Dear UnderGodthebook.com Subscriber,

In January, America celebrated the birth of Martin Luther King, Jr. As everybody knows, Dr. King began a revolution of thought in this country. In a time when our nation was divided, he got people thinking about unity through changed hearts. King understood the impact that love and compassion could have on the path to unite the races in our country. He also understood that it was ultimately God alone who could change hearts and that it was a person's faith in God that could make lifelong change possible. His message seemed simple, but reconciliation through love was a struggle that seemed impossible without God's grace.

In America today we still struggle to consistently display God’s love for all His people. One way to acknowledge and learn from America's history of struggling to overcome racism is to celebrate Black History Month this February. The tradition of Black History Month began in 1926 when Dr. Carter G. Woodson organized what he called "Negro History Week." He chose the second week in February to coincide with two very important civil rights leaders’ birthdays—Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln. The week-long celebration soon expanded into an entire month and it is now an important national tradition. During this month, all Americans are called on to reflect on the heroes who, like King, followed a call from God. Some of the heroes of history that we celebrate were simply going about everyday lives of faithfulness; others were working hard to create change, particularly in the area of racism.

The theme of racial reconciliation, so central to Black History Month, is especially important to Michael Tait and Toby Mac. Their bestselling book Under God tells the stories of Americans who acted for change in our country, including Frederick Douglass, Harriett Tubman, Martin Luther King, Jr., Rosa Parks, and many others. What each of these figures has in common is their strong faith in and dependence on God (just read Ms. Park's quote selected here!). Each believed it was He who would sustain them during the trials of life. In the face of deep racial hatred, they lived lives worthy of Christ. Indeed, as Michael writes toward the end of Under God, it is only the love of Christ that makes overcoming hatred possible:

When anger turns to hate, it becomes a vicious poison that creates its own form of imprisonment. There is a supernatural power that is needed to overcome hate. It is the same power that is needed to forgive. It is a supernatural love that comes only from God. It is the same love that my ancestors of slavery found as they cried out to God in their secret prayer meetings. It is the same love that found my father as he searched for the answers to his difficult life. Only love, real love in the form of Jesus Christ, will truly set you free. —MICHAEL TAIT

This is a message that all Americans, whether Christian or not, need to hear. Please forward this newsletter on to friends and family to get the word out about celebrating Black History Month. And if they—or you—haven't read Under God, go get a copy and read it as a way of celebrating this important month. But be prepared: You may never be the same.

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To read more about racial reconciliation happening today, check out Michael and Toby’s E.R.A.C.E. Foundation at www.erace.com.

For other links & resources, visit www.undergodthebook.com/links.cfm.

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