Racism and the Bible

Discussion to get us started Is God color blind? Does he view all races as people who are all the same? Why or why not? Why should Christians care if we or others have prejudices, or negative attitudes or assumptions, about people of other races? Churches are one of the most segregated places in America. Typically 10x as segregated as their neighborhood, 20x as segregated as the school district they are in. Why do you think that is? Is it a good thing, a bad thing, or a neutral thing?

Truth #1 All people of every race or ethnicity are made by God, in the image of God Gen. 1:26 “Let us create man in our image, after our likeness.” Ps. 139:13 “For you formed my inward parts, you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” We cannot love God the Creator and disrespect or not care for His image in His creatures.

Truth #2 All people come from the same ancestor, so we are all one race. Acts 17:26 “And He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place.” The idea that we are separated, totally different from, better or worse than, other races is a culturally created idea

Truth #3 God’s character and beauty is best displayed by many different cultures and ethnicities. The world of the Bible is very diverse Heaven is very diverse (Rev 7:9, 21:26) The church is diverse in its unity (1 Cor 12:12-27) To lose diversity within our unity is to rob the world, the church, and heaven of some of its beauty and its ability to glorify God in bigger, broader, fuller ways.

Truth #4 Racism exists because of sin and its solution is the gospel. Eph 2:11-12 “Remember that at one time you Gentiles… were…separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel…having no hope and without God in the world.” Sin meant Gentiles and Jews were separated from God and from each other.

Truth #4 Racism exists because of sin and its solution is the gospel. Eph 2:13-16 “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility…that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God.” The Gospel is our hope of reconciliation with God and with others…so the gospel is our hope of racial reconciliation

Truth #5 As Christians we should care about people suffering or hurt by racial bias, particularly fellow Christians. Hebrews 13:1-3 says “Let brotherly love continue… remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body.” Our calling is not just to decide what we think about racism; we are also called to understand what our brothers and sisters…particularly African Americans and Hispanics in our country right now…are feeling and experiencing.