Bring in articles from the newspaper or magazines that witness to the difficulty of racism. Pray for those situations. The closer to home they are, the better.

One of the ideas this chapter talks about is "color-blindness" and a "mono-tone" world. Ask the class to line up and create a spectrum of skin colors with darkest skin colors on one end and lightest on the other. Even in a class with members of only one "race" the exercise can be quite revealing. There are always far more differences within any given group than there are between them. Ask the group to describe what they see.

1. The story describing "Fred Richards" raises questions about how we challenge those with racist opinions. What seemed to work well in this story? What would you have done differently? Does the story provide a model for challenging people you know?

2. Fear of challenge or being called a "racist" can be a powerful inhibitor for White people in the church. What fears do you bring to this class? Have you ever found a place where you could talk freely and openly about prejudice and racism? In what ways can this class become a place like that?

3. The author writes that "the discomfort is our hope" (42). What does he mean? Is there truth to the assertion that some feeling, any feeling, is better than numbness? Can it lead to action?

4. "Healing steps from White privilege toward racial reconciliation," this book's sub-title, suggests that one group is not healthy. In this chapter, Miller Shearer suggests that White people are as sick with the disease of racism as Naaman was with leprosy. Although he does not yet explain that assertion, he suggests that God's voice leads those of us who are White to this realization. Has anyone every suggested to you previously that God would have anything to say specifically to White people? How does this match your understanding of God's role in history? Does God speak to one group differently than others? Can you name scriptural precedent?

If you have not done so previously, ask each person to share why they have chosen to be in this class. Chapter 2 talks about the difficulty of the journey. What motivates each person to take this step toward the river?

Read Chapter 3: What is Prejudice?