For those of us born in the last three or four decades, it is difficult to believe that as
recently as 1965 that there were some areas of the Deep South that still enforced the Jim Crow laws. These laws enforced
the segregation of blacks from whites in public places. Even today, the disparity between the races in certain parts of the
country is troubling. Throughout history, as empires have risen and fallen, different ethnic groups have been targeted by
those in power. Sometimes it had to do with the color of their skin. Other times racism was related to religious beliefs or
language barriers.
Slavery
Even the church has had a shameful history at times when it comes to race relations. The very birth of the Southern
Baptist Convention has its roots in racial inequality. The national Baptist General Convention split in 1845 into the north
and south because of a disagreement about slavery. The southern Baptists held that the Scriptures supported the right to owning
slaves in both precept and example. To be fair, the SBC has long since abandoned this view and has active black members and
clergy serving in their many churches throughout the country.
The point is this: all too often Christians
have either turned a deaf ear to racism, or worse, have at times contributed to the problem. Some Christians, especially in
the days of slavery in America, turned to passages in the Bible that taught how servants and masters were supposed to treat
each other. Unfortunately, the historical context was usually ignored. However, it is the historical context that is key in
understanding these passages.
Table 1: Classes of the Ancient Roman Empire
Patricians | Highest class; All power was held by members of this class |
Equestrians | “knights” This was
a wealthy class and individuals were given a horse in time of war |
Plebeians | Free people, although had very little power |
Slaves | Owned by others; had no rights
as citizens |
The New Testament passages were all written during the time of the Roman Empire in which
several classes of people were in existence, including slaves. Never was there a command in Scripture to have slaves. All
of the passages should be understood as an accommodation to a cultural norm, not an attempt to set a cultural norm in areas
where slavery did not exist. It is difficult to justify America's slavery in which slaves were acquired
by mass kidnappings in Africa. No one can use Scripture to justify the way many slave owners considered themselves to be of
greater value before God than their slaves. Nowhere does the Bible teach that certain races of people are inferior to other
races of people. In fact, the opposite is true.
The slaves of ancient Rome were often prisoners of war or descendents
of prisoners of war. These slaves were not members of any particular ethnic group, but were made up of people of all races
and came from places like the Middle East, northern Africa, Spain, and the British Isles. At the time of Christ, the Jews
were in no position to begin a movement to abolish slavery. In fact, they had their own problems trying to establish themselves
in a place of respect within the Roman Empire. Likewise, the early Christians had no political power for the first 300 years
of church history. The most important responsibility that these Christians had was in spreading the message of the gospel
of Christ. Slavery was not on the forefront of their mission. Besides, any attempt to abolish slavery would have been interpreted
as an attempt to overthrow the entire Roman system. This would have been counter-productive to spreading the gospel.
Those
passages in the New Testament that refer to slavery point out the importance of slaves being obedient to their masters
as unto the Lord. However, these passages also made it clear that masters are to treat their slaves with respect and as people
having an equal standing before God. Masters were also instructed to treat their slaves justly and fairly (Eph. 6:5-9; Col.
3:22, 4:1). This principle of equal standing before God set the foundation for a change of mindset for those who would later
fight against slavery.
Those Christians who used the Bible to justify slavery in early American
history would often cite passages from Paul referenced above. However, slavery in the Roman Empire and slaves in America were
two different things. The slave trade in America (excluding indentured servants) often related to kidnapping Africans, putting
them on boats for long, dangerous journeys by ship, and then selling those who survived the perilous journey in
markets to wealthy landowners. Some of these slaves were treated better than others, but how well they were treated overlooks
the point that these people were not slaves by choice, nor were they prisoners of war, or descendents of prisoners of war.
They were second class citizens that were targeted for the color of their skin.
The bottom line here is that
Christians cannot fairly use the New Testament to justify racism in any form. Slavery is just one extreme application
of racism. In fact, slavery in the Bible had little to do with race, and everything to do with social class. There were slaves
in ancient Rome from many different ethnic groups. Slavery in early America was based on racial prejudice.
Social Darwinism Another justification for racism
or slavery was found outside of the church in the teachings of Social Darwinism. Some proponents of Social Darwinism viewed
blacks and other non-Caucasians as lower on the chain of evolution. Blacks were viewed by some as closer to the apes; therefore,
it was not inhumane to treat them as such. One Scientific American article reflected this type of thinking that was prevalent
as recently as the early 20th century:
The personal appearance, characteristics, and traits of the Congo Pygmies. . . . exhibit many ape-like
features in their bodies, they possess a certain alertness, which appears to make them more intelligent than other negroes.
. . . They have seemingly become acquainted with metal only through contact with superior beings.
A prominent evolutionist, Stephen Jay Gould, wrote: “Biological
arguments for racism may have been common before 1859, but they increased by orders of magnitude following the acceptance
of evolutionary theory.” If Darwinian evolution is true and God had nothing to with the creation of man, then
it makes sense that some people groups would be more advanced than others and the resulting prejudices could be justified
on the grounds that the superior people groups are moving forward. However, there are no biblical grounds for the Christian
to use Darwinian evolution as an excuse to hold to racist views.
The Bible actually teaches that all people come
through the direct lineage of Adam and later Noah. Acts 17 teaches that all the races of people are of one blood. Jesus taught
that we should love all of our neighbors, not just those who look like us. He gave us the story of the Good Samaritan, not
only to teach us to help those in need, but also as a rebuke to those who had prejudices against people of other ethnic backgrounds.
Inter-racial Marriage
It
is surprising that there are still people who teach that inter-racial marriage is a sin. It was not until 2000 that Bob Jones
University, the influential, ultra-conservative Christian college, dropped their ban on inter-racial dating on their campus.
Bob Jones did not even allow married blacks to attend the university until 1971, even though other minorities had been permitted
to attend since the school’s inception. Unmarried blacks were only allowed to attend in 1975 after a dispute with the
IRS over their tax-exempt status. Scriptural reasons given by certain Christian groups for their position against inter-racial
marriage usually fall in these three categories:
- God divided people into separate language groups
following the Tower of Babel incident (Gen. 11). He wanted people to remain separate.
- The Jews were told that they could not marry pagans
(non-Jews).
- Paul references that God has established the borders of nations (Acts 17:26).
Answer
- The destruction of the Tower of Babel and the resulting division of the people by languages had to do with God not
wanting people to unite against him. It also resulted in people spreading throughout the world instead of huddling around
one relatively small portion of land. There is nothing in this story to suggest that God wanted people separate so that the
races would not inter-marry. Some Bible scholars actually point to this event as the point when racial distinctions
began to emerge.
- The reasons for the laws against Jews marrying non-Jews related to God’s desire to keep the Jewish
nations spiritually pure, not genetically pure. Even if an argument could be made that God wanted genetic purity
of the Jewish race, it does not follow that this is true of other races. Besides, the fact that Jesus' direct lineage
was not strictly Jewish greatly weakens this argument.
- Paul’s reference about boundaries of the dwellings
of men related to God being sovereign over the affairs of humans and was in no way a statement against inter-racial marriage.
This is actually the same verse that begins with the statement that people from every nation are of one blood.
- The genetic differences
between the races are miniscule compared to the similarities. Biblically, it could be said that we are all one race, the human
race, since we are all of one blood and have a common ancestry. The biggest differences between ethnic groups in the world
are clearly cultural, not biological. There may be religious or cultural reasons that divide two persons enough that marriage
would be difficult, but there is no inherent sin in the matrimony between members of any two ethnic groups.
- One can study the
genealogies of Jesus Christ in Matthew and Luke and find more than one race represented. Most of Jesus’ ancestors were
Jewish; however, Ruth, Thamar, Rahab, and Bathsheba were all Gentile women. For instance, Rahab was a Canaanite woman. She
belonged to a group of people that were descendents of Ham. Yet her marriage to a Jew was not only approved by God, but included
in the lineage of the Messiah, Jesus Christ.
- The Bible makes it clear that regarding salvation, there is no difference between
Jews and non-Jews. Any separation that could keep two people from getting married is broken down in their shared relationship
with Christ. Throughout Scripture, the emphasis of the variety of cultures and ethnic groups is on similarities, not
differences (Gal. 3:28; Col. 3:11; Rom. 10:12-13). The New Testament criteria for marriage are spiritual in nature—that
believers be “yoked” together with other believers.
Conclusion Racism is a problem throughout the world. It has been a big issue, throughout
American history. There are still Americans today that have serious racial issues. Though memberships in groups like the Ku
Klux Klan and the Black Panthers have been on the decline for years, other groups like Neo-Nazis and followers of The Nation
of Islam (Louis Farrakhan) are still prevalent. There should never be room for racism of any kind in the Church.
Sometimes racism is based on fear; other times on ignorance. Whatever the motivation it is always wrong and always unloving.
Discussion:
- Have you ever made negative judgments
about someone simply because of their race? Have you ever told or laughed at ethnic jokes?
- Have you ever been the subject of
ridicule? How did it make you feel?
- How does the principle of loving your neighbor relate to this issue? What could you do in
your church or community to help people see that racism is a problem and that more should be done to fight against racial
prejudices?
- Do you think that affirmative action has been a positive or a negative thing for minorities in America?
