Fundamentalism and Racism
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Split off from the Standpoint Session 1 Thread. Enjoy.
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That covers it, doesn’t it? It’s bad. But perhaps more could be said, since this is about “fundamentalism and racism.” :)
FUNDAMENTALISTS
Fundamentalists, just like everyone else, are sinners and do things they shouldn’t. Usually, they fall into the sins of the people around them.
Many fundamentalists were racist when there were many racists in society. As the number of racists in society is decreasing, thankfully so also is the number of racist fundamentalists. There shouldn’t be any, of course. No Christians should ever be racists.
It’s kind of like immorality. As immorality in society increases, sadly, the number of Christians (including fundamentalists) involved in immorality / pornography increases. It shouldn’t be that way.
Sometimes, fundamentalists, just like other people, are too willing to turn a blind eye to the sins of their friends. We ARE supposed to be charitable towards the failings of others, but too many people are overly charitable to their friends and uncharitable to others. It shouldn’t be that way. Fundamentalists have done that sometimes, and still do. Everyone else does, too, of course, but that doesn’t excuse fundamentalists. The standard is truth, not “everyone else.”
Fundamentalists (and other Christians who don’t use that label) who believe in the authority of the Bible, should be the last people in the world to be racist. They should also be the last people in the world to be immoral, and unloving, and selfish, and materialistic, and gluttonous, and a lot of other things. They should be the last ones to turn a blind eye to their friends’ sins.
It’s a good thing our salvation doesn’t depend on our perfection, isn’t it? It’s a good thing the Lord is coming back, because neither fundamentalists nor any other Christians do very well at sorting themselves out, let alone sorting out the problems of the world. That doesn’t mean we don’t try to speak truth, or neglect to warn against error — but our own sinful tendencies should warn us to do so humbly. Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.
RACISM
The word racism isn’t in the Bible. That doesn’t mean it is ok. Racism is a violation of the command to love our neighbours. It undermines the Gospel truth that Christ came as a Brother of us all to take our sins. Note Hebrews 2 in this regard. It is pride — that I’m better than you in some way because of the colour of my skin or my parentage (thus, racism is inherently stupid). It is effectively a denial of the Genesis account which asserts that we are all descended from Adam, and of the teaching of Romans 5 that we all inherited our sin problem from him. Thus, racism is sinful at its core, and it leads to many other multiple sins — hatred, murder, lying, etc.
It is not always helpful to talk about “racism” because it is not a Biblical word, and because people load the word with their own meanings. One person may call something “racism” while another person means something entirely different. Christians often are wiser to label the sins associated with racism by the Biblical words, because then we are bring God’s powerful Word to bear on the subject. God’s Word is better at changing hearts than our own arguments, political demagoguery, or anything else. Ideally, we should tackle the spiritual problems using God’s Word.
FUNDAMENTALISTS
Fundamentalists, just like everyone else, are sinners and do things they shouldn’t. Usually, they fall into the sins of the people around them.
Many fundamentalists were racist when there were many racists in society. As the number of racists in society is decreasing, thankfully so also is the number of racist fundamentalists. There shouldn’t be any, of course. No Christians should ever be racists.
It’s kind of like immorality. As immorality in society increases, sadly, the number of Christians (including fundamentalists) involved in immorality / pornography increases. It shouldn’t be that way.
Sometimes, fundamentalists, just like other people, are too willing to turn a blind eye to the sins of their friends. We ARE supposed to be charitable towards the failings of others, but too many people are overly charitable to their friends and uncharitable to others. It shouldn’t be that way. Fundamentalists have done that sometimes, and still do. Everyone else does, too, of course, but that doesn’t excuse fundamentalists. The standard is truth, not “everyone else.”
Fundamentalists (and other Christians who don’t use that label) who believe in the authority of the Bible, should be the last people in the world to be racist. They should also be the last people in the world to be immoral, and unloving, and selfish, and materialistic, and gluttonous, and a lot of other things. They should be the last ones to turn a blind eye to their friends’ sins.
It’s a good thing our salvation doesn’t depend on our perfection, isn’t it? It’s a good thing the Lord is coming back, because neither fundamentalists nor any other Christians do very well at sorting themselves out, let alone sorting out the problems of the world. That doesn’t mean we don’t try to speak truth, or neglect to warn against error — but our own sinful tendencies should warn us to do so humbly. Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.
RACISM
The word racism isn’t in the Bible. That doesn’t mean it is ok. Racism is a violation of the command to love our neighbours. It undermines the Gospel truth that Christ came as a Brother of us all to take our sins. Note Hebrews 2 in this regard. It is pride — that I’m better than you in some way because of the colour of my skin or my parentage (thus, racism is inherently stupid). It is effectively a denial of the Genesis account which asserts that we are all descended from Adam, and of the teaching of Romans 5 that we all inherited our sin problem from him. Thus, racism is sinful at its core, and it leads to many other multiple sins — hatred, murder, lying, etc.
It is not always helpful to talk about “racism” because it is not a Biblical word, and because people load the word with their own meanings. One person may call something “racism” while another person means something entirely different. Christians often are wiser to label the sins associated with racism by the Biblical words, because then we are bring God’s powerful Word to bear on the subject. God’s Word is better at changing hearts than our own arguments, political demagoguery, or anything else. Ideally, we should tackle the spiritual problems using God’s Word.
When racism is poorly defined many things fall into its definition. Historically racism is the view that one genetic racial group is inherently superior to another, that is qualitatively not quantitatively, thus they have hierarchical rights to ruling the subordinate other groups.
Unfortunately racism has come to include any form of genetic segregation based on racial properties. This is not good because while the above is a fundamental error genetic/racial segregation itself, sometimes has legitimate purposes. But more importantly, the Bible in no place condemns racial segregation as a policy of government, families, marriages, or private and public organizations, it only addresses it with regard to the spiritual construct of the body of Christ.
What it does forbid is that within the body of Christ we are not to practice anthropological apartheid because we are not to view one another anthropologically, rather as a spiritual species with regard to spiritual fellowship, activities, privileges and benefits. That is to say the protocol for the church, the body of Christ, is specific. However, it does not do away with the reality of our genetics, rather they become anecdotal in the context of the body of Christ with regard to our spirituality. We are related to one another spiritually, not anthropologically.
However, outside the body of Christ, no such policy or protocol is required for other institutions, from the divine institution of the individual, marriage, family up to government. In fact, these institutions themselves from a kind of genetic apartheid (with the exception of legal decrees which demonstrates the rule). Families are a genetic exclusivity. Those who are related, genetically, to the mother and father have the privileges and benefits that family gains to the exclusion of others.
Are you not loving your neighbor by not giving all access to all of your possessions to them and reserving much of them for the exclusive use of “your” family? Then stop your familial apartheid today! Now broaden this to government. Governments rightly have self-interests in mind, just as families do.
The Cherokee Indians are the best example (if not all American Indians Tribes) of valid racial apartheid. One must possess a certain percentage of Cherokee genetics to be part of that nation. It is called genetic nationalism, a form of government. Are Christian Cherokees failing to love their brother by belonging to the Cherokee Nation? Feel free to argue from what Scriptures I do not know.
A nation, a family, a marriage nor an individual is compelled by God to attempt to impose on these other divine institutions the protocols reserved only for the body of Christ, and for good reason. The body of Christ is a spiritual institution, the others are anthropologically based. That is, they form their relationships based on anthropological associations, not spiritual ones. You cannot nor are permitted to impose on a spiritual construct the protocols of an anthropological construct (and its practical realities) nor can or may you attempt to impose on anthropological constructs that of spiritual protocols.
Now one might argue, morally, since morality is not spirituality but an anthropological concern and given to all humanity by God for humanity’s perpetuity , thus you are not attempting to hoist upon non-spiritual institutions the protocols of a spiritual institution. But if you argue morally you will lose your dogmatic posture since no such dogmatism is presented in the Bible regarding social racial segregation.
The problem with BJU is that while they are not a church, rather an educational institution, they do so under the auspices of the church, hence they are lessened in their liberties regarding freedom in developing and enforcing anthropologically based policies such as social segregation. But they have seen the light on the matter, I suppose, and have altered their policy.
The varying protocols in Scripture for the varying divine institutions God ordained for man’s perpetuity is critical to understand in order for Christians as well as non-believers. It must be understood protocols for each distinct divine institution do not always match one another and sometimes are very different and are not design to be imposed on one another. Now and then they do share common protocols but often they are quite different and trying to impose one on the other is a disaster in the making and results in charges of unchristian behavior by people that often simply are not warranted and stem from their misunderstanding.
Unfortunately racism has come to include any form of genetic segregation based on racial properties. This is not good because while the above is a fundamental error genetic/racial segregation itself, sometimes has legitimate purposes. But more importantly, the Bible in no place condemns racial segregation as a policy of government, families, marriages, or private and public organizations, it only addresses it with regard to the spiritual construct of the body of Christ.
What it does forbid is that within the body of Christ we are not to practice anthropological apartheid because we are not to view one another anthropologically, rather as a spiritual species with regard to spiritual fellowship, activities, privileges and benefits. That is to say the protocol for the church, the body of Christ, is specific. However, it does not do away with the reality of our genetics, rather they become anecdotal in the context of the body of Christ with regard to our spirituality. We are related to one another spiritually, not anthropologically.
However, outside the body of Christ, no such policy or protocol is required for other institutions, from the divine institution of the individual, marriage, family up to government. In fact, these institutions themselves from a kind of genetic apartheid (with the exception of legal decrees which demonstrates the rule). Families are a genetic exclusivity. Those who are related, genetically, to the mother and father have the privileges and benefits that family gains to the exclusion of others.
Are you not loving your neighbor by not giving all access to all of your possessions to them and reserving much of them for the exclusive use of “your” family? Then stop your familial apartheid today! Now broaden this to government. Governments rightly have self-interests in mind, just as families do.
The Cherokee Indians are the best example (if not all American Indians Tribes) of valid racial apartheid. One must possess a certain percentage of Cherokee genetics to be part of that nation. It is called genetic nationalism, a form of government. Are Christian Cherokees failing to love their brother by belonging to the Cherokee Nation? Feel free to argue from what Scriptures I do not know.
A nation, a family, a marriage nor an individual is compelled by God to attempt to impose on these other divine institutions the protocols reserved only for the body of Christ, and for good reason. The body of Christ is a spiritual institution, the others are anthropologically based. That is, they form their relationships based on anthropological associations, not spiritual ones. You cannot nor are permitted to impose on a spiritual construct the protocols of an anthropological construct (and its practical realities) nor can or may you attempt to impose on anthropological constructs that of spiritual protocols.
Now one might argue, morally, since morality is not spirituality but an anthropological concern and given to all humanity by God for humanity’s perpetuity , thus you are not attempting to hoist upon non-spiritual institutions the protocols of a spiritual institution. But if you argue morally you will lose your dogmatic posture since no such dogmatism is presented in the Bible regarding social racial segregation.
The problem with BJU is that while they are not a church, rather an educational institution, they do so under the auspices of the church, hence they are lessened in their liberties regarding freedom in developing and enforcing anthropologically based policies such as social segregation. But they have seen the light on the matter, I suppose, and have altered their policy.
The varying protocols in Scripture for the varying divine institutions God ordained for man’s perpetuity is critical to understand in order for Christians as well as non-believers. It must be understood protocols for each distinct divine institution do not always match one another and sometimes are very different and are not design to be imposed on one another. Now and then they do share common protocols but often they are quite different and trying to impose one on the other is a disaster in the making and results in charges of unchristian behavior by people that often simply are not warranted and stem from their misunderstanding.
It’s true that the term “racism” doesn’t occur in scripture but the sin is a failure to love whole groups of people.
I had some comments about it in the other thread that have been removed and I hope they are restored so that I can delete them there and copy them here. I don’t feel like writing them all over again! :)
I had some comments about it in the other thread that have been removed and I hope they are restored so that I can delete them there and copy them here. I don’t feel like writing them all over again! :)
Discussion