1.21 blog

Today the United States observes Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Celebrating and honoring that champion of this civil rights movement. Dr. King challenged the racism of his day, and did so from a position firmly within the Christian tradition. Now, decades after his death, we are seeing definite signs of progress: we have an African American President, for one thing. But we still have so far to go. For example, back in December, the New York Times reported on highly qualified African American job applicants having a hard time getting hired due to racial disparities. Racism is still very much with us.

And Christianity is fundamentally and intractably opposed to racism. I know there are racist Christians. I know Christianity has been used to underwrite racist agendas. But still, the religion on the whole is inherently anti-racist.

Christians have a doctrine of creation in the Image of God (Genesis 1.26-27). Therefore, all humanity is fundamentally equal. You cannot be a racist without denying creation.

Christians believe that the Savior of humanity is Jesus Christ. This one Jewish man suffered death for all peoples, purchasing for God a church from every nation, tribe, and tongue (e.g., Revelation 5.9). Again, this underscores the fundamental equality of all races. You cannot be a racist without seriously undermining the doctrine of salvation.

This is played out in various places in the Bible. In Galatians 2, Paul rebukes Peter for his racism. But he doesn’t just say, “Peter, how dare you be a racist? That’s very wrong of you!” Instead, he tells Peter that he is not walking in line with the gospel of Jesus. Racism is a gospel issue.

In Ephesians 2 we read that the former walls of racial hostility are broken down in Jesus so that Jews and Gentiles (and Whites, Blacks, Latinos, Asians, etc.) are united into One Body in Christ. We share one baptism (Ephesians 4.5). We eat of one bread, and drink of one cup (1 Corinthians 10.16-17). Christians “believe…in the holy catholic church” (The Apostles Creed). You cannot be a racist without undercutting belief in the holy catholic church. People from all different races are our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Racism spits in the face of Jesus Christ.

If you indulge in racism, these passages of Scripture should chill you.

“Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness. Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling. But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.” (1 John 2.9-11)

“If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot  love God whom he has not seen.  And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.” (1 John 4.20-21)

We’re all implicated in racism. And the proper response when we see this is not to deny it, or point to others whose racism is worse than our own. It is to repent. The Dutch Reformed Churches learned this. For years they had taken part in the evil of apartheid in South Africa. The turning point came, when in an act of repentance, they declared apartheid (and racism in general) to be a heresy and turned from it.

Racism is a terrible sin. But Jesus Christ is an even greater Savior.

Today, as we honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, give thanks to God for the progress that’s been made, and beg him for strength to carry the fight forward into the future.

Posted by: Gene Schlesinger