.49 for back-to-school supplies, according to the National Retail Federation, which has surveyed back-to-school retail trends since 2003. 

Another survey, the Huntington Bank Backpack Index, breaks down costs based on required supplies and common fees. The index says parents can estimate costs that are $661 for elementary school students, $1,001 for middle-schoolers and $1,488 for high school students. Huntington Bank and the national Communities In Schools dropout prevention program prepare the annual index.

"We designed the Backpack Index as a basket of goods," said George Mokrzan, chief economist for Huntington Bank in a statement on the Communities In Schools site. "As we have assessed the cost annually for the same supplies and fees over 11 years, we have seen significant outpacing of inflation. While there is good news this year with minimal year-over-year impact, the set price for extracurricular fees for activities like sports and band represents an ongoing burden that can’t be lessened by merely shopping around.”

Back-to-school costs of any kind can hit underserved families hard. Tight budgets force families to make hard choices. At Dallas Leadership Foundation, we hear firsthand the challenges parents and students face through our DLF Youth program. If you’re interested in helping us assist families, please consider supporting our August Match. During August, all donations of $1,000 and above will be matched by $100,000. For more information, contact us at dlftx.org.

Photo by Scott Webb on Unsplash

Often we pin our expectations on others. We rely on other people to lead us because of their titles, positions, experiences and personalities.

That’s all well and good. But do we realize that we are called to lead, too? In our spheres of influence we have leadership roles. We have a leadership impact on our families, neighborhoods, workspaces and community institutions. In other words, according to the Bible, wherever we serve we lead:

"It is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant.

At Dallas Leadership Foundation, we work alongside leaders as they seek to transform the way they live. We work with neighborhoods, young people and those in prison or returning to mainstream society. We often are called on to help with an array of other leadership opportunities, and through our decades of experience, we know that leadership begins with service. And we serve by identifying, affirming and developing leaders.

Because we believe everyone is called to be a leader. We’ve seen the results. Fifty percent of the crime rate was reduced in our 12 neighborhoods between 2014-2016. We’ve also provided 90,571 hours of spiritual training for incarcerated men in our faith-based dorm. Among the young people we serve in our Power Lunch program in schools, 45 percent serve in leadership roles.

If you’re interested in helping us move forward in our leadership initiatives, please consider participating. During August, all donations of $1,000 and above will be matched by $100,000. For more information, contact us on dlftx.org.

Photo courtesy of Ben White on unsplash.com

Every day is a great day to pray.

But now is a great time to pray without ceasing – not only for our families and communities. Now is a great time to pray for our nation.

More is moved by prayer than we fully know.

And countless circumstances may be unmoved because we don’t.

Why not ask God to deepen the love of the church for their Redeemer Jesus by igniting fires of revival?

Why not ask the Lord to increase the affection of His church for those who don’t know Him?

Why not ask Him to show the church her capacity to fulfill the work of God to transform communities block by block?

Why not ask the Lord to give wisdom to our leaders in every sphere of influence? 

Why not implore Him to bring peace to cities and prosperity to those in need?

Why not seek Him for individual and corporate strategies to bring people to Jesus?

Why not ask the Lord to help the church better understand His ways?

Sometimes we forget. We really do. The Lord's hand is not too short to answer our petitions, and He loves it when we turn our hearts toward Him.

All power belongs to Him and all solutions come from Him.

We can start with “Our Father,” and ask that God's will be done – on earth as it is in heaven…

Please keep Dallas Leadership Foundation in your prayers as we prayerfully walk out God's purpose for us. To find out more about us, visit dlftx.org.

Photo credit: Joshua Earle -- unsplash.com