Cross the Line: Reclaiming The Inner City For God

In the Bible, the prophet Jonah turned his back on the city of Ninevah. In this book, Bishop McKinney compares the inner city with Ninevah and challenges the modern day Jonahs to turn their time and talents toward the troubles inner city. With three decades of ministry in San Diego, McKinney presents church leaders and lay people with illustrations of how God is blessing the inner city. Cross the Line will show you how to safely and effectively cross racial lines and social lines to minister and learn from real people in the city.
SATAN BUILT THE WALLS. He drew the line around the inner city with walls of fear, racism, rebellion, and rage. But, there is a dividing line. By showing love, and learning to trust God, we have the choice to authoritatively Cross The Line.
In the inner city, our neighborhood had ten murders in the month of January 1997. Some were just innocent victims. Plus there’s other violence—gang assaults, domestic explosions—and drug sales and use everywhere. By all definitions, our church is in the ‘hood.
I conducted a survey and asked two people: one from the “hood” and one from the “suburbs”, “With all the good reasons to leave the “hood” why do you stay?” Some of the responses were, “My job’s here.” My mom’s here.” I’ve lived here all my life.” “I couldn’t get a job out there.” “Whitey’s got me in a box. He ain’t going to let me out.” “I know where everything is here.” “I’d be abandoning my people.” “This ain’t so bad.” “Nobody’s forcing me to move. Nobody.”
Then, I asked one of my white friends to do the same thing in the suburbs. He asked: “With all the problems of the inner city, why don’t we help the people living there?”
These are some of the answers:
“Walk around anywhere near there and I feel like I’m going to be attacked.” “I feel like a real outsider.” “Why should I?” “If it’s so bad that they need help, they can leave.” “If you’re dumb enough to live on a minefield—” “I don’t see how I can do anything the government’s not doing already.” “I’m responsible for my life. They’re responsible for theirs.” “I’m no good with them. I try to be friendly, and they just shut me off.” “My heart goes out to them, but I’ve got my own family to support.” “You read about those guys, right? They took the wrong turn and ended up dead.” A lack of forgiveness can turn people hard.
Have you ever watched a potter work with clay? In the beginning, she’ll tear great chunks of clay away, slam what remains on the table, and knead it in an effort to begin the shaping process. Then she’ll wet it, to make it more pliable, more easily molded and shaped as she gouges at it, tearing more away, smoothing a spot here, and slamming on an additional clay there.
God calls Himself the potter and us the clay. Every hunk of clay is a little different, just as we are different from our brothers and sisters. Even if we are fashioned for a similar use, the shaping process may be radically different.
So, we see our lives as clay being shaped by a master craftsman. Sometimes the work is delicate: the introduction of an idea, a gentle realization. Other times it’s more pronounced: the confrontation of a sin, the accusations of a loved one. Sometimes it’s radical: an arrest, a divorce, the failure of a ministry, or something even worse. The Master is working with us to shape us for His purpose.
And when the time comes to think back on your ministry in the inner city, you’ll see His loving fingerprints all over you, and you’ll know beyond any doubt that you were working there as much for your spiritual benefit as the inner city’s.
The mission field is the city. Because of fear, poverty, emotions, failures, and family ties, we again hesitate to Cross the Line. The inhabitants of the inner city are in trouble, and there’s an urgency to help. Cities, the traffic, the buildings, the one-way streets that tie you in knots, the upscale apartments and town houses, the dingy and run-down ‘hoods defined by red lines.