The course takes its point of departure from Alexander’s personal story of repentance and reconciliation in South Africa, in the 1980s. For 12 years he crossed the racial and ideological divides under Apartheid to repent from his white racial conditioning to seek reconciliation and justice with black people, motivated by the theology and praxis of God’s kingdom. He highlights the importance of personal story-telling from opposite sides of societal divides for ‘de-ideologizing’. The Vineyard story in regards to social justice and transformation is also referred to. Our stories find meaning, purpose and transformation in God’s greater story of reconciliation, which Alexander unfolds as God’s Seven Act Drama of His-Story, from Genesis to Revelation. This biblical theology of kingdom reconciliation climaxes in Jesus and his first followers, who, within their context lived out the Gospel Mandate of Reconciliation across the barriers of… race and culture (“neither Jew nor Gentile”), social classes (“neither master nor servant”), and gender (“neither male nor female”). This is then applied to The Church and all Christ-followers today, as we live out Act Six of God’s drama of reconciliation on the world’s stage for all to see… Jesus. Alexander concludes the course with models of personal/relational and group/structural reconciliation and justice, with closing comments on building a diverse multicultural church.

Learning Objectives:

On completion of this course, you will know how to:

• Be aware of, work with, and share, your own life story of racial and other conditioning;
• Know and communicate God’s greater story of kingdom reconciliation; and
• Have the motivation and basic skills to cross barriers in your society in “doing reconciliation and justice” for Christ’s sake.

Module Spec:

• 26 short videos
• Six handouts
• Six Quizzes