Skin Color Shouldn't Divide Us
She was pretty bleak as we talked about it. She is afraid, as many people are, that the current “hot topic” of racism coming from some prominent black churches in Chicago is setting our country back. “I used to be second-guessed because I’m black,” she said, “And I have enjoyed not being second-guessed for a while. I am afraid that we’re coming to a time when people aren’t going to get to know you past your skin anymore and base their judgments on your race. If you’re black, you must be seething against white people, trying to find your chance to get even. I don’t want people to think that about me, and I am afraid of the time when that will start to happen. I think it will happen soon.”
Wow. That really took me aback.
She is my wife.
But as I listen to reactions to a prominent Black preacher accusing the government of a variety of atrocities and calling for God’s wrath on America, I realize that unfortunately, my wife has a point.
I’m trying to steer clear of politics right now. It is difficult. I admit that I am thankful to be born in a nation whose founding documents began with the statement, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, and are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights.” At the time, many thought members of the black race to be inferior and held black men, women, and children as slaves. Slavery is a deplorable practice, but it was a reality in the Bible – and Paul admonished Christians who owned slaves to treat their slaves as brothers and sisters in the Lord, not treating them harshly, but rather applying the golden rule to their treatment of them.
In these times, when we see the phrase “all men are created equal” we all agree that equality includes all people from every race. Period. We fought a civil war to settle that controversy… more Americans lost their lives in that war than any other we have entered. I am thankful to be able to say that my ancestors would have fought on the side of the Union, inspired by Abraham Lincoln, abolitionists, and the plight of the mistreated slaves. Others in my family tree were pacifists. Instead of fighting, they helped to organize the Underground Railroad and risked their lives to see many slaves to freedom.
Jumping many generations, my mother has told me several times about an inspiring experience she had which she cherishes in her memoray: having lunch with the great Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. She and several students from the Ohio State University – students of various races and nationalities – traveled into the deep segregated South to meet with the pioneering civil rights leader and here his vision for a colorblind America.
Yes, there was a period of time when there was a significant culture of racism within the white community. Yes, there are still pockets of it today. There are occasional ignoramuses who still yell slurs out of their windows as they drive past. Not every bulb is as bright as every other. Human nature itself informs us that there will be dark places where racism is tolerated, and some corners, further and further away from the mainstream of society, where racism is even nurtured. Nonetheless, reality in our time is that white racists have effectively waved a flag of surrender as they have heard most of us tell them to get over themselves and begin to accept and love people for the people they are, regardless of their skin color.
Unfortunately, in our time there is still slavery in many parts of the world – African Christians are being sold into slavery in places like the Sudan. Whole Christian families are disassembled, and individual siblings are sold to one slave-buyer, the father to another, and the mother to another. Christians and other political prisoners are forced to labor to make economically-priced merchandise in Chinese work camps so that American companies who contract with the Chinese can ship their products back here and sell them to us, the American consumers, at bargain basement prices. This new kind of slavery hurts every American as they see entry level manufacturing jobs (and manufacturing jobs period) go to places like China, where workers are barely fed let alone make a livable wage.
And there’s a new kind of slavery in our nation as well: the slavery that illegal immigrants are subject to… this, in my opinion, is one of the evils of tolerating illegal immigration. In effect, we are enabling a new slave culture – it’s not that they are doing jobs that “no American will do,” it’s that no American will work for the pittance that “undocumented workers” will work for!
The media discourse we’re hearing lately has as its good point the exposure of the of a racial intolerance that should be addressed. I pray it does not describe, “The Black Church” in America (or any church in America!), but I know that, unfortunately, it describes many. Friends of ours who have come out of Chicago black church backgrounds have told us stories that still make our hair stand on end. White hatred was certainly extolled from those pulpits, and nobody said a-mumblin’ word.
I am not perfect, but I’m not out to get people who don’t share my skin color or national heritage. I want to fulfill my Lord’s call to love Him with all my heart, mind, soul, and strength, love my neighbor as myself, and my Christian sister or brother as Christ loves me – regardless of race or ethnicity.
God made Adam out of the dust of the earth, and Eve from a rib from his side. He breathed into both of them the breath of life. They could have been black, brown, olive-skinned, white, or green!!! The human race had a restart with Noah, his wife, and their three sons and their wives. Their race was never mentioned. Any claim that a curse involves skin color is one that defies the whole of Scripture.
The Scriptures are plain that every family derives its name from God. (Eph. 3:15) The Scriptures speak of a day when people from all races will be gathered around the throne of God, worshiping Him. Jesus still loves all the children of the world. We would do well to do the same, and in so doing, we will show the love of God – in whom there is no East or West. 10:42 pm est
