INTRODUCTION
The church was designed to be on the forefront of the conversations about race. The church
has been called to speak out against oppression, defend the marginalized, live as peacemakers
and lead their communities in reconciliation and transformative change.
I. ORIGINAL SIN
Romans 5:12
Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin,
and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned.
Psalm 51:5
Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me
Romans 3:23
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God
1. Shame
2. Division and Hatred
Casting of Personal Responsibility through blame
Genesis 3:8-13 (Adam blamed Eve, Eve blamed the Serpent)
Jealousy and Murder
Genesis 6:5-8 (Cain killed Abel)
There is a connection between sin and the creation (structures and systems)
II. Individual sin produces structural/systemic sin
1. Historical Manifestations of Structural Sin
a. Pre-Flood; Gen 6:5-8
b. Apartheid
c. Holocaust
d. Rwanda Genocide
e. Slavery
f. Jim Crow
CRIMINAL JUSTICE INJUSTICES
Today, people of color makeup 37% of the U.S. population but 67% of the prison
population.
■ Overall, African Americans are more likely than white Americans to be
arrested; once arrested, they are more likely to be convicted; and once
convicted, they are more likely to face stiff sentences.
■ Black men are six times as likely to be incarcerated as white men and Hispanic
men are more than twice as likely to be incarcerated as non-Hispanic white men.
I do not agree with Tim Scott and Candace Owens that there is no racism in America…
Neither do I agree with Louis Farrakhan or Gloria Watkins
Gloria Watkins, is better known by her nom de plume “bell hooks.”
She is former Yale faculty, distinguished professor of English at City College of New York, hailed as “the most prominent exponent of black feminism” by the New York Review of Books,
The plane intercom requests that K make her way to the front of the cabin to have her ticket inspected, revealing that her first-class upgrade wasn’t properly processed and she must relocate to coach. An “anonymous white male” with the first-class ticket replaces K. He apologizes for the inconvenience. Here is what bell hooks has to say:
I stare him down with rage, tell him I do not want to hear his liberal apologies, his repeated insistence that “it was not his fault.” I am shouting at him that it is not a question of blame, that the mistake was understandable, but that the way K was treated was completely unacceptable, that it reflected both racism and sexism. . . . I let him know he had an opportunity to not be complicit with the racism and sexism that is so all pervasive in this society. . . . I felt a “killing rage.” I wanted to stab him softly, to shoot him with the gun I wished I had in my purse. And as I watched his pain, I would say to him tenderly “racism hurts.” . . . As though I were the black nightmare that haunted his dreams, he seemed to be waiting for me to strike, to be the fulfillment of his racist imagination. I leaned toward him with my legal pad and made sure he saw the title written in bold print: “Killing Rage.”
III. BIBLICAL WAYS TO TAKE ACTION AGAINST SIN AND/OR RACISM
1. Transformation of the human heart through the gospel
Ephesians 5:8-9
For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children
of light 9 (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth)
Ephesians 2:1-10
And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, 2 in which you
once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the
power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, 3 among
whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the
desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just
as the others. 4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with
which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive
together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up together,
and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 that in the ages
to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward
us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not
of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For
we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God
prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
John Perkins
I was born on a Mississippi cotton plantation in 1930. My mother died of
nutrition deficiency when I was just seven months old. My big brother, a World
War II veteran, was gunned down by a town marshal when I was seventeen
years old. As a civil rights activist, I was jailed and beaten nearly to death by
police. They tortured me without mercy, stuck a fork up my nose and down my
throat, then made me mop up my own blood. I have known injustice. It would
have been the easiest thing in the world for me to answer hate with hate. But
God had another plan for my life, a redemptive plan. Jesus saved me. He saved
me from my sin. He saved me from what could have easily become a life of
hatred and resentment. He saved me by his amazing grace. And it’s by that same
grace that I have spent the last sixty years with my wife, Vera Mae, confronting
injustice.
Through my sixty years of working for justice, I offer four admonishments to the
next generation of justice seekers.
First, start with God! God is bigger than we can imagine. We have to align
ourselves with his purpose, his will, his mission to let justice roll down, and bring
forgiveness and love to everyone on earth.
Second, be one in Christ! Christian brothers and sisters—black, white, brown,
rich, and poor—we are family.
Third, preach the gospel! The gospel of Jesus’s incarnation, his perfect life, his
death as our substitute, and his triumph over sin and death is good news for
everyone. It is multicultural good news. In the blood of Jesus, we are able to truly
see ourselves as one race, one blood.
Fourth and finally, teach truth! Without truth, there can be no justice. And what
is the ultimate standard of truth? It is not our feelings. It is not popular opinion.
It is not what presidents or politicians say. God’s Word is the standard of truth.
Williams, Thaddeus J. Confronting Injustice without Compromising Truth (p. xvi).
Zondervan Academic. Kindle Edition.
1. Discipling of the people into mature disciples
Matthew 28:19-20
Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of
the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all
things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end
of the age.
Luke 9: 52-54
And sent messengers before His face. And as they went, they entered a village of
the Samaritans, to prepare for Him. 53 But they did not receive Him, because His
face was set for the journey to Jerusalem. 54 And when His disciples James and
John saw this, they said, “Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down
from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did.
1. Personally, break passed the boundaries of any limiting system
Isaiah 54:1-5
“Sing, O barren, You who have not borne! Break forth into singing, and cry aloud,
You who have not labored with child! For more are the children of the desolate
Than the children of the married woman,” says the Lord. 2 “Enlarge the place of
your tent And let them stretch out the curtains of your dwellings; Do not spare;
Lengthen your cords, And strengthen your stakes. 3 For you shall expand to the
right and to the left, And your descendants will inherit the nations, And make
the desolate cities inhabited. 4 “Do not fear, for you will not be ashamed;
Neither be disgraced, for you will not be put to shame; For you will forget the
shame of your youth, And will not remember the reproach of your widowhood
anymore. 5 For your Maker is your husband, The Lord of hosts is His name; And
your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel; He is called the God of the whole earth
Ex. 2018 US Census Bureau whites ranked 16 th in Median Household Income
by selected Ancestry groups
Indians, Taiwanese, Lebanese, Turkish, Chinese, Iranian, Japanese, Pakistani,
Filipino, Indonesian, Syrian, Korean, Ghanaian, Nigerian, Guyanese earned
more than whites.
1. Entering into unjust systems and changing what you can (if you are called)
Matthew 28:18-20
“All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and
make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of
the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have
commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.
2 Corinthians 10:4-6
(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the
pulling down of strong holds;) 5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing
that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity
every thought to the obedience of Christ; 6 And having in a readiness to revenge
all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled. KJV
1. Praying
1 Peter 2:1-2
Therefore, I exhort first of all those supplications, prayers, intercessions, and
giving of thanks be made for all men, 2 for kings and all who are in authority, that
we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.
2 Chronicles 7:14
If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and
seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and
will forgive their sin and heal their land.
Acts 12:1-11
Now about that time Herod the king stretched out his hand to harass some from
the church. 2 Then he killed James the brother of John with the sword. 3 And
because he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to seize Peter
also. Now it was during the Days of Unleavened Bread. 4 So when he had arrested
him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four squads of soldiers to keep
him, intending to bring him before the people after Passover. 5 Peter was
therefore kept in prison, but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the
church. 6 And when Herod was about to bring him out, that night Peter was
sleeping, bound with two chains between two soldiers; and the guards before
the door were keeping the prison. 7 Now behold, an angel of the Lord stood by
him, and a light shone in the prison; and he struck Peter on the side and raised
him up, saying, “Arise quickly!” And his chains fell off his hands. 8 Then the angel
said to him, “Gird yourself and tie on your sandals”; and so he did. And he said to
him, “Put on your garment and follow me.” 9 So he went out and followed him,
and did not know that what was done by the angel was real, but thought he was
seeing a vision. 10 When they were past the first and the second guard posts, they
came to the iron gate that leads to the city, which opened to them of its own
accord; and they went out and went down one street, and immediately the angel
departed from him. 11 And when Peter had come to himself, he said, “Now I know
for certain that the Lord has sent His angel, and has delivered me from the hand
of Herod and from all the expectation of the Jewish people
1. Lovingly but firmly confront individuals and systems with a goal towards reconciliation
2 Timothy 2:25
In humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant
them repentance, so that they may know the truth
Since injustice anywhere is a threat to injustice everywhere as MLK Jr. wisely
stated, we must at times take both indirect and direct action against what does
not line up with the heart and the Word of God. The tension produced by
confrontation is sometimes essential. Jesus did not just come to bring pseudo
peace but authentic peace. Sometimes authentic peace is through conflict.
When we must confront our method, that is what makes a world of difference.
Our methods of confrontation may range from verbal to non-violent resistance.
But they must be laced with love and garnished with humility. Anything other
than this frequency will produce a dissonant chord.
1. Keep your heart with all diligence
Proverbs 4:23
Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life
Matthew 7:3-5
And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the
plank in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the
speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? 5 Hypocrite! First
remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove
the speck from your brother’s eye
The best way to keep your heart with all diligence is to forgive…
Dylann Roof’s racist shooting spree left nine precious black people dead at
Emanuel Church in Charleston in 2015. Those who lost loved ones to Roof’s
racial hatred responded with forgiveness:
You took something really precious from me. I will never talk to her ever again. I
will never be able to hold her again, but I forgive you and have mercy on your
soul.
—daughter of shooting victim Ethel Lance
I’ve realized that forgiving is so much tougher than holding a grudge. It takes a
lot more courage to forgive than it does to say, “I’m going to be upset about
whatever forever.” . . . After seeing how people could forgive, I truly hope that
people will see that it wasn’t just us saying words. I know, for a fact, that it was
something greater than us, using us to bring our city together.
—son of shooting victim Sharonda Hughes-Singleton
I would just like him to know that . . . I forgive him and my family forgives him.
But we would like him to take this opportunity to repent. Repent. Confess. Give
your life to the one who matters most: Christ. So that he can change him and
change your ways, so no matter what happens to you, you’ll be okay.
—relative of shooting victim Myra Thompson
I acknowledge that I am very angry. But one thing that DePayne always enjoined
in our family . . . is she taught me that we are the family that love built. We have
no room for hating, so we have to forgive.
—sister of shooting victim DePayne Middleton Doctor
1. Esteem others as better than you are
Philippians 2:3-4
Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind
let each esteem others better than himself. 4 Let each of you look out not only for
his own interests, but also for the interests of others.
Seeking the best interest of others is a superior way to live. It will rank you as a
Captain in the Army Faith. Esteeming others as better than you are, that’s at
least Brigadier General capacity.
When the value of your fellow human is higher than that of yourself, respect will
automatically follow. There is a certain dignity you will assign to them that will
break stereo types and mend offenses. Instead of devaluing an individual based
on the ethnic group they are assigned as some theories do, you value them
based on the image they bear. We are all stamped with the image and likeness
of God. Some say the best view is from the top, I believe it’s from the bottom.
When I lower myself to raise you up, I am never more clear. I can see what’s
wrong with you, but it doesn’t blind me to what is good in you.
1. Recognize the high place of being in Christ
Romans 8:28
And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to
those who are the called according to His purpose
God is helplessly redemptive. He can’t help himself. Everything in Him tends
toward redemption to such a degree that nothing can happen to you that He will
not work out for your good. Nothing! This verse is not qualified by whether the
events were good or bad. All things mean everything. The worst pain your
enemies can assign can result in the greatest progress, if you are in Christ. This
actually means you cannot lose. Even if you lose the game, you win the series.
You are already in a majority through Christ. You are literally winning all the
time. God will ultimately turn every curve ball into a grand slam in your life. You
must not accept the victim or oppressed status. You are liberated. You are not
free due to outward circumstances, but because of inward reality. I AM lives in
you. How can you be under?
1. Set your hope on the coming utopia
1 Peter 1:13
Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon
the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ
We live in such an unjust broken world. The fall of man and the ensuing sinful
nature humanity inherited has produced a viral strain of division that is
constantly mutating. As a result of the depravity of man, I fear that if we had the
pill that totally solved the racial divisiveness across the globe, the virus would
still emerge in classism, sexism or some other “ism”. Scripture reveals that things
will not be perfected until Jesus returns and sets up His Kingdom. It is then we
will experience true earthly justice before tasting heavenly eternal justice. The
Prophet Isaiah writing of Jesus declared “He will not fail nor be discouraged, Till
He has established justice in the earth; And the coastlands shall wait for His law.
(Isaiah 42:4).
We must still fight for every form of true justice we can attain on this earth. God
wants earth as it is in Heaven. But lest we become weary and worn, know that
the bell will ring soon, and the winner of the fight will be Jesus. He will get the
champion’s belt and if faithful, we the victors will receive our crown.
Stick with the Biblical Solutions and resist any other system. It will be worth it
temporally and eternally.
NOTES
1 Elahe Izadi, “The Powerful Words of Forgiveness Delivered to Dylann Roof by
Victims’ Relatives,” Washington Post, June 19, 2015,
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2015/06/19/hate-
wont-win-the-powerful-words-delivered-to-dylann-roof-by-victims-relatives/.
2 Izadi, “The Powerful Words of Forgiveness.”
3 Izadi, “The Powerful Words of Forgiveness.”
4 Izadi, “The Powerful Words of Forgiveness.”
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