Editor’s note: Although the word unity only appears in the Bible a few times, the concept was a major teaching of Jesus. He stressed it among His disciples when they were arguing. He urged His followers to love one another. He emphasized it when discussing the Godhead. And, in His High Priestly Prayer, hours before his crucifixion, Jesus asked God “that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me and I in you” (John 17:21, English Standard Version). The Scriptures leave little doubt that we are called to love and unity. But how do we do that?
In our two-part blog series, Building Bridges, we examine how one Cru® Inner City staff member, Jim Koslowsky, initiated a listening campaign that began spanning a gulf between two congregations, one Black, one white. In part one, posted on August 8, we got to know the lay leaders at each church. In today's part two, we learn six steps Koslowsky recommends for biblical unity.
By Lori Arnold — 15 August 2025
Jim Koslowsky fingered thousands of pages and digested countless hours of movies, videos and podcasts in his quest to understand non-white cultures. The one line that stuck like a Simone Biles dismount came from the Linda Hervieux book, “Forgotten: The Untold Story of D-Day's Black Heroes, at Home and at War,” about an all-Black battalion serving alongside white troops in World War II. The book chronicled injustices on the military base and off, with one Black officer saying, “The slogan seems to be ‘You must die together, but you cannot live in freedom together.’’
Under the dark cloak of racism highlighted in Hervieux’s book, Koslowsky saw a signal fire.
“It was really insightful to think if we can just get beside each other, we find out ‘Wow, we've got a lot in common.’”
“There were guys from the South that, at the end of it, said ‘these guys are all right,’” Koslowsky said. “We don't need to judge them on color. There's no issue here. But unfortunately, that didn't happen when they came back. It was really insightful to think if we can just get beside each other, we find out ‘Wow, we've got a lot in common.’”
To foster that commonality, Koslowsky recommends six steps.
1. Seek to always be a learner.
One of the most effective ways to open communications, Koslowsky said, is to approach the subject by investing time in becoming a learner. Doing so demonstrates sincerity.
“Sometimes it's like we take the easiest route,” expecting others to “tell me how this is,” he said. “Well, one person doesn't speak for an entire race. Plus, there are different points of view on this. Do you want to be educated or do you just want to be spoon-fed?”
Understanding historical events from various sources widens our perspectives, he added. Two examples he shared are the role of Chinese immigrants in building the American rail system and the fact that northern money helped to finance cotton operations in the South.
“The whole country benefited from slavery,” Koslowsky said. “We don't know that unless we understand or read these things. An education through history (and) then also getting to know people are probably the things that I would really say would be important to understand.”
2. Do your research/inform yourself.
Having the desire is just the first step. Over the years, Koslowsky has devoured works on history and cultures, listened to podcasts and watched movies. Some of the reading, especially from academic circles, is informative but intense.
“I think there are some things we need to slog through if we're serious,” he said.
“You go back to Scripture, and it says we're supposed to be reconciled, so if we're not, then that's it. That's the final word.”
In addition to reading modern texts, Koslowsky said the ultimate resource is God’s Word, measuring everything else according to its wisdom and commands.
“You go back to Scripture, and it says we're supposed to be reconciled, so if we're not, then that's it. That's the final word.”
Doing so brings us back to a position of humility as we seek to treat others through the mindset of the imago Dei, the image of God. It changes and deepens the discussion about the relevance of justice and reconciliation.
“I probably came from a position of, ‘Well, that's their issue, their problem,’ and now more from the perspective that ‘I didn't cause the problem, but it's still my problem to deal with,’” he said.
3. Pursue relationship.
While amassing knowledge stimulates the mind and expands our field of vision, true comprehension also requires the heart, which is the gateway to relationships. That’s what prompted Koslowsky to expand his initial study group beyond the walls of Grace Church.
Creating that environment allowed members of the group to honestly share their experiences and fears, crossing over the chasm of separation.
“I learned that most people live in their own bubble,” Gail Goode, a member of Flat Rock, shared. “Only when they make the decision to reach out to other races, you learn that we all have the same problems in life.”
Gindy Miley, who attends Grace, agreed with her new friend, Goode.
“It is always good to learn new things from people with a slightly different perspective, especially if it isn’t something you’ve thought about or known before,” she said.
As a result, several of the women remained in touch by reading books together.
“It was quite amazing the outgrowth of stuff that happened,” Koslowsky said.
4. Listen well.
Augmenting the mind, eyes and heart of reconciliation are the ears, essential to molding a well-informed perspective. While the first three steps are foundational, none of the prep work matters if we don’t use our ears.
“For me, it's always about fairness and it's always about listening to others and at least trying to understand what they're trying to convey,” said Abraham Morrall, a member of Flat Rock AME church and co-leader of the group with Koslowsky.
Hearing, Koslowsky said, is often hampered by a misunderstanding of terms and phrases. Trigger words such as “white privilege” or “crime-infested” can derail a conversation before it begins.
“We're in the megaphoning-each-other age right now, and that isn't going to change anyone's mind,” he said.
He recommended defining words at the onset to avoid such language landmines. The phrase “white privilege” is a good example. For many, the word privilege is offensive because they believe it implies a life of ease, one without hardships, like that of an aristocrat. Koslowsky sees it from a different angle.
“It doesn't mean you don't work hard,” he said. “It just means you have advantages someone else didn't have, that's all.”
“We're in the megaphoning-each-other age right now, and that isn't going to change anyone's mind.”
The listening campaign should start small and, as both sides begin to understand one another, increase engagement.
“To throw someone in the deep end on this is a way to have them react and then never engage again,” he said.
“There needs to be a willingness to communicate with others that have a different perspective, and then providing feedback to others in the appropriate manner to have that type of open dialogue. That's challenging.”
5. Solicit their story.
Perhaps the most effective portal to understanding is the use of storytelling, the oral expression of our experiences. The spoken story has the power to deliver in a way the written word can’t always convey. To this day, Koslowsky still remembers the emotion of one woman in their group describing what she felt when, as a young girl, a department store employee tailed her and her sisters as they searched for a gift for their parents. She recognized the look and body language of the clerk; she had lived it before. He was certain they were there to steal.
“There were really heartbreaking stories, but it's one thing to read that in a book,” he said. “It's another to have someone at the church saying, ‘Yeah, that happened to me.’ That was the big takeaway. If you can use a story, it can help you maneuver a little bit. I mean, that's just following Jesus’ example completely. He told a story, and you're like, ‘Oh, wow! I didn't think about it like that.’”
The vulnerability of her story had a lasting impact on the group.
“It comes back to getting to know each other, sitting down and saying, ‘Hey, tell me your story,’ and listening.”
"So grateful for this opportunity to listen, to learn from many perspectives, to experience honesty and grace …” said Cassy Sims.
The irony is that the act of storytelling — and, more importantly, story listening — is perhaps the simplest of all six steps. As we see in Scripture, Jesus employed the technique to dismantle walls and lift veils.
“It comes back to getting to know each other, sitting down and saying, ‘Hey, tell me your story,’ and listening,” Koslowsky said.
6. Close the circle.
Unlike a book that ends with a chapter or epilogue, the process of reconciliation is never-ending. Both Koslowsky and Morrall said there is always more to learn, and they are hopeful that believers embrace a spirit of ongoing connection.
Koslowsky warns that the consistency of the pursuit often ebbs and flows according to national headlines and, once those headlines disappear, the spotlight on racial reconciliation also dims. He prays that the cycle of discussion generates more lasting change.
“We're like, ‘Well, I guess we don't need to talk anymore.’ No, it's still there,” he said.
One of the most valuable aspects for Morrall was for participants to see and understand culture on an individual level, peeling away the more public aspects of racial disunity to witness the impacts personally.
“They can't walk in my shoes and don't understand my day-to-day challenges but, I think, for them, they learned a lot,” he said, later adding, “There are pockets of encouragement if you look for them around the country but they seem to be overwhelmed by the divisive stories in the headlines.”
Clearly, Koslowsky said, more needs to be done, an observation that’s especially poignant during the nation’s current volatile struggle with illegal immigration.
“We still need to work on bridging the racial divide,” he said. “We need to have a civil conversation where both parties seek to understand the other person’s point of view; find common ground.”
Morrall suggests creating “projects that would attract multiple ethnicities, community events where people could work together, get to know each other and help break down the walls that exist.”
Lori Arnold serves as the senior writer for Cru's inner-city ministry.
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