Bias is a buzzword.
Ten years ago, implicit and unconscious bias was a frequent topic for corporate and community trainings. Now, bias is back to being bristly, part of a whole set of DEI initiatives that have fallen out of favor.
So, why are we still talking about bias at church?
As explored in this short video, our unconscious brain processes millions of inputs a minute and is essential to survival, especially in our media and technology-filled world. By design, our unconscious brain makes assumptions. By definition, assumptions are sometimes wrong. When we refuse or reject to explore our implicit biases, we give up some of our agency and freedom to learn, grow, and form the communities and relationships that we want.
Bias is also a faith issue. All of us have looked at other people (and other Christians) and wondered, “Don’t they know what they’re doing is wrong?” A proper understanding of bias gives us tools to empathize with people we don’t get as well as pursue a healthier, more integrated sense of faith and Christian practice.
In this Saturday workshop, our favorite facilitator Barbara Thompson will offer research and tools to examine our own biases and do the inner work of intentionally and consciously practicing our values. “The Power of Implicit Bias” will begin promptly at 9AM in MFLC 313 and end at 2:30PM, with lunch served in the middle. Topics include:
• Defining implicit bias
• Learning about potential influences on the development of implicit bias
• Taking a Harvard Implicit Association Test, while acknowledging its limitations
• Reminding ourselves to continually value what matters most to us, including our relationships with other people
Please join us for an honest and robust conversation around the stories and assumptions that we ALL carry, the power as well as limitations of implicit bias training, and practical steps to nurture more inclusive communities.
“For you were once in darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light and find out what pleases the Lord.” —Ephesians 5: 8–10 (NIV)
