WHEN I WROTE THE FIRST EDITION of this book in the early 2000s, I discussed pressing moral issues like drugs, marriage, and war. But I didn’t discuss issues such as transgender identities, artificial intelligence, or race. It makes sense not to discuss these first two issues since they’ve cropped up more recently, but why not a chapter on race? After all, it has been an issue in the United States since its founding.
The honest answer is that it didn’t cross my mind. It didn’t feel like a pressing issue to me or my students. Looking back, it’s embarrassing that I didn’t include it. How could I not see how big of an issue race has been throughout our history and how it continues to be a pressing moral issue today? What was I thinking (or not thinking, to be more precise)?
Obviously, I can’t change the past. But I won’t make that mistake again.
There is an advantage in growing up in the majority race in a society. It often didn’t cross my mind, for example, that people might treat me differently because of my race. But this is not the case for many of my minority friends who think regularly about how to navigate their jobs, education, and relationships through the lens of race.
Here is my hope for this chapter: if we are going to love our neighbors from different ethnic backgrounds, as Jesus taught in the Parable of the Good Samaritan, we must be willing to truthfully assess our hearts regarding race. We must each be vulnerable, honest, and willing to consider our blind spots. And we must commit to being part of the solution, not the problem.
Are you willing?
A Biblical View of Race and Diversity
There are three clear teachings from the Bible to consider as we think about racism.
God Valued Diversity in the Past
Scripture begins with the creation of the first couple, Adam and Eve, who became the parents of everyone (see Genesis 1–2). This means that all human beings, regardless of ethnicity, national boundary, or skin color, are made in the image of God and reflect their Creator. When God made a covenant with Abraham, the goal was that “all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Genesis 12:3, emphasis added).
God Values Diversity in the Present
God continues to value diversity today. On the day of Pentecost, which marked the beginning of the church, the Holy Spirit enabled people from different countries and people groups to understand the gospel (see Acts 2:5-11). Why? Because the church is meant for young and old, male and female, and all races of people.
God Will Value Diversity in the Future
In Revelation 7:9, John describes a future state consisting of a great multitude of people standing before God’s throne “from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages.” Heaven will be a beautifully diverse place.
If God so values diversity in the past, present, and future, then we, too, should value diversity and abhor anything that devalues or rejects people of other races.
The Evils of Racism
When you see that God values diversity in the past, present, and future, can you understand why racism is so evil? Consider white supremacy, the idea that white-skinned people are superior to people of other races. Such prejudice has led to immeasurable harm. It breaks the two greatest commandments—to love God and to love others.
How so?
My friend Thaddeus Williams explains, “[Racism] worships and serves the created things rather than the Creator. Racism, therefore, is not merely horizontally unjust—depriving other creatures what they are due; it is also vertically unjust—failing to give the Creator his due by making race an ultimate object of devotion.”[1] Rather than focusing on our common human value, racism treats other human beings unjustly by failing to recognize the dignity they deserve as image-bearers of God. Racism is thus a failure to love our neighbor and to love the God who made all human beings, regardless of race, with inherent dignity.
Black Lives Matter
When nationwide protests erupted over the death of George Floyd in the summer of 2020, my son and I had a lengthy talk with one of his coaches, a Black man who grew up in the inner city, to get his perspective on the events. He shared stories of being pulled over by the same cop—repeatedly—because he lived in a predominantly White neighborhood. He shared examples of painful comments directed toward him because of his race. Needless to say, it was eye-opening and heartbreaking.
The reality is that many Black people who have done no wrong live in fear in America today. Many have become accustomed to being looked at with suspicion and being treated differently because of the color of their skin.
This pain has been one of the driving forces behind the Black Lives Matter movement. While Christians can and should have deep concerns about the organization Black Lives Matter,[2] the statement that Black lives matter reflects a plea for people to be valued equally alongside other human beings. This plea has existed long before 2013, when the organization was formed. Are we listening?
Avoiding Two Cultural Myths
When it comes to thinking about race, it is important to avoid two cultural myths.
Myth #1: Racism Is Nowhere
It is a myth that racism doesn’t exist. Certain individuals are racist. Don’t believe me? Just follow racial discussions on social media! Enough said.
Whether it is possible to identify intentional institutional racism or not, there are structural issues that must also be addressed. Many minority children are trapped in failing schools. It is not uncommon to hear stories of racial stereotyping in our immigration system. And many argue that our prison system, which incarcerates a disproportionate percentage of minorities, needs radical restoration. Racial prejudice exists and can infect both individuals and systems.
Myth #2: Racism Is Everywhere
It is also a myth that racism is everywhere. Rather than following the evidence wherever it leads, some people begin with the assumption that disparity equals discrimination. But according to Thomas Sowell, a Black professor at Stanford University, such an analysis is too simplistic. He cites the example, from the early 2000s, of how the media proclaimed racial discrimination when it was discovered that Black applicants were being rejected more frequently for housing loans than White applicants.
Ironically, however, it turns out that White applicants were rejected more frequently than Asian American applicants. And Black-owned banks turned down Black mortgage applicants at a higher rate than White-owned banks.[3] Disparity does not always equal discrimination. Be careful reading race into a situation when it may not be the defining factor.
Avoiding Two More Traps
Racism is not just an American issue. In some fashion or another, it affects every country in the world. Yet in America, there are two traps people can fall into.
Trap #1: Ignoring America’s Checkered Past
One trap is to ignore America’s checkered past. It is profoundly sad—and ironic—that slavery existed in a country that proclaimed freedom for all. The Declaration of Independence proclaims that “all men are created equal,” and yet slaves were brought to America as early as the seventeenth century. Blacks were whipped, branded, put in shackles, and treated as property rather than as human beings. Sadly, many Christians used the Bible to defend slavery, and most others failed to speak up against it. Given this history and continuing challenges today, can you see why there is so much racial tension in our country?
Trap #2: Ignoring Progress Made on Race Relations
Another trap is to ignore the progress that has been made on race relations. There are Black icons and role models in every sector of American life, including education, politics, sports, music, business, Hollywood, and law, to name a few. Radio host Dennis Prager has raised five arguments against the claim that America is a racist country. You may disagree with him, but they’re worth taking seriously.[4] For instance, he asks why there are so many race hoaxes if racism is entrenched in America? In his book Hate Crime Hoax, Wilfred Reilly examines over one hundred cases of alleged hate crimes that turn out to be hoaxes. Yes, hate crimes exist. But if America is so racist, asks Prager, why are people inventing so many hate crimes?
And further, why would millions of Blacks from Africa and the Caribbean voluntarily immigrate to the United States today if racism is so deeply entrenched in our country? (Interestingly, Nigerians are among the most successful immigrant communities.)
Great progress has been made in America, but much work remains to be done. Honesty compels us to keep both of these ideas in tension.
What Can We Do?
Here are a few actions steps:
[1] Thaddeus J. Williams, Confronting Injustice without Compromising Truth: 12 Questions Christians Should Ask about Social Justice (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2020), 18.
[2] The organization stands for values in opposition to the message of Jesus. Please see Sean McDowell, “Every Black Life Matters (But I Won’t Support BLM),” June 11, 2020, https://seanmcdowell.org/blog/every-black-life-matters-but-i-wont-support-blm.
[3] Thomas Sowell, Intellectuals and Race (New York: Basic Books, 2013), 4–5.
[4] Dennis Prager, “5 Arguments Against ‘America Is a Racist Country,’” The Dennis Prager Show, July 14, 2020, https://www.dennisprager.com/column/5-arguments-against-america-is-a-racist-country/.