Many people, including Christians, seem to be obsessed with race and racial categories.
Rather than learning from the past, we seem to be re-emphasizing the old racial categories in a new way.
Surely we can do better?
In my previous post, we saw how in Genesis 3 human beings disobeyed God and now sin and selfishness has been our reality ever since. Things in our world are not as they ought to be.
Sin, death, disease, racism, anger and immorality taint our world and our history.
We’ve seen the terrible effects of racism all over the world and tragically in our own country under Apartheid. For example,
The Bible does not use the word “racism”, but it uses the words “pride”, “partiality” and “favouritism”, all of which is sin.
“Race” as a category is artificial, unscientific and unbiblical. “Race” is usually used to alienate, oppress and dominate people.
The Bible does not use the word “race” either, but the term “nations”, referring to various people or ethnic groups with their own culture, traditions and dialect.
I don’t know why, but every time I go shopping I always choose the trolley with the dodgy, squeaky, sticky wheel that keeps veering to the right or to the left. It’s quite a job to keep the trolley moving forward in a straight line.
In a similar way, it’s tough to keep having a correct, biblical worldview about life with all its many areas.
Our own in, the world’s systems, and Satan keep pulling us to the right or left, especially in our thinking about race.
We constantly need to check ourselves that we are keeping a straight line with what the Bible says.
May I humbly add that if you were raised in South Africa, particularly as a white person, you (and I) probably have a dodgy, sticky wheel in our worldview that pulls our thinking towards racial prejudice – without us even realizing it.
What does the Bible say about race?
Years ago, in South Africa, you were classified according to the colour of your skin and the coarseness of your hair. You were told where you could and couldn’t live. You were told which bus you could and couldn’t ride. You we told who you could and couldn’t marry.
Racism is part of our history.
South Africa, the USA and many other countries have struggled and continue to struggle with racism.
The killing of George Floyd has brought the issue of racism to the fore.
A good definition of racism is an explicit or implicit belief or practice that distinguishes or values one race over other races.
A racist believes that their race, whatever it may be, is superior to other races.
On the night of June 17, 2015, Dylann Roof, a 21 year old white male, opened fire in a historic black church, in Charleston, South Carolina, killing 9 people, including the pastor, during a prayer meeting. Dylann Roof is a racist and his aim was to kill black people and start a race war.
Years ago in South Africa, you were classified according to the colour of your skin and the coarseness of your hair. You were told where you could and couldn’t live. You were told which bus you could and couldn’t ride. You we told who you could and couldn’t marry. Racism is part of our history. South Africa, the USA and many other countries have struggled and continue to struggle with racism.