Born in a small North Carolina factory town, I was raised in a Baptist church home where my parents planted important seeds within my brother and me. Throughout high school, college, and into the working world, I developed a keen interest in politics and “Systems Thinking,” a term coined by Peter Senge.

However, I did not live a Christian life for most of my adult years, largely ignoring anything godly. My life was filled with worldly distractions, and I missed out on the love and message of Christianity. It was only after decades of frivolity and foolishness that I realized my mistakes and regrets stemmed from a lack of the virtues my faith offered. Gradually, I returned to the faith my parents had instilled in me.

My wife and I began searching for a new place of worship after moving to a community near downtown Atlanta, GA. Raised in a solidly Baptist home, she naturally gravitated towards a local, large, all-white Baptist church. Despite my upbringing, I felt no connection there, prompting a quest for a new church home. Our search led us to a massive A.M.E. church, an unfamiliar denomination at the time, but something told me it was where we needed to go.

We became the first white members of that congregation, an experience that led to years of exploration and learning. This journey revealed the deep racial divisions within Christian churches. I researched the historical reasons for these separations and wrote my first two books to share these findings with other white Christians.

I realized that the American Christian landscape is fragmented, with many siloed churches of various denominations and races. This disunity prevents us from fully achieving God’s missions. I became passionate about promoting unity among Christians, believing that our divisions hinder our ability to shine the light of Christ in the world.