Biblical Unity - A Message from Dr. Larry Taylor

January 11, 2023

As we prepare for the observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day in the United States on Monday, January 16, I am reminded of his desire to unify people. In a 1964 speech in St. Louis, King said, “We must learn to live together as brothers or perish as fools.” Biblical unity has been a conviction and burden of mine for years and has only deepened over time. Indeed, we have come a long way since Martin Luther King Jr.’s efforts and sacrifice. And we certainly still have a lot of work to do regarding race relations.

But on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, I choose to honor a man who did something about injustice. A man who defined the difference between “negative peace” and “positive peace,” knowing that not all “peace” is good (peace without justice is not good peace). King wrote in his famous Letter from Birmingham Jail, "…who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice." King was so right on this point, and I honor him today. Dr. King was committed to dialogue versus monologue. One of the greatest ways to honor King is to continue the conversation of race relations (and every other cause of division). I believe King’s desire for dialogue is as relevant today as it was on April 16, 1963, when he wrote this letter.

With a yearning for the next generation to learn the meaning of true biblical unity so that they can carry the light of Jesus to a dark world, I commissioned a task force to study and explore God’s Word about Biblical Unity, Diversity and Social Engagement (this includes age, ability, gender, race, culture, and economic status). Our ACSI Chief Ministry Officer, Jerry Nelson, led the work, and I have asked him to share five core principles with you, our ACSI member family, with the goal of unpacking how you, your faculty, students, and school community can apply these concepts in tangible, life-giving ways.

In honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Jerry revisited the boulevard in Miami named after this unifying ambassador, where Jerry spent most of his childhood. We now want to personally invite you to a 3-part webinar series in February. Please watch his personal video invitation to you embedded below.

To be clear, this is not a race-only conversation. Diversity involves so much more, including our thinking—just like Paul and Barnabas had a difference of opinion as recorded in Acts 15:36-41.

Together, let’s unpack what the ACSI task force has found in God’s Word and how all of us can show the love of Jesus to a dying world.

For His Glory,

Larry Taylor, Ph.D.
President/CEO, ACSI