Can I be a Christian racist is a powerful question these days. I am a white woman who lives in Texas and some of the closest friendship have been with women of a different race.
Since the George Floyd murder I have been praying about the racial divide in my beloved country, listening to both sides of the argument.
Can you be a Christian Racist?Well, of course you can be a Christian Racist, you can be whatever you want to be. But to be a Christian racist? I believe there is a slight problem with that. Because there are seven things which God hates. If you are a Christian, loving God should be top priority. This love should pour out of your heart and flow freely into the lives of others.
The seven things which God hates are listed in Proverbs 6:16-19.
There are six things the Lord hates,
seven that are detestable to him:
17 haughty eyes,
a lying tongue,
hands that shed innocent blood,
18 a heart that devises wicked schemes,
feet that are quick to rush into evil,
19 a false witness who pours out lies
and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.
Haughty eyes are number one.
Haughty eyes show a proud look, thinking you are better than someone else.
There are different forms of pride. In the following article these differences are listed as pride of intellect, power, nation, spiritual and appearance. https://biblehelpsinc.org/publication/seven-things-god-hates/
I would like to add one more. Many people have pride of friends and lifestyle. Facebook wouldn’t be successful without that kind of pride.
To think you are better than someone else due to the color of your skin may indicate that you have pride.
God created us all, He created us differently but with no intention for diversion. Christ said that he would like us to be unified. If you are a Christian racist, please read the following verse. John 17:23 “I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.”
God hates a lying tongue.
I will expose the sensationalism of the media with this point. The media feeds on violence and negativity and when it does not get enough; it slants the story to feed more. Please read the following post. https://www.theshatteredvase.com/index.php/2020/06/08/is-the-media-evil/
To listen to the media and take direction from them is to give yourself over to an entity that is not based on truth. I suggest you redirect your focus on the Bible, which is a book of truth!
God hates hands that shed innocent blood.
I believe police brutality is an issue. I have had a few brushes with cops while living in Texas and they have been anything but pleasant. https://www.theshatteredvase.com/index.php/2020/06/03/plenty-of-bad-cops/
However, to take the murder of a black man by a cop and propel that anger into violence against other cops or bystanders is pure evil. https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2020-06-02/death-toll-grows-in-national-protests.
Violence does not solve any problems. It only multiplies them. Martin Luther King stated the following.
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. Hate multiplies hate, violence multiplies violence, and toughness multiplies toughness in a descending spiral of destruction … The chain reaction of evil – hate begetting hate, wars producing more wars – must be broken, or we shall be plunged into the dark abyss of annihilation. (1963)”
A heart that devises wicked plans.
If you are considering looting, vandalism, or violence. God hates even the consideration of that. For all those who have done so in this current crisis, you are separating yourself from the love of God. That will subtly draw you into the darkness of despair.
Feet that are swift in running into mischief.
I rarely watch the news because I truly detest it, but one day I was watching some on the rioting. I saw a car stop by a store, two young children came running to the car with bags of merchandise they had stolen. They put their hands up in the air as a sign of victory.
What kind of example is this setting for those children? You can steal and dishonor the life of a man who was killed by police brutality? As my friend, Dorothy Patterson, said in a blog talk that I had with her on racism. “If you didn’t steal before, then why are you doing it now?” If you are teaching your children to loot and vandalize to get their point made, may I suggest you redirect your teaching?
I wonder if those children were stealing clothes so they could go to church? If so, I hope they are convicted and return them.
False witnesses who pour out lies.
The media is a septic tank which interprets information with a political agenda and spews this out as fact. Many times people just read the headlines and form an opinion based on that.
Recently there was a headline which said that President Trump had refused for the CDC to be involved in a meeting regarding school opening. I was shocked! As I read further, the article began backtracking. Well, he didn’t really say that no one from the CDC could attend the meeting, just not the head guy because he was needed at the White House.
Okay, so let’s try to rewrite the headline with truth.
“President Trump is concerned about reopening schools. Currently he is prioritizing the need for Dr. Redfield, the CDC director, to be at the white house.”
This would be the truth, but it would not be inflammatory. The media has lit the fire of violence in this country and they are doing so on a daily basis. Be careful who influences you!
My daughter and I discussed this and she was furious that Trump would not allow the CDC to be involved in this meeting. This was a good opportunity to teach my brilliant daughter about the need to read below the headlines, examining every shred of news with the microscope of truth.
Someone who stirs up conflict or division.
In a recent sermon by Tim Ross, at Gateway church, the point was brought up that racism is a divisive force and God wants us to be unified. Jesus was concerned about unity in the church. If you need Biblical references on unity please click on the following link. https://www.biblestudytools.com/topical-verses/unity-bible-verses/
We need to turn our hearts and minds from things which divide us and seek to reach out in love to those who are different than us. Gateway church is currently doing a series on racism. I would like to invite you to attend with an online presence. https://gatewaypeople.com/series/love-thy-neighbor
It is important in days such as this to focus on how we love God. To engage in behavior which he hates seems to be an unlikely way to show Him our love.
If you need help overcoming racial prejudice may I recommend an excellent book? https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07PZZ5GXR/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1
I have been reading this and I really have enjoyed the read!
(Image by Wendy Corniquet from Pixabay)
