29 November 2021
Racism is hard wired into the natural world.
Granted, oppression and hatred are part of the Fall, but the consciousness of racial differences is part of God's Creation. It isn't hard to find examples in the natural world where undomesticated creatures distinguish between the various racial groups of humans. They know the difference. Racial awareness is not part of the Curse of the Fall; it's not a sin.
Of course, we all know that the term "racism" refers to the cultural and social habits that cling to racial identity, not the actual hard-wired awareness of racial differences. It's a simple fact anyone can see: certain behavior patterns cling to racial identity. Sure, we recognize when individuals take a different path. It's not universal to everyone in a particular racial identity, but a distinct statistical trend that cannot be ignored. The whole foundation of the gospel message is that people can ditch their native born cultural identity and follow Christ.
Yes, following Christ is just like any national or racial identity, but it's not a part of those that dominate any part of the world politically. It's an identity that transcends human nature altogether.
The Bible makes virtually no reference to "race" as we use the term these days. It does refer often to national identity, and that's the real question in the first place. If you belong to the nation of Christ, then you have forsaken all human national identity. The Nation of Christ (AKA, the Kingdom of Heaven) ignores human differences in that sense. You become obliged to take upon yourself an ancient Hebrew identity.
Only the Covenant has the power to dissolve racial conflict. Only the Spirit of the Lord can remove that factor from how we live. The problem is that a lot people assert things contrary to Scripture when they try to say what that means in concrete terms. The Holy Spirit is not going to ignore the reality of what those biological differences demand, and the Bible teaches us to make allowances for them. There are differences, and they do express themselves in the various ways that people respond to the call of God.
You cannot have a church that blends racial groups unless everyone agrees to embrace one identity or another. We see this in the New Testament conflicts between native born Judeans and Diaspora Jewish Christians. The answer was to provide separate leadership for some church operations. The seven "deacons" were actually elders, adopting the mixed Diaspora folks as their covenant families. In essence, much of the daily routine was segregated, and it wasn't a bad thing.
There's nothing wrong with manifesting some elements of your racial identity in your church, as long as you realize that it doesn't make you more holy than the church down the street with a different racial identity. You step into a black church and see extravagant clothing and unique musical customs in worship. That's okay, but don't pretend that white Christians are missing out by being different from that, and don't pretend that they should be comfortable with your way of doing things. Be merciful; be realistic with the human differences, because it works both ways. No single approach makes you closer to God; only your faith can do that.
The Tower of Babel demonstrates what God requires of the human race. We are commanded to disperse and form small cultural islands in which the folks in the church body becomes more like each other and less like the folks outside. Skin color really isn't that big of an issue, but only one culture is going to dominate, and it will reflect the cultural identity of the majority. Get involved and embrace your tribe or start a new church more comfortable for you. Stop trying to bring the Satanic lie of "social justice" into the church body. Diversity is a problem to be resolved, not an asset to be celebrated. Being "inclusive" is rejecting God's revelation.
And it's for sure that what we do in the covenant body will not translate into the non-covenant society outside. There can be no justice outside of the Covenant. Outside the Covenant boundaries, the races should not mix in the first place. They all have distinct national identities and should be segregated in their own communities. If your national identity does poorly at producing material wealth, that's not because of some imaginary sin of outsiders. Caring too much about material wealth is the real sin here.
All the blather in our society about racial equality and social justice is from the Devil. Nothing in Scripture supports any of it. Without a valid biblical covenant to bind you together, it is absolutely necessary to have tension and conflict between national identities, and national identity is what "race" actually means means. Without the Covenant, any attempt to reduce conflict is accursed. It will only get worse because it must. Never put any faith or energy into man made solutions.
When the day comes that the Lord allows you the privilege of building a covenant community in this world, uphold the Covenant first. Be as fully aware as possible what does not match the biblical meaning of the Covenant. Cling to Christ first, and let your cultural identity arise from that. Don't allow the input of any Satanic social or racial justice doctrines. Become whatever the people involved are in Christ. You must inevitably make cultural choices; don't be ashamed of any trends adopted, as long as they promote peace with God by staying within the Covenant boundaries. If you are all rural white folks in the south -- or black or Native American or Chinese immigrants or whatever -- then be that. If you are a mixture of races in some urban area, be that in Christ and be very careful. Let your music and clothing and seasonal celebrations reflect the inclinations of the people involved.
But first and foremost, be the Hebrew children of the New Israel. It means thinking like ancient Hebrew people and working from the convictions of your heart. That means being mystical and otherworldly, not materialistic. No human agency can define for any faith community what their cultural orientation should be. There can be no perfected human manifestation of Heavenly culture. It's meant to be culturally diverse across multiple church bodies, but not so much within a given body.
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