Whited Sepulchres: Racism
How
can we overcome racism in the world when 11:00 a.m. on Sunday morning is the
most segregated hour in America?
If suburban and urban Christians can't joint-venture for the Kingdom, then why
should we expect the un-churched to get along? Several Christian radio stations
deny minority broadcasters access to the airwaves because they fail to fit
the format. In South Africa, the church is a major player in the racist
system of apartheid. The theology of the Dutch Reformed Church has perpetuated
the myth of racial superiority, effectively suppressing the freedom of millions
of people.
Lest we be too quick to point an accusing finger at South Africa, remember that
there is a similar skeleton in America's closet. The church also held its tongue
in 1857 when the Dred-Scott decision was rendered, declaring that people of
African descent in America were not to be considered persons, but property.
Slavery in this country was allowed to exist because it was theologized. The
so-called doctrine of Ham asserted that Canaan, the son of Ham (the
father of black people), was cursed to be a servant for the rest of his days.
Through some misguided theological maneuvering and horrendous hermeneutics,
whites used this teaching to support the conclusion that all blacks were cursed
-- a proposition that has no support in Scripture and no place in the Body.
Galatians chapter 2 contains one of the Bible's key statements on racism.
However, its roots are found in Acts 10, where the Apostle Peter saw a vision.
During his daily rooftop devotions, he looked up and saw all manner of unclean
animals laid out before him. The message from God was clear: these things are
now edible. What you considered unclean, I have called clean.
This was God's endorsement of the Gentiles. Those people who were once
considered pagans became acceptable to God through Christ.
Peter, on the strength of that revelation, accepted a Gentile dinner invitation.
Imagine his reaction to his first ham sandwich! While he was eating, however,
Galatians 2 tells us that some of the Jewish brothers showed up. These boys
from the 'hood must have put some serious pressure on Peter. "Peter,
don't you understand that we were not raised to interact with these people? Your
behavior is unacceptable."
Caught squarely between his culture and his Christianity, Peter made an
unfortunate compromise. He abandoned his new-found Gentile brothers and left
with the Jews.
Nothing more might have been said if Paul had not shown up. In Paul's own words,
"When I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the
gospel, I said to Cephas [Peter] in the presence of all, 'If you, being a Jew,
live like the Gentiles and not like the Jews, how is it that you compel the
Gentiles to live like Jews?'" (Galatians 2:14). Leave it to Paul to cut to
the chase. Who are you, Paul asks, to let social custom overrule Christ? We have
a moral standard that supersedes cultural differences. This is not to say that
cultural differences are wrong. God is not calling blacks to be whites, whites
to be blacks, Asians to be Hispanics, or Hispanics to be Asians. We cannot,
however, continue to allow healthy cultural uniqueness to degenerate into
divisions that fragment the body of Christ. We have a standard that supersedes
color, class and culture. When we base our actions on that standard, we have no
more racial problems.
We realize that what binds us together in Christ is stronger than whatever would
seek to divide us.
Anything that would stand in the way of that unity in faith must be
rejected--even if it's those ingrained attitudes we may have picked up from mom
and dad. Parents, peers and partners are all vetoed by the imperative of
Scripture.
Christians should remain free to worship in the community of their choice. But
the distinctions that give us diversity must never be allowed to rob us of our
unity.
Pastor John