How Much Progress Have We Really Made?

Yesterday we observed Martin Luther King Jr. Day. It deservedly recognized one of the most influential African-American leaders in history. But as with many other men and women who have left profound impacts on our society, remembering Dr. King shouldn’t be a one time a year occasion. The legacies of those who have contributed mightily to our nation should never be forgotten.

 

Dr. King was certainly an advocate for justice, but also strongly endorsed non-violence, following the lead of people like India’s Mohandas Gandhi. Considering what’s transpiring in our society these days, it would be interesting to know what his take would be. Would he think that we’ve progressed – or regressed – in terms of interracial relations?

 

Many of Dr. King’s profound statements were recorded for posterity. Often, they reflect faith in God and a belief in peaceful resolution of conflicts. Here is just a sampling that I have found especially inspirational and appropriate for our times. I’m adding a comment or two:

“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” This is taken from his well-known, “I Have a Dream” speech. How are we doing on this? I fear we’re still dwelling too much on people’s skin tones rather than the content of their character – from all sides of the political spectrum.

“We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.” There are factions in our society that apparently have no interest in seeing us living together as brothers and sisters, regardless of color or ethnicity.

“The time is always ripe to do right.” Who can argue with this? Sadly, in a time when too many people question or deny the existence of objective truth, we’re losing the ability to even agree upon what’s right.

“I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. That is why right, temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil triumphant.” Unconditional love – selfless, sacrificial love, as it’s defined by the Greek word “agape” – is a quality that’s central to the Scriptures but has largely been forsaken by our “what’s in it for me” culture.

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” This wasn’t original with Dr. King. The apostle John wrote, “Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness. Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble. But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness; he does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded him” (1 John 2:9-11).

 

Racism and prejudice toward people different from us are hardly new human developments. During His earthly ministry, Jesus Christ used at least two occasions to teach the wrongs of ethnic and racial discrimination and prejudice. 

 

One was when He met a woman in Samaria as she was going to a well to draw water, recorded in the 4^th chapter of the gospel of John. In those days, Jews and Samaritans, who were of a mixed race, had a mutual hatred. On top of that, cultural mores discouraged casual interactions between men with women they didn’t know. So, when Jesus addressed the woman at the well, asking, “Will you give Me a drink?” she nearly dropped the buckets she had lugged from her town of Sychar.

 

In today’s terms, Jesus was acting in stark contrast to the racism and misogynism of His day. Her reply was typical: “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” Jesus didn’t offer any excuses or explanation. He responded simply: “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked Him and He would have given you living water” (John 4:7-10).

 

Much more could be said about this encounter. It’s been the focus of countless sermons. But one certain takeaway was that Jesus had no use for hatred or prejudice toward any human being. He wasn’t afraid of shattering cultural norms.

 

Another time was a story Jesus told, found in Luke 10:30-37. We commonly know it as the parable of the good Samaritan. He used it to provide a definitive answer to the question, “Who is my neighbor?” Since most of us understand little about the animosity Jews had toward Samaritans, it’s easy to overlook what it tells us about racism and discrimination. But for Jesus’ hearers, the message was clear. 

 

It concerned a Jew traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho who was beaten and robbed, left for dead. Two religious leaders traveling the same road saw the man but rather than stopping to help, moved to the other side of the road and passed by. Next a Samaritan came across the man, stopped and bandaged his wounds, then took him to an inn nearby where he could recover. The Samaritan even promised to cover in full whatever expenses the injured man incurred.

 

Such a story of kindness and sacrificial love was unheard of in Jesus’ day, but it communicates what He expects of us as we interact with people who are different from us. As God told the prophet Samuel, “The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7).

 

Such “sight” is possible only through the power of God. It’s not something we can conjure up through sentiment or good intentions. In the coming days, may He enable us to act more like what Dr. King described, not judging based on the color of people’s skin but rather, according to the content of their character.

 

One of My Greatest Lessons in Race Relations

The summer after my freshman year in college, I had a job working on the night crew of a Shop-Rite supermarket. This was in the days before grocery stores were open 24/7. I and a half-dozen other guys, most of us college-aged, would clock in at 10 p.m. and perform a variety of assignments before leaving work at 7 the following morning.

 

Our night crew manager was a fellow named Joe. Instead of spending most of his time in the manager’s offices, as bosses on the day shift typically did, Joe would alternate working alongside each of us on the night crew. He’d help one guy in stocking the shelves and organizing his assigned aisle one night, and the next he’d work with me or one of the other guys. 

 

No matter what the job was – unloading new product off the trucks, “facing” the shelves to make them presentable to shoppers the next morning, even sweeping and mopping the floor – Joe would be right there, working with us instead of retreating to the office eating snack cakes and listening to the radio, as other managers preferred to do.

Did I mention that Joe was black? (The term, African-American, wasn’t commonly used back then.)

 

One evening Joe was working with me in my aisle, opening boxes of canned goods I’d brought on a cart from the back room, pricing and putting them on the shelves right along with me. Out of curiosity, I asked why he spent much of each evening working with us – mere grocery clerks – rather than giving us our orders for the night and then just relaxing, acting “managerial.”

 

Joe’s answer was profound. He replied, “I’m never going to ask anyone to do anything that I wouldn’t be willing to do.” I don’t recall asking for further explanation, but his actions demonstrated he wasn’t just offering a platitude. Joe meant what he said.

 

I’ve never forgotten that, and in fact have strived to live up to that philosophy myself, never regarding any job that needed to be done as one that was beneath me. But that brief exchange involved more than the expression of a work ethic. 

 

Joe indirectly was also teaching that we were equals. He didn’t treat anyone on the night crew as someone of lesser standing – and the subject of race never came up. We were fellow employees of Shop-Rite, and he saw his role as one of helping each of us to do the best job we possibly could. To my recollection, I never thought of Joe as “that black guy I work for.” To me, he was a role model, a man I greatly admired.

 

I wish I’d bothered to question him further about his willingness to do everything and anything he asked others to do – whether it was a perspective someone else had taught him, a spiritual conviction or something else. But in the Scriptures we find this principle of equality clearly expressed. Speaking of everyone who belongs to the body of Jesus Christ, Galatians 3:28 states, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

 

Over the years the Lord has brought a number of African-American men into my life whose friendship I have valued greatly. Forces in our society seem intent on dividing us, concentrating on external racial differences rather than the commonality we share as fellow strugglers in this epic drama called life. I’ve found that if we invest the time and energy to get to know one another, we’ll discover that skin color – the melanin or lack of it – isn’t nearly as significant as we’re led to believe.

 

We do have a tendency to judge by externals – how people dress, the kinds of cars they drive, the houses they live in, the job titles they hold, and the hues of their skin. But as followers of Christ, we’re called to disregard such differences. 

 

When the Lord was leading the prophet Samuel to identify a man to succeed Saul as king of the Israelites, He dismissed several sons of Jesse who would have passed the “look test.” Instead, God waited for David, a lowly shepherd boy, to arrive and become His anointed. “But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not consider his appearance or his height…. The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7). 

The answers to racial tensions that have existed throughout human history and likely will continue into the future, ultimately are not found in government or legislation or a reinterpretation of history. It’s in putting in the necessary time and effort to truly get to know one another, learning to do as God does – not looking at the outward appearance, but looking at the heart. 

Learning to Look on the Inside, Not the Outside

Got a question for you: If you were in a hospital, in desperate need of a blood transfusion, would you ask whether the blood had come from a Caucasian, African-American, Asian, Hispanic or Middle Eastern person?

 

When a cardiothoracic surgeon opens someone up to perform open-heart surgery, do you suppose he or she is concerned about whether the patient is African-American, Hispanic, Caucasian, Middle Eastern or Asian?

 

The answer to both questions is – or should be – an emphatic, No. Because on the inside, all human beings are the same. Blood and plasma are the same, regardless of the race or ethnicity of the donor. On the inside, we each have a heart, a liver, kidneys, lungs, intestines, and all that other stuff. And they all function in the same ways – it doesn’t matter whether you come from a rich family or poor, what language you speak, or whether your skin color is naturally dark or you have to lay in the sun or a tanning booth to get that way.

So why in the world do we continue to remain so hung up, so obsessed with the amount of pigmentation – or lack – of someone’s skin?

 

I think I’ve mentioned this before, but vividly remember the time I was meeting with a young African-American man, his first name was Rhon. We were early in a discipling relationship, and one day out of the blue he asked, “Bob, if Jesus were to come up and stand in front of me, would He see a black man?”

 

Thankfully, I didn’t have to fumble for a response. A verse I had recently read came immediately to mind: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28). Although I believe God created different skin colors and ethnic features, perhaps simply for the sake of variety, just as He created cardinals and eagles, blue jays and robins, barred owls and sparrows, He doesn’t regard us differently because of our skin, status or sex.

 

In fact, 1 Samuel 16:7 states this emphatically. After the prophet Samuel had become frustrated after examining each son of Jesse and finding none to be of God’s choosing for the next king of Israel, God told him, “…The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

 

Elsewhere, speaking about motives but also referring to the folly of judging solely based on externals, Proverbs 21:2 tells us, “All a man’s ways seem right to him, but the Lord weighs the heart.” Similarly, “The lamp of the Lord searches the spirit of a man; it searches out his inmost being” (Proverbs 20:27).

 

Today our nation is once again embroiled in racial strife. Factions are demanding an end to racism, sometimes through acts of violence and hatred. Which is like trying to put out a house fire with a blowtorch.

 

Without intending to sound simplistic, the real answers to racism, prejudice and ignorance are not found in more legislation, or other forms of governmental force. It’s by learning to do as the Bible instructs – to stop concentrating on outward appearances, whatever they may be, and discovering how to look inward, to the heart. Recognizing one another as God’s creations and, potentially, as His children. It’s offered to all who respond to the gracious gifts of salvation, forgiveness and reconciliation, provided through the shed blood of Jesus Christ on a crude cross 2,000 years ago.

 

On this page I’ve included an image of white and black hands clenched together, with an American flag in the background. I don’t know its artist, but it wonderfully captures the spirit and hope we all should seek to show toward one another.

 

With forces in our society pressing to keep us separate and perpetually at odds, intending to destroy and divide, only in Christ can we achieve true and undisrupted unity. As Philippians 2:1-2 declares:

“If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.”

 

Did you notice that the key word in this passage is “if”? A tiny word, yet its significance looms as large as the entire world. Jesus Christ gives us the capacity. Are we willing to implement it?

What the Bible – and Jesus – Say About Prejudice

As I write this, I feel incredibly sad. After months of relentless reporting about COVID-19, the news took a startling turn. And not a good one.

 

Videos surfaced of an African-American man, George Floyd, who died as a result of excessive force exerted by a white police officer while several other officers stood by without any attempt to intervene. They did not have their hands physically on Mr. Floyd, but the videos show no attempt to help as he pleaded, “I can’t breathe!”

 

For any person to die in this way is beyond excuse, unjustifiable. If there’s any way it could be even more tragic, it’s that Mr. Floyd, according to multiple reports, had extricated himself from a troubled past and was actively striving to make a positive difference in the lives of others.

 

So many words have already been said and written about this – reasonable and inflammatory. But perhaps it might help to consider what the Scriptures and Jesus have to say about racism and prejudice.

 

In the Old Testament, we see that God very specifically wanted the people of Israel – His “chosen people” – to remain separate from other peoples. The Lord’s purpose was not to discriminate, but to ensure those He had chosen remained faithful to Him as the one true God, and not be influenced to worship false deities of other nations or stray from the laws He had established.

 

Discussion of ethnicity in the New Testament takes on a very different perspective. It’s often overlooked when we read and discuss the stories, but the parable of the Good Samaritan and the account of Jesus’ encounter with the woman at a well in Samaria both have racial or ethnic elements to them. The Samaritans were a people group despised by the Jews; interaction with them was a social taboo. So Jesus’ very intentional association with and reference to Samaritans was radical for His day.

 

Most of us are familiar with the story about the Good Samaritan. In this parable, a man on the way from Jerusalem to Jericho is beaten by robbers and left for dead. A Jewish priest traveling the same road, and then a Levite, pass the man by without stopping to offer aid, but a Samaritan does stop to help by attending to the man’s wounds and then finding an inn where he can stay while he recovers.

 

When I read this account and try to apply it to the present day, I envision a known racist as the victim. A clergyman and then a politician pass by, ignoring the injured individual’s plight. But then an African-American comes by, takes pity on the person, calls for emergency assistance and then finds a place for him to receive care until he is well again. Can you see the irony – and the extreme example of mercy demonstrated by the black man?  

 

We also have the account of Jesus’ meeting with a woman of disrepute going to a well to draw water at midday, when she could avoid the accusatory glances of other women. “Now he had to go through Samaria. So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar…. Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well…. When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, ‘Will you give me a drink?’… The Samaritan woman said to him, ‘You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?’ (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans)” (John 4:4-42).

 

Jesus proceeded to shift the conversation to “living water,” how this women with a painful past could experience new life through Him, the promised Messiah. When she excitedly ran back to her town to tell about this incredible stranger, many went to see Him and also became believers.

 

Again, Jesus’ actions were radical, unprecedented for those times. He broke every cultural guideline of the day, but paid no heed to the woman’s ethnicity, nor her immoral background. He perceived her only a person deserving of unconditional love and compassion, someone who needed some truly Good News to break into her broken existence.

 

We find that after Jesus’ ascension to heaven, His followers continued the example He had shown of disregarding cultural barriers. In Acts 8:25 it says, “When they had testified and proclaimed the word of the Lord, Peter and John returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel in many Samaritan villages.” The Samaritans hadn’t suddenly been welcomed into the Jewish family, yet the disciples knew they needed to hear the truth of Jesus Christ as much as anyone. 

 

Lastly, I think of what the Paul the apostle wrote, saying that in God’s sight, there is no distinction of race, gender, class or ethnicity: “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28).

 

Some progress has been made in the realm of race relations in recent decades. But much more remains to be made. I firmly believe the ultimate answer is not in the writing and enactment of more laws, or the establishment of more regulations, but in the changing of hearts. And that is only possible through the transforming life and power of Jesus Christ.

 

I’m thankful for my African-American friends. We enjoy each other’s company, and I believe we have learned from one another. More than anything, we share a bond in Christ that transcends any differences of color or culture. I pray – in the most literal sense – that through Him, the walls of hate, prejudice, distrust and suspicion can finally be torn down.

Digging to Uncover the Real Root Causes

Whenever someone attempts to present simplistic solutions to incredibly complex problems, the best justification is naivete. The worst is absolute stupidity. But it seems when considering the conundrums confronting our society – and the world – some causes and solutions aren’t even being given factored into the equation. 

Whether it’s gun violence, or poverty, or racism, I’m of the conviction that at the root of all is our determination to disregard the truths and principles God provided for us in the Bible, His inspired Word. Sorry for sounding like a simpleton, but in my view, it all boils down to a matter of choice: Doing things God’s way – or doing them the wrong way. 

I rarely venture into the realm of politics in my posts (at least directly), but sometimes solutions are not so much political as they are spiritual. Let me offer some examples:

Children being raised in poverty is a legitimate problem. But studies have shown the vast majority of children in poverty are being raised in single-parent homes, most headed by females. Single moms do incredible work, and deserve great admiration and respect. But they’re attempting to do a job no single person was ever intended to do.

From the start, God designed life – and family – to be a team undertaking.“…The Lord God said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.… Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man…. For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united with his wife” (Genesis 2:18-24)

Elsewhere, in a broader context, the Bible speaks of the value of partnership: “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work. If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has not one to help him up!” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10).

Our society over the past five decades has increasingly promoted the idea of single parenthood, often including the notion that men (fathers) are unnecessary in the family scenario. I fully understand that many times single moms are not that by choice. But doesn’t it make sense that having two adults working together, rather than one struggling alone, is preferable, whether for spending time with their children, handling household responsibilities, paying bills, or making difficult decisions?

Violence – with guns or otherwise. No question, violence is a perplexing and fearful problem in our society. When it comes to gun violence, our tendency is to place the blame primarily on access to weapons. But with well over 40,000 people dying annually in motor vehicle accidents, do we blame the cars and trucks? 

In the 1960s, the U.S. Supreme Court saw fit to redefine “separation of church and state,” interpreting it as the twain shall not meet between things civic and things of faith. As a result, the Bible, prayer and all references to such as the Ten Commandments have been removed from most public schools. It happens that one of those commandments is “thou shalt not kill” (Exodus 20:13) – literally, you shall not murder. As I was growing up, I and my fellow classmates had no fear of someone coming into our school armed to create mayhem and death. But we also were reminded daily of commandments such as thou shalt not kill, or steal, or lie. Knowing those things were wrong became a no-brainer.

At the same time, our culture has dramatically ratcheted up the violence quotient of theatrical films, TV programming, computer and video games, even comic books. Billions of dollars are spent each year to produce advertising and commercials to encourage consumers to buy products ranging from groceries to restaurant food to cars to skin cream. Yet some argue to the contrary that violent programming has no effect on the human psyche. That’s ludicrous.

Racism also is a problem that has plagued not only the United States but also people throughout the world. Yet the passage of laws hasn’t succeeded in eradicating it. Changing hearts regarding prejudice and bigotry is as much a spiritual matter as a legal one. 

In the gospels, Jesus dealt with racism. The parable of the good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37) must have horrified many of His hearers and caused quite the scandal. The hero of the story – a Samaritan who was the only one to offer mercy and compassion on a battered traveler – was a member of a race despised by the people of Israel, especially its high and mighty religious leaders. How dare Jesus use him as an example of what it means to “love your neighbor”?

Similarly, when Jesus encountered the “woman at the well” (John 4:1-42), conversing openly with her, He was addressing both racism and sexism. The culture of the time dictated that men would not openly acknowledge women in public who were not members of their family. Not only that, but the woman was a Samaritan; even worse, she was a woman of ill repute. Yet Jesus treated her with dignity, sensitivity and understanding.

I’ve experienced in my own life how God has opened doors for building strong, caring relationships with people different from me, whether in ethnicity, background or beliefs. However, it was not my doing – it was His work in and through my life. Laws could not have forced me to do that.

So as our esteemed public officials posture and pontificate about these and other pressing concerns, I’m convinced that until we accept that the root causes are as much spiritual as they are social and political, they will not go away. They will only intensify until we recognize that unwilling to do things God’s way, knowingly or not, we’re insisting on doing them the wrong way.

Overcoming Racism and Prejudice

When Hurricane Harvey struck Houston and the Texas Gulf Coast,
racial and ethnic differences were cast aside, 
as this Getty Images news photo shows.

Borrowing from Charles Dickens’ classic novel, we’ve been presented “a tale of two cities”: Charlottesville, Va. and Houston, Texas.

Following the death of a young woman and injuries to dozens, Charlottesville became vivid evidence that racism in the U.S.A. is far from dead. For days afterward, it’s about all we heard – protestations of racial hatred and bigotry, including accusations that President Trump didn’t choose the right words in denouncing the horror of the day in which protesters clashed in violence.

Then came Hurricane Harvey and its relentless assault on the Texas Gulf Coast. We saw incredible devastation; for once, the term “catastrophic” was not hyperbole. But what we didn’t see was…racism and bigotry. We saw men, women and children of all ethnicities and colors, responders heroically assisting desperate Houstonians. Average citizens without emergency training banding together, oblivious to differences, literally joining hands to rescue victims, plucking them out of rising, life-threatening waters.

Comparing the two cities and the events that thrust them into the national headlines, if we want a true barometer of the state of racism in America today, we needed only to look at Houston and the other storm-ravaged coastal cities. Ethnic backgrounds, skin pigmentation, cultures, and even language differences suddenly became irrelevant. There was no hatred or bigotry, only compassion and kindness. Some called it a triumph of the human spirit.

This is not to deny that racism and prejudice still exist. We regularly see and hear manifestations of it. Bigotry is heinous, without excuse. But sadly, we can’t legislate hate. Racism may defy reason, but soapbox rhetoric won’t eradicate it. As ancient as time itself, they exhibit no signs of old age. Sadly, these evil human flaws still flourish.

Are there no solutions? I believe there are, but only by appealing to – and seeing the transformation of – the human heart. Painting the outside of a garbage can may make it appear shiny and new, but it's to no effect if the refuse and decay on the inside aren’t addressed. Similarly, racism must be cured from the inside out.

Among the Bible’s honest, unvarnished descriptions of the best and worst of humanity are numerous accounts we’d label today as racism or bigotry. We see the Egyptians’ fearful response to the Israelites as they multiply in numbers, as well as Jonah’s hatred of the Ninevites. But nowhere is the issue of prejudice more clearly addressed than through the eyes of Jesus.

In His day, the people of Samaria were despised, viewed by the Jews as inferior half-breeds. Yet one of Jesus’ best-known parables is that of the “good Samaritan,” a humble man who came to the rescue of a traveler who’d been robbed and brutally assaulted. In the Luke 10:30-37 account, Jesus said a priest and a religious leader both intentionally avoided the suffering individual. A Samaritan, however, “took pity on him.” He not only dressed the victim’s wounds, but also paid for him to stay at an inn to recover.

Were Jesus telling this story today, He might have chosen to describe the victim as a white supremacist and the rescuer as an African-American. In this context, we can grasp the irony.

Later in the same gospel, we find Jesus ministering to 10 lepers, social pariahs for no other reason than being afflicted with a horrid disease. It states He healed all of them, but only one “threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him – and he was a Samaritan” (Luke 17:16). Double irony.

Then John 4:4-42 tells of His encounter with a woman at a well outside a town in Samaria. She too was an outcast, having had five husbands and presently living with a man she wasn’t married to. Again, in the context of the times, speaking to such a woman, much less one that was a Samaritan, was considered scandalous. But Jesus showed her great compassion and invited her to partake of the “living water” only He could give.

Years ago, I began meeting weekly with a young African-American man, Rhon, who had just committed his life to Jesus Christ. One day he looked me in the eyes and asked, “Bob, if Jesus were standing here today and saw me, would he see a black man?” I pointed him to Galatians 3:28, which declares, “There is neither Jew, nor Greek, slave nor free, male or female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

This I believe is without doubt God’s perspective. How, then, are we to gain this view as well?

More recently I’ve enjoyed getting to know two other black men I meet with frequently. Growing up in suburban New Jersey, I never really knew any African-Americans, although the term wasn’t used back then. In high school there were some black students, but again in those days blacks and Caucasians didn’t mix much except in extracurricular activities like athletics. So much for the myth of the non-racist North, right?

So being able spend time with Clarence and John has been a blessing for me. I’m not so certain “racism” and “prejudice” mean the same thing, because we can be prejudiced toward many types of people simply because we don’t know them and, in some respects, they’re not like us. Meeting with my two friends has helped me to recognize that apart from skin pigmentation, and ethnic culture to a degree, we’re very much alike.

Sometimes it takes a crisis, like a hurricane or a 9/11, to bring people together and help them to look past superficialities. But often all it takes is intentionality, resolving to really get to know others who aren’t just like us, so we can soon realize that in reality, we’re not all that different.

As the apostle Paul wrote, differences mean nothing for those who “are all one in Christ Jesus.”

Do We Really Understand Prejudice?

Someone on Facebook often posts comments and information related to his ethnicity. Recently he posted a link to a brief but touching story about a courageous black man that during his lifetime helped to free hundreds of slaves from bondage.

It’s a wonderful account of a determined man overcoming great struggle and adversity, one that could inspire many people regardless of race. But what gave me pause was it was labeled as an “I love black people photo.” Obviously the man posting is proud of his ethnicity, as well he should.

Such a reference is perfectly acceptable. But what if I – a Caucasian – were to post an image of a famous individual and label it an “I love white people photo”? Would that be regarded as “racist”? 

Can we really overcome prejudice and bigotry
by continually focusing on our differences?

I’m not trying to be argumentative. Really I’m not. It just seems if we’re ever to get beyond racism or any other form of bigotry, at last arriving at a point where we cease to regard or treat people differently, we should stop reminding others – and being reminded – of how different we are.

A few weeks ago a collegiate football player with NFL aspirations announced he’s gay. The sports media said it’s “no big deal,” but then for days talked about nothing else, even though the Winter Olympics was in full stride. As one collective voice, they lauded the player for “coming out” and implicitly dared anyone’s dissent, ready to pounce if it came.

Really, what does sexual orientation have to do with success in professional football? Whether a player is celibate, monogamous, polygamous, gay, or has a penchant for kinky stuff we wouldn’t want to know about, the only issue should be whether he can compete at the top level.

The point of the incessant discourse, of course, was to impress on everyone listening that gay people shouldn’t be regarded differently. But we know, should this player succeed in making an NFL roster, we’ll be constantly reminded he’s the first openly gay player in the pros. So he’s not different…except he is, right?

Back to the broader topic, as a boy I had little interaction with blacks. At my high school in the 1960s, even in the supposed “progressive” north, blacks and whites pretty much kept separate by their choice. And in college I had only a few black acquaintances, although not by intent. During my professional career, I started building friendships with African-American men who seemed to enjoy being with me as much as I did with them. One was a charismatic Jamaican police detective whose hands had been severed by a fugitive crime suspect wielding a machete. Ivan’s efforts to overcome such a disability were inspiring.

In my friendships with black men, I’ve strived to develop a kind of “color blindness.” And you know, it’s worked. My vision’s still good, and their blackness and my whiteness are obvious, but together we’ve learned we have more things in common than things that are dissimilar.

The Bible says, “The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7). There’s the problem. Only by building relationships and getting to know one another can we succeed in getting past outward appearances, differences of skin color and ethnicity, and start looking at the heart.

We don’t often hear it taught this way, but two of Jesus’ most famous stories strike at the foundation of prejudice and bigotry in its various forms. Both accounts shatter racial stereotypes and biases.

The first is the so-called parable of the Good Samaritan, recounted in Luke 10:25-37. In the fictitious story, a man was attacked by robbers along a road, leaving him seriously injured. Two religious leaders avoided the man, ignoring his plight, but a man from Samaria – a people held in scorn and contempt by the Jews – stopped to care for the wounded individual and provide for his needs during recovery.

If Jesus were to tell this parable today, He might choose for the victim to be a Ku Klux Klansman and the “good Samaritan” to be an African-American.

The second story concerned Jesus’ encounter with a woman at the well in Samaria, described in John 4:4-42. A different type of bigotry was at work here. To begin with, she was a despised Samaritan – and Jesus was a Jew. The fact of her gender was another strike against her, since the culture of those times regarded women as second-class citizens, hardly worthy of a stranger’s attention. And lastly, she had been married multiple times and the man she was living with wasn't her husband, clearly contrary to moral standards of the day.

For Jesus to address such a woman was virtually unheard of. When His disciples saw it they were astounded. Yet He defied the cultural mores and not only talked to her, but treated her with compassion and respect, speaking with honesty but without condemnation.

If we are ever to rise above racism and bigotry, truly overcoming it rather than suppressing it by legislation and the edicts of political correctness, we need to follow Jesus’ example. Outward appearances mean nothing, He declared. They can mislead and be manipulated. Instead, continually seek out the heart. That’s where the true person resides.