White pride? Race & Politics revisited...

I recently was forwarded an email that made the point that only white people can be racists. That's right - whites have a monopoly on racism. The email, rather poorly, made a few points that have always seemed logical to me. Lets see if I cannot restate them coherently:


Point One

1. There are African Americans, Native Americans, Asian Americans, Latin Americans, Pacific Islander Americans, Latin Americans, and so on, but there are no white Americans.
2. Instead, white Americans are just plain "Americans."
3. Is this because white people are not allowed to acknowledge that they are part of the same race?
4. Is it racist just to be white?

Point Two

1. Whites are not permitted to use racial slurs, but racial slurs used against whites are permitted.
2. For example, a white person may not use the following words: spic; chink; nigger; towel-head; porch-monkey; camel-jockey; gook; or black (I was once personally dressed down for referring to African Americans as "blacks").
3. On the other hand, the following words are used almost daily in reference to whites without any fear of reprisal or even a reaction: whigger; honkey; cracker; whitey; caveman.
4. In law we have a term called "equity" implying that different people should be treated by the law and society equally, regardless of race, nationality, or ethnicity. Is this difference in standards equitable?
5. Speaking in terms of Christianity, "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; you are all one in Christ Jesus" (Gal 3:28 NASB).
6. Yet how many Christians would berate a white person for using a racial slur? How many would be offended by a racial slur used against a white person?

Point Three

1. Black history month, Cesar Chavez day, and other holidays/days of national significance that focus on one or more people groups segregates those people groups from others and divides us.
2. Don't believe it? What would happen if a politician proposed a white history month?
3. Why is it we can't just teach history? You know - for all people groups.

Point Four

1. The National Association For the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the Black Chamber of Commerce, Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and other such organizations focusing on one people group and excluding others (I call that "voluntary segregation") are permissible in our society, assuming you do not create such an organization to promote the white race or culture.
2. Consider that the plain, ordinary Chamber of Commerce takes all races.
3. Now, why would we need a Hispanic Chamber of Commerce?
4. Assuming you can find a good reason to have a Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, why then can whites not have a white chamber of commerce?
5. Did you read that and think it was a racist idea?
6. What about a national association for the advancement of white people?
7. Is that racist too?

Point Five

1. If blacks can give out scholarships only to blacks, then can whites do the same?
2. What about a United Caucasian Scholarship Fund?
3. Is that racist?
4. Is it right for any one people group to "earn" a scholarship, even in part, because of the colour of his/her skin?
5. How many "black only" universities and colleges are in the U.S.?
6. How about a "white only" university or college - is that racist?
7. Is it not racist, or at least discriminatory, to treat one people group differently from the other?

Point Six

1. The Miss America pageant accepts women of all races, and a black woman can be Miss America.
2. No white woman can participate in the Miss Black America pageant or be Miss Black America.
3. A "Miss White America" pageant would, logically, ensure that both black and white women receive the same opportunities, but we'd label that racist too.
4. Would getting rid of pageants targeting specific people groups be racist?

Point Seven

1. Black pride is okay.
2. White pride is racist.
3. People can be proud to be black, yellow, red, or any colour they like (so long as that colour isn't white).
4. So, white people should be ashamed of their colour and heritage?

I did not come up with these points. I just put them together in one place for discussion. I did, however, omit a few points that I thought showed the author's own racial bias. This is the problem: people who go to great lengths to attack others' racism often fail to see their own. I believe the author of that email made some great points, but s/he also demonstrated the very same racial bias of which s/he complained.

People want to know why America cannot move beyond race and colour? It is because we live in a voluntarily segregated society where whites are increasingly portrayed as oppressors and "minorities" as beggars. I, however, have met both oppressive and distressed people from every people group. Visit a big enough city and, sooner or later, you'll see homeless people of every background. You could also find wealthy people from every background.

At the inauguration of our nation's first black president, the Rev. Joseph Lowery delivered what was surely one of the most racist benedictions ever made, and it was endorsed by the White House. You can read more about that here. He spoke of a day when "black will not be asked to give back," when "brown can stick around," when "yellow will be mellow," when "the red man can get ahead, man," and when "white will embrace what is right."

President Obama's landmark presidency began with those words, and they represent to me a sign of the times we live in. Rather than Jim Crow laws, we voluntarily segregate ourselves into different people groups in our mind. Our society blames the white race for its many problems instead of looking for realistic solutions to them.

My black friends did not choose to be black, and my Asian friends did not choose to be Asian any more than I chose to be white. God made me white, and he made my friends as they are. We don't need to waste time discussing which race is "right." Instead, I hope we focus on treating each other equally and fairly as brothers and sisters in Christ, focusing on Gal 3:28, not on skin colour. Until we have the mind of Christ, that all men truly are equal in the eyes of the Lord, the Rev. Lowery's unique brand of racism will continue to dominate our society and politics.

Race and Culture in Politics and Religion

"There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise" (Galatians 3:28-29).

Was there no racism or sexism in the world Paul lived in at the time he wrote the scripture above? Of course there was. If memory serves, and I could be mistaken, then Galatians was written contemporaneously with Caligula's rule of the Roman Empire, which was famous for making slaves of men of all races. Slaves were also forced to risk their lives as both gladiators and prostitutes in Rome to increase the girth of their masters' purses. So what did Paul mean?

"You are all one in Christ Jesus" was a deliberate departure from a world filled with slavery and prejudice. Remember, "The greatest among you shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted" (Matthew 23:11-12).

So, it is clear from scripture that, insofar as God is concerned, we are all equal. So why, for instance, would wives be called to submit to their husbands (Eph 5:22)? Because, being "equal" does not make us the "same." There are obvious and significant differences between men and women, which only begin with anatomy. No one would look at a hammer and a nail and imply any inequality. Certainly, they are not the same thing, but what can one do apart from the other?

I almost hesitate to say it, but there is some truth to that same principle when it comes to races. You know, I have to tan in the sun if I don't want to look sickly, because I am as pale white as they come. Does that mean I am less valuable to the Lord than a latin or black man? Of course not: that would be absurd. Does God love me any less because I can never become pregnant? Does he love my wife less because she can never make herself pregnant?

You see how silly it is to try and sell someone on the argument that we are all the "same" in the eyes of the Lord. Make no mistake, however, because we most certainly are all EQUAL in the eyes of the Lord. We all have an equal inheritance with the Lord, provided we choose to accept it.

I specifically want to discuss racism, which from the passage above is clearly against God's design. Without taking one kernel of truth away from that statement, it is important to remember that differences are also a part of God's design. If we are true to that, then we must accept those differences and realize that they do not make us more or less equal. They are just a part of God's plan.

So why, if we are all equal, do so many people hate others based on their race, culture, or gender? To put it simply, some people are stupid. Notice that I did not say ignorant? I don't buy, in the world we live in, that people cannot figure out that this sort of hatred is wrong. They know it, but they are just too stupid to care. They cannot live with those differences alluded to earlier. Mankind quickly learned from the example of the snake in Genesis, that which is different can kill you quickly, cause you to fall. Still, to assume this is true of everything and everyone different, is stupid.

So how do you confront such stupidity? I do not claim to have the answers, but I can tell you one thing: if you try to blow out a fire, you may just make it worse. Eventually, a fire will burn out on its own, when it has expended all its fuel. If you blow on it, though, you are just providing the oxygen it needs to survive. Better to smother a fire than to blow it out.

Racism is like a fire of hatred that needs desperately to be smothered. Giving attention to a racist is much like blowing on a fire. They thrive on the conflict, and when they see organizations and people fighting so hard against them, then they feel justified in their efforts and beliefs. Racism, and similar forms of hatred are perpetuated in the same way as violence in the middle east. Every attack provokes a reaction, and each reaction makes the opposing side feel that it has struck a chord, landed a major blow, and gained publicity for its cause. Similarly, fighting the racist does nothing to change matters. If you cannot change the heart, then the racist will forever remain a racist. It is engrained deeply in his faulty world view. You cannot convince a man to abandon his hatred through reason. Rather, you have to find a way to introduce love to counter the hatred.

People in this world who cling to and spread hate want a public forum. I believe they want publicity, even if it is bad publicity, so that they can spread their hate-mongering to others. This is true: hate, like fire, spreads fast. As those living in California realize, it's often hard to find enough water fast enough to stop a spreading fire in the forest. Similarly, it is difficult to find enough love fast enough to stop the spread of hatred.

I have learned that there are substantial differences between human races, but we are all still human, are we not? Often, those differences are sensitive topics, and so they are ignored. Other times, those differences are given more attentiaion than they deserve. Personally, I find the notion of hate crime legislation, for instance, to be particularly ludicrous. After all, a crime against a person is a crime. To commit that crime, a person was motivated by hate or, at a minimum, indifference. Whether that hate/indifference was motivated by racism makes little difference. In the end, the result is the same: a perpetrator and a victim.

To segregate perpetrators (treat them separately, differently from other perpetrators) based upon their racial motivations, inevitably ends up segregating the victims too: if Joe attacks Alice for being black and Sue, who is Asian, for no reason, and if Joe then receives a greater punishment for attacking Alice, then Sue has been treated differently because of her race. See how it spreads so easily? What did Sue do to deserve this forced segregation? She was, after all, just as much a victim as Alice, was she not?

By treating our hypothetical perpetrators and victims differently, we have forcibly segregated them all. In doing so, we have stooped to the level of our hypothetical perpetrator Joe: treating people differently based upon the colour of their skin.

The solution to racism, sexism, prejudice, and other hatred is beyond my ability to craft. Thankfully, it is not beyond God's. What I can tell you is this: adopting the methodology of the haters is not the solution. We, as Christians, cannot afford to support legislation and public policies that elevate one type of human being over another. That is simply wrong.

I have not forgotten my earlier point: there are differences between people who are, nevertheless, equal in the eyes of the Lord our God. So, why do these differences not require different treatment in laws and policies? Because that would deprive them of their right to equal treatment under the law.

Whether it is affirmative action legislation that affords minorities increased access to jobs over other races, or whether its segregation laws that send a minority race to the back of the bus, different restaraunts, and different stores, we cannot afford to start commanding different treatment of races by law. Ex-Prime Minister of England, Tony Blair, once commented that statistical research showed most violent knife crimes in London were being committed by black youths. Should a law have been passed, then, to impose a curfew on black youths only?

Certainly not. It does not matter whether this method would be effective either: the objection is that we Christians have a duty to fight against inequality. Christ encouraged his disciples to accept the Gentiles in addition to the Jews and to afford them the same rights. I disagree with any legislation targeting a specific race to exact a cost or to confer a benefit. The ends never justify the means.

Rather, the Church needs to lobby for a government that supports equal rights (that's right - I am implying tha the Church should get involved in politics - another blog, another day folks). The differences between race and gender are not something that can be micro-managed by the government. The government should make rules that all must abide by.

The first amendment ensures freedom of religion and expression for a reason: government is not able to play "morality police." Sure, sometimes it tries, but the government cannot fix social issues such like racism with the stroke of a pen. Society, and the Church in particular, must accept responsibility and attend to them. Dealing with differences between race, gender, and culture is something that people must sort out for themselves. The government's duty is to achieve a safe enviornment for human beings, as a people, to interact and work through their differences. Elected officials cannot legislative love and acceptance.

The Church, however, can preach it, teach it, and live by it. We believers can spread love and equality by sharing the gospel. The truth is, no born again believer can legitimately read the Bible to promote racism. As the gospel spreads, and as believers embrace the truth of which Christ testified, hatred must die. No person can both truly accept Christ and also hate men because of their race. That would be an untenable contradiction.

So, it is time to stop introducing race into politics and government, where there is no hope of victory/success. Rather, it must be attacked at its source: hatred. You cannot change the mind of a racist by arguing with him that he is wrong. Instead, show him the Word of God. Share with him the love of Christ, and that CAN transform him.

More than once I have wandered into the "wrong" part of town. Men with dark faces stare at me, on a public street, as though I were a trespasser. The white colour of my skin makes me unwelcome in certain places. Those same people who stare at me with hatred, however, will likely find that the colour of their skin makes them unwelcome in places where mine is accepted.

Would it solve this problem to pass a law that says all races may use any public street in any neighborhood? Newsflash: the law already says that. So how do we fix it? Well, I don't believe I have ever been stared down by someone of another race, out of hatred, in church on Sunday morning. The reason? It does not synch with true Christian beliefs.

So, obviously, we need to get those beliefs out of the church building into the world where all this hate lives and breathes. Talking about racism does nothing to solve it. Talking about hate does nothing to solve it. Walking in love, sharing the gospel, and reaching out to lost souls, however, does.