Strolling in Unity: Biblical Solutions to Questions on Race and Racism

Well written and extremely helpful!
I began following CFBU in 2020, after seeing Monique interviewed on the Alisa Childers podcast. I had found myself getting caught up in the heat of the 2020 moment, wondering where, how, and if I should “take a side.” I longed to hear a black voice that was grounded in Scripture, there was so much confusion and redefining of words taking place in the culture.
I’ve learned so much from them! it’s been a blessing to watch these two imperfect people grow in their friendship and their understanding of Scripture as it speaks to cultural hot topics. I love the way they are so transparent and “real” – we know they’re not faking anything or have any kind of “agenda.”
So of course I was super excited to learn they were writing a book! And what a great book it is. In each chapter they answer a pressing question about race issues and include snippets from their personal journey as they walked and talked and sorted out why they believed what they believed. Scripture became the plumb line and that is where they landed on the truth, together.
Again, their willingness to share their personal struggles along the way makes this book very compelling. The answers to each chapter’s question aren’t just flippant, back-handed words. They are solid, based firmly on the truths of Scripture, and were shaped through hard and deep searching.
In chapter 2 they lay out their model for biblical unity that includes four principles: creation identity, salvation identity, matters of providence, and walking in unity. This was very helpful to me, especially the concept of “matters of providence”- the things that God has allowed in our life that we have no control over, like what color our skin is or where we are born. It’s our creation identity and salvation identity that ultimately define us.
I also appreciated how they defined the “antiracism” and “racial reconciliation” approaches out there, pointing out the good in them but also what doesn’t line up with Scripture. They do not shy away from tough topics like America’s history of slavery or the discussion around reparations.
Chapter 6 was powerful, too, about what it really means to “get everyone to the table.” My favorite line from the end of the chapter is “Monique and I found freedom in knowing there is no further work that either of us must do to become more reconciled to each other. All the work to make us family has already been done by Jesus!”
I highly recommend this book!

Biblical Principles not a How-To Manual
I love the authors’ unique voices and how each one contributes to the book. A unified story but from two very different backgrounds. They echo their story of unity in the way they lay out the biblical principles they followed and encourage their readers to
do the same. They go into histories—both their own and the broader “how did we get here in America” without being dry or fanciful. They present real steps toward real solutions without it being a simple formula to follow (since that would never work!).
Most of all, I love their ability to distill complex problems into a language I understand. This book is excellent read individually or with a group.

Clear Biblical answers in confusing times
Krista Bontrager and Monique Duson have written a book that is extremely helpful in navigating today’s often-confusing cultural climate. I love the format of the book. Each chapter opens with a real-life example from the authors’ relationship with each other as they wrestled with differing opinions, definitions, and understandings of issues related to race and racism. They are very transparent in the struggles they faced as they walked and talked together. Each chapter clearly lays out the secular culture’s answer to a specific question, followed by filtering the answers through the lens of Scripture. Bontrager and Duson are honest about where points of agreement exist, yet clear about where cultural answers fall short of God’s standard. One of the most helpful features of this book is the careful attention to definitions. This helped me finally get a grasp on what specific words and terms mean that I frequently hear in conversations both outside and inside the church. I highly recommend “Walking In Unity” to anyone seeking to understand issues of race and racism from the perspective of two sisters in Christ who refused to let the culture divide them and chose instead to walk together as family.

Fantastic read!!
I really liked the flow of the book. It was fun to read what each was thinking. Great set up. I absolutely enjoyed the content. Very thought provoking at times too. There were a few things I hadn’t ever thought of and hadn’t heard in the podcasts before. Very impactful! It was a 2 day read for me; I followed it up with watching Matt Walsh’s Am I Racist. Thank you, for sharing your journey ladies.