Pastor's Corner: Moral issues: Racism

The mass shootings, the events in Syria, Iraq, Germany, Montana and all around the world, will we ever learn to follow the commandment to “Love one another?” To be honest, we all probably live with some negative thoughts about people and different races for a variety of reasons. There seems to be a growing attitude of prejudice, discrimination, segregation and racism, whether it be by religion, political divisions, ethnic group, skin color or one’s beliefs. Poverty, religious beliefs, human rights, immigration issues, refugee issues, land ownership, water, oil and minerals, energy and many other things contribute to ongoing hatred and racism. Some thoughts to ponder as we begin the New Year 2017.

Acts 10:34-35

Prejudice. Discrimination. Segregation. Racism. Our society cries out against such offenses — as well it should! Prejudice judges a man’s character by his outward appearance. Discrimination deprives a person of the right to have. Segregation deprives a person of the right to belong. Stereotyping deprives a person of the right to be.

Racism deprives a person of the right to birth. It seems ironic that the worst differences between races are exaggerated when brown and pink people are labeled “black and white.” Those very terms themselves begin to polarize our thinking between two extremes, rather than emphasizing the closeness of the two. They emphasize the differences in people, rather than the similarities.

I. STEREOTYPES: A) Stereotypes Lead to Prejudice. Stereotyping is a lazy way of lumping together all of those who come from a certain class, or a certain occupation, or a certain race, and attributing to each individual the same characteristics of the group. Although something may generally be true of a group, it is not specifically true of each person in that group. 1) Such stereotypes as “Blondes are all dizzy,” “Teenagers are all rebellious,” “All preachers are lazy,” “All men are pigs,” or “All women are temperamental” do not demonstrate our careful, calculated observations. Rather they show our laziness of judgment, and our blind acceptance of some generalization as being the rule. 2) The Bible says that those who judge according to outward appearance are foolish — that we do not see people the way God sees them, “For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7).

II. PREJUDICE: A) Prejudice Is Ugly. It divides, isolates, and ostracizes people. Prejudice is the mark of an ignorant mind that perceives itself to be enlightened. Prejudice thinks it understands persons or actions before acquiring any actual first-hand knowledge, or before consulting with all the facts. Prejudice has its root in ignorance, and leads to further ignorance. B) Prejudice Is Blind. After Jesus healed a man who was born blind, and witnessed that man’s faith, He pointedly identified the Pharisee’s prejudice, “And Jesus said, ‘For judgment I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who do see may be made blind.’ Then some of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these words and said to Him, ‘Are we blind also?’ Jesus said to them, ‘If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, “We see” Therefore your sin remains’” (John 9:39-41). C) Prejudice Is A Perception Problem. It is defined as “unfavorable judgment due to partiality.” Likewise, prejudice is never neutral. It reacts strongly either for or against someone or something without knowing the facts. Sometimes it is confused with conviction, but there is nothing that noble about prejudice.

III. RACIAL PREJUDICE: A) Racism Is Not New. It was a problem in Biblical times (John 1:46; 4:9; 8:48; Acts 22:21-23). B) Racism Uses Crude Descriptions of People. They are offensive and demeaning. Such ugly slurs should never cross the lips of men and women who are bought by the blood of Christ, “Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers” (Ephesians 4:29). C) Racism Is A Small Minded Man’s Way of Elevating Himself. Such affronts are the attempts of some people to elevate themselves, by putting down and stepping on others (Philippians 2:3-4). D) Racism Is Arrogant And Foolhardy. One race cannot be better than another because all of us have sprung from the same ancestors. We are all of one blood, “And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their pre-appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation” (Acts 17:26). E) Racism Is A Sin Of Pride. One considers himself to be better than someone else because of nothing more than a genetic combination of chromosomes, “For if anyone thinks himself to be something when he is nothing, he deceives himself” (Galatians 6:3).

God must consider racism an important sin to overcome, because He performed a notable miracle to dispel the Jewish prejudice against the Gentiles. Peter’s first hint came with his vision of the animals descending from heaven upon a great sheet. The conclusion of all of those events (Acts 10:1-23) was unmistakable, “God has shown me that I should not call any man common or unclean. … In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality. But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him” (Acts 10:28,34-35).

CONCLUSION: Prejudice will blind us to the truth at best, and cause us to believe a lie at worst, “I charge you before God and the Lord Jesus Christ and the elect angels that you observe these things without prejudice, doing nothing with partiality” (1 Timothy 5:21).

Race makes no difference to God — He shows no favoritism to any race that assumes it is superior to another. Likewise, He shows no partiality to a race that has been mistreated, “In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality. But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him” (Acts 10:28,34-35).

God is color blind, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:28).

Are you color blind too?

Pastor Michael O’Hearn

Hi-Line Lutheran Churches