Personal Response: Evaluate! (The Bible’s Answer for Racism, Part 14)
By Ben Quine
**This article is part of a series helping us navigate this issue of racism in our world from a Biblical perspective. To read all of Ben’s articles on this subject - click on his name above by the date published and it will sort all of this articles in one place.
It is not enough to hear the Word – we must do what it says. Over the past 13 articles, we’ve looked closely at what the Bible teaches about Racism, and we’ve applied it to our personal lives. But there is another step: Evaluate.
Now that you know what God’s Word says, look closely at the ideas that are being presented in the culture around you, and compare them with the Word of God.
Are the messages you hear around you teaching that all people are created in the image of God, that we are all one family, that all are equal before God and before the law? Are they teaching that racism is sin, and it requires a spiritual response? Are they teaching that Justice means everyone is treated equally (not that there are equal outcomes), and that those who commit offenses must personally make them right? Are they teaching the need for Jesus to heal the hurts caused by these terrible sins, and that only Jesus can give us the love required for forgiveness?
We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ (II Corinthians 10:5)
It is not enough to hear the Word – we must apply it to what the people around us are saying. We must take every thought captive. We must not be led astray by the current philosophical fads of today:
See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. (Colossians 2:8)
It is essential that we start with Scripture and stay true to Scripture. It is essential that we hold every idea in our culture up to the truth of Scripture and that we are then able to explain why a false idea is false.
So let’s look at some ideas that our culture is adopting and compare them to the biblical position. One of the most influential writers in the world today is Ibram Kendi. He was named to Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People list. He is lauded, acclaimed, and prominent, and his views are being put into law, regulations, and policies at all levels of our society. Here’s how Time magazine summarizes Kendi’s foundational teaching on racism:
“Among Kendi’s central arguments is that the root of racism isn’t people, but the policies that cause racial inequity and injustice.” (Anna Purna Kambhampaty)
How does this philosophy align with biblical teaching?… The biblical view is that “out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks” (Luke 6:45). The heart is the root. The root of racism is sinful hearts. The only antidote for sinful hearts is the Gospel.
“Racism is a marriage of racist policies and racist ideas that produces and normalizes racial inequities…racial inequities is when two or more racial groups are not standing on approximately equal footing…[and] a racist policy is any measure that produces or sustains racial inequity between racial groups… an antiracism policy is any measure that produces or sustains racial equity between racial groups.” (Ibram Kendi)
How does this philosophy align with biblical teaching?… The Bible teaches that Justice means all people must be treated equally under the law, with no favoritism (Leviticus 19:15, Luke 19:24, Luke 12:13-15). What Kendi proposes instead of real justice is equity (forced equality of outcomes), but equity requires injustice, because the only way to achieve equality of outcomes is unequal treatment (which is injustice!). According to Kendi, if you’re not working to bring equity (injustice) in every area of life, you’re a racist. He is fundamentally wrong because he embraces an anti-biblical view of justice.
“It is impossible to know racism without understanding its intersection with capitalism…capitalism and racism are conjoined twins…antiracist policies cannot eliminate class racism without anticapitalist policies” (Ibram Kendi)
How does this philosophy align with biblical teaching?… Marxism (“anticapitalism”) is a self-proclaimed anti-God philosophy intent on seizing absolute power at all costs. Marxism necessitates the destruction of the biblical institutions of family, church, and private property, and eliminates all vestiges of the Biblical Worldview. And yet, according to Kendi, to be anti-racist you must be anti-capitalist (pro-marxist).
“The most threatening racist movement is not the alt right’s unlikely drive for a White ethnostate but the regular American’s drive for a ‘race-neutral’ one.” (Ibram Kendi)
How does this philosophy align with biblical teaching?… The biblical view of humanity is that we are all one family, all made in the image of God our Creator, and that there are no distinct races, but we are all brothers and sisters in the one Human Race. But that view is racist and dangerous according to Kendi. At this point it is becoming clear that we are observing two opposing, incompatible, and irreconcilable worldviews: the Biblical Worldview and Kendi’s Neo-Marxist Worldview.
“If racial discrimination is defined as treating, considering, or making a distinction in favour or against an individual based on that person’s race, then racial discrimination is not inherently racist. The defining question is whether the discrimination is creating equity or inequity. If discrimination is creating equity, then it is antiracist. If discrimination is creating inequity, then it is racist… the only remedy to racist discrimination is antiracist discrimination. The only remedy to past discrimination is present discrimination. The only remedy for present discrimination is future discrimination.” (Ibram Kendi)
How does this philosophy align with biblical teaching?… The Bible teaches that favoritism, partiality, unequal treatment under the law, and oppression are sinful and wrong. Kendi is openly promoting racism as the solution to racism. Scripture teaches clearly, “Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord.” (Romans 12:17-19). Remember, Kendi is one of the most important thinkers in the whole world today. And he is not alone in his views. Another author given prominence in the world and in the church is Robin DiAngelo:
“People of color may also hold prejudices and discriminate against white people, but they lack the social and institutional power that transforms their prejudice and discrimination into racism; the impact of their prejudice on whites is temporary and contextual.” (Robin DiAngelo)
How does this philosophy align with biblical teaching?… The Bible’s position is that the sins of favoritism, partiality, and unequal justice are always wrong, no matter who commits them. DiAngelo’s philosophy excuses sin based on skin color, while adding the ancillary component of “power” as a prerequisite for racism. The Bible teaches that we should be very careful who is given power in a culture or a government, because when there are ungodly leaders, the people will suffer (Proverbs 29:2).
This is why it is so important for godly Christians to vote and be involved in government at all levels.
“It is not possible to avoid being socialized into a racist worldview if you’re white.” (Robin DiAngelo)
How does this philosophy align with biblical teaching?…The Bible teaches clearly that all have sinned, that no group has exclusive possession of any sin, and that we are all one family (not distinct races). It is also wrong to group people by skin color; the Bible never does. Why? Because of what DiAngelo does here: she groups people by skin color to judge them all – that IS rank and blatant racism. According to DiAngelo, the White worldview (White Culture) is systemically racist and must be removed.
The views of DiAngelo, Kendi, and others are often referred to as Critical Race Theory (CRT). Critical Race Theory is the faith and worldview that stems from Marxist philosophy, and is a logical outcome of embracing Marxism. Consider what Delgado and Stefancic said about CRT in their book Critical Race Theory: An Introduction:
Because racism advances the interests of both white elites and working-class Caucasians, large segments of society have little incentive to eradicate it… CRT Scholars are discontent with liberalism as a framework for addressing America’s racial problems. Many liberals believe in color blindness and neutral principles of constitutional law. They believe in equality, especially equal treatment for all persons, regardless of their different histories or current situations. Color blindness can be admirable... but it can be perverse... Only aggressive, color-conscious efforts to change the way things are will do much to ameliorate misery. (Richard Delgado, Jean Stefancic)
How does this philosophy align with biblical teaching?…As we have already said, principles of equality, non-partiality, justice, and equal respect regardless of skin color (“color-blindness”), are clearly biblical. The philosophy of CRT, again, is wrong because it is anti-biblical and anti-justice.
Remember how DiAngelo said White people and White Culture are unavoidably racist? The Smithsonian Institution created an infographic to identify the main elements of White Culture. Consistent with CRT philosophy, the Smithsonian’s list included the nuclear family, reason and critical thinking, Christianity, respect for authority, a hard work ethic, private property, and equal justice.
How does this philosophy align with biblical teaching?… Christians don’t support these things (the family, critical thinking, the church, respect, hard work, private property, justice etc.) because they were originated by or owned by any particular human culture. We support them because they flow out of a biblical understanding of the world. God created the family. God gave government the job of upholding equal justice, and God established private property and validated it throughout Scripture.
CRT teaches that white people are inherently and irredeemably racist and benefit from various systemically racist “power structures.” Furthermore, CRT purports that black Americans will never thrive in America until the racist “spirit” embedded in American societal institutions is destroyed. For CRT adherents, that spirit is identified as “white middle-class values.” By operating under this framework, CRT argues the only way to establish “justice” is to completely revolutionize society by overthrowing the oppressor’s institutions. This necessitates destroying purported white cultural values such as the nuclear family, delayed gratification, and objectivity; enforcing equal outcomes based only on the characteristics of race, gender, and sexuality; and forcing white people to continually and publicly confess their collective and individual “sins” with no hope of forgiveness, redemption, or acceptance in the new revolutionary society. (Center for Renewing America)
CRT and its accompanying doctrines are unbiblical because they champion the unequal treatment and devaluing of people not because of their individual sins, but because of their skin color. That is why CRT is false. It is false because it is Racist.
It does not bring healing, it brings death and division, and it is dangerous because it is being accepted by large portions of our society. The problem of course, is that CRT’s philosophy guarantees perpetual war, division, and hate. Once the goal of oppressing the powerful oppressors is achieved, then there will be a new culture that has power and has oppressed another culture — which, according to the CRT worldview, is grounds for revolution and the destruction of a that culture. In short, CRT is an anti-biblical philosophical worldview that leads to an endless cycle of oppression, hate, and death.
Contrast that with the Gospel’s solution to racism: heart change through the indwelling Holy Spirit, combined with supernatural healing and forgiveness through the love of Christ.
As Christians we stand against all forms of the sin of racism. The Bible gives no room for “supremacy,” or belief in the superiority of any group or tribe. This sin is not new, it is not localized, it is not limited to certain people, but it is serious. God and His children are opposed to all sin, especially racism, since it undermines the value of each person, uniquely crafted by a loving God as part of His glorious artistry. And yet, philosophies like CRT that promote partiality and injustice are hugely influential today. This is why it is so crucial to “take every thought captive to obey Christ.”
What about America’s past? Has America always been racist? Doesn’t the inequity we see today prove Kendi’s point that America is still racist, or that there is systemic racism today? We will answer those questions in the final two articles of our series…
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ABOUT BEN
Connect with him at Cornerstone Curriculum
Ben Quine, the second son of David and Shirley Quine, was blessed to grow up with a Charlotte Mason/Dr. Schaeffer/Biblical Worldview education -- a tremendous gift! Through the years, Ben has served as a Cornerstone consultant, assistant, and co-author. He has written several Bible studies for the Answers for Difficult Days series, which equips churches to address the issues our culture is wrestling with today, from the foundation of Scripture. Ben is also the editor of The Worldview Library, editions of classical literature with student helps that afford the reader a deeper understanding of the concepts presented in each work.
Trained as a classical pianist and instructor, Ben is committed to inspiring his students with the love of great music and equipping them with the tools to perform at the highest level. This training has resulted in his students' successful performances from local festivals and competitions to Carnegie Hall.
Ben loves Shakespeare, Dickens, photography, listening to recordings of "the great pianists", running, biking, and spending time with his wife Julie and their three sons.