As Christians around the world commemorated the 500th anniversary of German theologian Martin Luther’s start of the Protestant Reformation on October 31, a group in our day and age joined in the spirit of reform by announcing a change of its own.
What is The Witness: A Black Christian Collective? Read our "About Us" page to find out. https://t.co/6xHu1KOEJu pic.twitter.com/71RTzC1KpR
— The Witness BCC (@TheWitnessBCC) November 2, 2017
The Reformed African American Network (RAAN) was founded October 31, 2011, originally as a Facebook page devoted to addressing core concerns of African Americans from a Reformed theology perspective. Reformed theology, rooted in the 16th Protestant Reformation, holds particular distinctions on God’s grace, the condition of mankind, the status of believers and on other matters of Christian doctrine. Over the years, RAAN expanded to a full-blown movement with the weekly “Pass the Mic” podcast and a web presence that garnered millions of page views.
Yet, as RAAN remained outspoken on important topics, such as race, social justice and other issues impacting African-American faith and life, the organization began getting pushback from “what about the gospel?” Evangelical and Reformed corners of the church.
