Articles
Confronting Racism
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There is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all and in all. (Col. 3:11)
"Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you" (Matt. 5:44)
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As a child growing up in south Texas in the 50s and 60s, I witnessed racism first-hand. I saw the different water fountains and restrooms for whites and "colored" people. I heard the disparaging epithets directed at blacks, and passed by the separate schools set apart for "those" people. I recall vividly the uproar among whites when integration forced their children to be educated alongside blacks.
Whatever our imperfections as a nation today, thankfully we have moved beyond the blatant racism of those days. But some people cannot let it go. No doubt there is a residue of the old racism among a handful of whites, but a new variety of racism now poses a far greater threat.
Some examples: A Stanford University student senator--who aspires to be a human rights attorney--recently tweeted, "I think white people need to be eradicated." A contributor to an anthology of women's prayers included this sentiment in her prayer to God: "Please help me to hate white people, or at least to want to hate them." In some cases, the hatred extends beyond mere words. Last year a black woman in Portland assaulted a white woman while shouting, "You’re white and I hate white people.”
Go through each of these statements and replace the word "white" with "black." Would we tolerate that?
Incidents like these only intensify the racial tensions that the perpetrators claim to despise. Hatred breeds more hatred, stoking a vicious cycle of grievance mongering and retribution. It is the spirit of revenge: Do unto others as they have done to us. Get even. Make them pay. Historically this approach to dealing with injustice has always resulted in more hatred and conflict, not less.
Jesus taught a more conciliatory way to confront racism: "Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you" (Matt. 5:44). Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., used this principle to great effect in the civil rights movement of the 1960s. That so many people today have abandoned it in favor of a retaliatory strategy bodes ill for the future of our society. Our racial conflicts will never be healed; indeed, they will consume us.
It is no coincidence that the current hatreds among races, classes, political opponents, etc., is tracking with a broad decline in religious belief in our population. The less people know about what the Bible teaches about love and hate, the more this kind of vitriol will poison our culture.
The only solution to this madness is for every one of us, whatever our color or ethnicity, to embrace the teachings of the Prince of Peace. Learn to love everyone, including--and especially--our enemies.
--David
