Have you ever tried mixing oil and vinegar. If you have, you quickly noticed that they didn't mix at all. They quickly separate from one another due to their incompatibility. This is what happens when one tries to mix racism with Christianity. They are completely incompatible with one another and God's Word quickly repels the false notions of racist ideology. It may seem like common sense and something that shouldn't need to be said or explained in 2017, but it looks like common sense is becoming less and less common. So, I will put as plain and simple as I can. Racist ideology and Christian theology do not mix. In fact, racism is a contradiction to the gospel message of reconciliation. If you look at Jesus' ministry, He was always crossing cultural boundaries, He was not at all oncerned with the social and cultural constructs that separated people; He just wanted them to know His father.
When we move forward into the beginnings of the early church we see the disciples working to bring together a divided church. A church that was divided by ethnic differences, but woven together with one common thread that connected them all, the Holy Spirit; I Corinthians 12:13 says, "For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body- Jews or Greeks, slaves or free- and all were made to drink of one Spirit." To claim to be Christian and speak of racial division or racial superiority, is in direct conflict with Scripture. To claim something as fact does not indeed make it fact. I can claim to be a millionaire, but without the funds in my bank account, I am no more a millionaire than a dog is a cat. In fact, James explains 2:8-9, "If you really fulfill the royal law according to Scripture, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself', you are doing well. But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors." We are to love others, care for others, commune with others; not hate others.
We are ALL made in the image of God; therefore, our race and ethnicity are a reflection of who He is. To hate someone because of the color of their skin to hate someone because of the beauty of their creator, To hate a part of God's creation is to show hatred towards Him. We must see the beauty in the diversity of God's creation. We must see and celebrate the beauty in the uniqueness of the different races and ethnicities within humanity. To celebrate these differences is to praise and honor God for His infinite wisdom.
As I write these words I am acutely aware that racism is an infectious disease that has ravaged this country back before it's origins. I am acutely aware that a blog post is unlikely to change the hearts of minds of a sect of the population that is longing to hold on to some misguided belief of racial purity, but more conversations have to be had and I am hoping this will be a rock that starts a ripple affect. Racism is not just a social issue, it is a spiritual issue. An issue that the church must face head-on. It is reaching a point where silence will be considered endorsement.
The truth is that in the end, these senseless, man-made constructs will be laid to waste. They will be reduced to rubble. As Revelation 7:9-10 reveals, "After this I looked, and behold a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes, and peoples and languages, standing before the throne..." This in of itself should reveal to us that racism has no place within Christian theology. Those of us with a voice and a platform must do more to speak out against such hatred and bigotry. Standing idly by is no longer an option.