CIM Briefing Papers

C.I.M. Outline #32

                       THE BIBLE AND RACE

I.  Introduction

    A.  The issue of race is one of the hottest issues in our
        land today.  The Bible has much to say on the subject,
        and the Church needs to preach a biblical perspective;
        it needs to apply it in its Body life, and with
        reference to the world, it needs to be a light in a dark
        world.  It needs to set the example and lead.  With a
        Bible in its hand the Church should be telling the
        Government how to act, not vice-versa.

    B.  Racism historically becomes rampant when there are large
        population displacements due to natural catastrophe,
        political upheaval, or war.  The modern world is indeed
        a melting pot which is currently becoming a boiling
        caldron.  Example:  At the formation of the Soviet
        Empire Stalin engaged in massive population shifts and
        arbitrary drawing of borders.  Today racial strife
        threatens to engulf the new commonwealth in ethnic wars.

II.  The Origin of the Races.

     A.  The Evolutionary View
         If one assumes an evolutionary view of humans than it
         is impossible to avoid the argument that some races may
         be further evolved than others.  In the 19th century,
         after Darwin's works were published, it was common to
         see in print drawings of the evolutionary tree with a
         white European at the end of the line.

     B.  The Biblical View

         1.  The Bible does not answer all our questions about
             the origins of racial characteristics, the nations,
             or the language groups.  It does however, give a
             genealogy of the nations from the three sons of
             Noah and the general statement: "From these the
             nations spread out over the earth." Gen. 10:32.  In
             Chap. 11, in the story of Babel we have the origin
             of the language groups.

         2.  The Sin of Ham (Gen. 9:20ff.)

               a.  Because of an improper attitude about his
                   father's nudity a curse was pronounced on the
                   youngest son of Ham, i.e. Canaan.  This story
                   must be seen in the light of the culture at
                   the time it was written.  What Ham did
                   somehow was a terrible reproach on the
                   family.  The curse, therefore, was to be on
                   his family.  At first glance this may seem
                   unfair, however, it appears certain from the
                   context of Genesis that a later generation
                   may be judged for the sin of an ancestor if
                   they are of like mind and deed.  The
                   canaanites were one of the most sexually
                   decadent groups in all of Scripture (see Lev.
                   18. "nakedness" is used 24 times! ).  The
                   book of Genesis was probably written just
                   before the Israelites were about to enter the
                   land of Canaan.  It is appropriate at this
                   point to inform them about the Canaanites and
                   the curse that is on them.  This curse was
                   completely fulfilled in that day.  The
                   canaanites were indeed servants of the
                   children of Israel.  See Jos. 9:27; 16:10;
                   Jdg. 1:28,30,33,35; IKg. 9:20,21)  They were
                   finally wiped out by the Romans in 146 B.C.
                   at Carthage.

               b.  We bring up the matter of the Curse on Ham's
                   son in this paper because of the erroneous
                   interpretation that the curse resulted in the
                   black-skinned people and is therefore used to
                   justify their slavery.  This interpretation
                   became popular in this country early in the
                   19th Century, and unfortunately still endures
                   among extremist groups today.  Note:  The
                   curse was not on all the descendants of Ham,
                   only on Canaan and his descendants and it was
                   fulfilled as the Israelites conquered Canaan. 
                   And foremost, the Canaanites were a light-
                   skinned people!

         3.  The Biblical Explanation for Racial Diversity

              a.  All races descended from our first parents,
                  Adam and Eve.  All the genetic diversity that
                  we see today was built in at the beginning. 
                  After the Flood, as family groups were
                  isolated by geographical and language
                  barriers, certain physical characteristics
                  began to be expressed more frequently while
                  others were suppressed.

              b.  Usually these physical differences are very
                  slight confined to only skin pigmentation,
                  hair texture, certain cranial features and eye
                  color.  Biologically speaking, all are of the
                  same species, are interfertile and produce
                  fertile offspring.  There is no difference in
                  the size of the brain!  Skin color is due to
                  the variation of a substance called melanin in
                  the skin.  More melanin means more coloration. 
                  Jesus' skin coloration was probably somewhere
                  between black and white, i.e. olive-skinned as
                  are people of the Middle east today.

III.  Definitions of Racism

      A.  Definition of Racism:  Racism embraces the belief that
          hereditary biology determines the differences between
          groups, that cultural differences are predetermined and
          immutable, and that the distinguishing social and
          cultural features of the subordinate group are
          inferior.  These faulty assumptions are responsible for
          irrational prejudice and discrimination.

      B.  Racism may involve one or more of the following:

          1.  Prejudging a race of people (or an individual from
              a different race) solely (the key word) on the
              basis of physical characteristics.  Examples: 
              black-skinned people have more sexual libido, are
              more fertile, are better athletes, have lower
              IQ's.  

              (Note:  An ethnic group may not share all the same
               physical characteristics, but they do share the
               same language and culture.  For example, Jews are
               an ethnic group.  They have racial differences. 
               European Jews are racially different from
               Mediterranean Jews.)

          2.  Stereotyping:  This is a form of universalization. 
              It may be applied to people with a certain
              physical characteristics, or to an ethnic group. 
              Examples:  (the word "all" is understood) Jews are
              elitist, Orientals are sneaky, Italians are hot-
              headed, Slavs are barbaric, Native-americans are
              ecologically minded.  The key mistake here is the
              absoluteness of the word "all".  There is nothing
              wrong with saying an ethnic group has a certain
              trait as long as it is not universalized, e.g. 
              "Italians tend to be aesthetically minded in that
              they have produced many great artists and
              composers.  Not all of them are.  Where we usually
              get into trouble here is with a negative
              stereotype where we indict an entire people.  For
              example, "The _________ are a brutal people". 
              Many of them might be, but not every individual,
              and it is certainly not due to physical
              characteristics!

IV.  The Bible and Race

     A.  It is an interesting observation that the Bible never
         groups people by racial or physical characteristics. 
         It does however on the basis of language, ethnicicity,
         or geographical area.

     B.  One whole book of the Bible was written to combat
         racism.  This was of course the book of Jonah.  Jonah
         was not anxious to see God spare a people he hated. The
         sins of these people (the Assyrians) were indeed
         heinous, but their sinful condition did not have
         anything to do with racial characteristics, or ethnic
         grouping.  It had everything to do with the sinful
         condition of their hearts and a faulty worldview (See
         part V.)

     C.  God chose the Jewish nation to be nation of priests.  It
         was God's desire for Jews to tell the world the truth
         about the true God.  In the OT they were constantly
         warned not to mistake this for favoritism.  The Jews
         were a chosen people, not a race.  God called into
         being a community of people who would live among the
         nations to serve His purpose.  See Dt. 7:6-8; 9:4-6;
         Amos 9:7.  (The Jews were racially a mixed multitude
         from the beginning.  See Gen. 41:50-52; Ex. 12:38; Lev.
         24:10: and Ezek. 16:3).

     D.  It is God's intent and purpose for the Church ("The
         Israel of God," see IPet. 2:9, a declaration written to
         gentiles!) to fulfill His plan to save a multitude from
         every tribe, tongue and nation (Rom. 9:23ff.; Rev.
         7:9).  We believe there is significance in the number
         of disciples that Jesus sent out on one occasion to
         preach the good news of the kingdom--70 disciples
         (Lk.10).  There are exactly 70 nations mentioned in the
         table of nations in Gen. 10!

     E.  In the church there is equality of all races and groups. 
         "There is neither Jew nor Greek,"  Gal. 3:20ff.  In the
         greek, the word "greek" meant all those who were non-
         jews.

     F.  The Great Commission is all-inclusive.  "make disciples
         of all nations" Matt.  28:19.

     G.  "For God so loved the world..."  How can we as
         Christians do any less?

     H.  What about interracial marriage?  The Bible is silent
         on the issue but is very vocal about any kind of union
         with paganism.  Christian young people are to marry
         those who share the same worldview.  "But would you
         want your daughter to marry one?"  I would much rather
         one of my daughters married a godly man of another race
         than to a pagan white!  The issue is not race. 
         However, a person of another race may also be from a
         different culture, i.e. lifestyle, which may preclude
         them from ever being a happily adjusted couple. 
         Intermarriage from two different economic brackets may
         also not be wise.  (There are several examples of
         racial intermarriage in the Bible.  Joseph and Moses
         come to mind.)

V.  A Biblical Basis for Discrimination

    A.  Can Christians discriminate at all?  Absolutely!  We
        must be a judge of culture.  A culture is the embodiment
        of a worldview.  We are not here referring to all
        aspects of a culture (e.g. how they wear their hair,
        what they eat, lifestyle, etc.)but only that which has
        to do with moral and truth claims.  If Christianity is
        "true truth" as Francis Schaeffer used to say, then all
        truth claims must be measured in terms of Scripture.  If
        a tribe practices cannibalism the goal of the missionary
        (after conversion) is to get them to understand the
        truth about the dignity of man as revealed in Scripture,
        and to therefore enjoin them to cease the practice.  The
        way we judge another culture (or our own pagan U.S.
        culture!) is also vitally important.  I Pet. 3: 15,16
        tells how, "with gentleness and respect." For more
        information on this, see HOW SHALL WE THEN LIVE? or THE
        CHURCH BEFORE A WATCHING WORLD by Francis Schaeffer.

    B. Christians should study and learn about other cultures. 
       This is essential in the task of evangelism, but we must
       avoid the underlying assumptions of the multi-culturist
       movement currently raging on college campuses, which is
       pernicious relativism.

VI.  Overcoming Racism

     A. None of us are innocent of the sin of racism.  We must
        realize that by being racist we are (1) being prideful,
        (2) we are in judgement of our Creator who made
        different races, (3) we are denying the imago dei, and
        (4) we are tacitly giving approval to evolution.  We
        must at all costs uphold the dignity of all men.  This
        is the hallmark of the Christian ethical system.

     B.  Racist attitudes are learned behavior.  The Christian
         home must reflect a Biblical attitude about race. 
         Parents must be consistent models.  It doesn't help to
         be strongly pro-life and exhibit an irrational attitude
         about race.  

     C.  Christian leaders, pastors, and Bible teachers must
         loudly proclaim the universality of the gospel message. 
         It is inconsistent for a church to be involved in world
         missions and not be open to ministering to local racial
         and ethnic groups.  The book of Jonah is not just for
         kids!
    
 
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