From the Pulpit: Racial reconciliation as a Christian

Racial reconciliation is a big issue in our day. We all know that two things are true in our culture: We have come a long way in our culture toward racial reconciliation and there is a huge emphasis on racism being a problem in our culture. How do we as Christians think about this issue? 

First, as Christians we must make sure we reason about this from a biblical perspective. We are called to “take every thought captive” realizing we are engaged in a war of ideas and we are to “destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God” (2 Cor 10:4-5). We must not be taken captive to ungodly philosophies that are not according to Christ (Col 2:8). Christians cannot approach reconciliation from a secular Marxist worldview that seeks to divide everyone up by their skin color and label them either oppressed or oppressor. 

I am talking about the secular language of critical race theory (CRT) and intersectionality. 

CRT/I teaches that white people are inherently racist and oppressive towards certain minority groups whether they are conscious of it or not. If a white person denies this they are simply protecting their “white privilege” and this is proof of their “white fragility.” 

We could argue how attributing sin to a person’s skin color – “white people are inherently racist” is itself, racist by definition; we could go down that road, but I think the thing that Christians should ask first is this: Is this a biblical way to think about race?

No, it is not. In Christ we already have racial reconciliation.  First, the Bible doesn’t deal with skin color as an issue. We all come from the same first parents of Adam and Eve. Sure we all have different levels of melanin in our skin and to divide people up by how much melanin is in their skin is divisive. 

To put it bluntly, racism of any kind is ignorant and sinful. The Bible does acknowledge different ethnicities or ethnic groups. These differences do create real challenges because of the differences in culture and such.  

The Bible deals with this in the gospel. The two most hostile ethnic groups – Jew and Gentile – have been made one in the gospel. 

“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… that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility” (Eph 2:13-16). 

The answer to the problem of racial / ethnic reconciliation is that we already have reconciliation in Christ. 

 How does this happen? 1) The gospel has a supernatural answer to our alienation problems and brings unity in Christ. 2) Christ produces repentance; showing partiality (which would include racism) is incompatible with faith in Jesus (James 2). 3) We are one body. He has killed the hostility in Christ.

What do we need today? To believe the gospel! If you understand how Christ’s blood brings you peace with God then you understand how that same gospel can bring you peace with all other people (Revelation 7:9-12).