America's Obsession With Race: What Does God Think?

Everywhere I turn, people are talking about race. It dominates the presidential election and our national conversation. Are we still racist? How does racism affect us? Are black people still the victims of racist attitudes by whites? It goes on and on. The Civil Rights movement basically ended 40 years ago, yet we continue to discuss this issue. Why have we not resolved this? How much further do we have to go? We are talking about race in our schools, on the news, in books, movies, television, on the radio - everywhere I turn.  Blacks and Whites. Mexicans crossing the border. Arabs wanting to live under Sharia Law. Race. Religion. Politics. Social Divides. Everyone is talking about it all the time. It dominates our national conversation. I live in Montgomery, AL, the birthplace of the Civil Rights movement, so it dominates our city.  Everyone is constantly talking about it.

So, why is the church so silent? Don't we have anything to say? Don't we have any solutions to our national questions? Do we have any answers that are worth proclaiming?

I have been preaching through the Book of Acts for the past 9 months on again and off again. On Sunday, I get to Acts 10, where Peter brought the gospel to Cornelius' house. The gospel went from the Jews to the Gentiles - it crossed from one race to another. All people everywhere can now know God through believing in Jesus. There is no Jew nor Greek, slave or free, male or female. Christ is in all. Ephesians 2 tells us that one of the implications of the gospel is that Jesus is our peace, he tears down dividing walls between races, ethnic groups, and cultures. When diverse people come together in Christ, the power of the gospel is shown.  Ephesians 3:10 tells us that God's intent was that the manifold wisdom of God would be made known through the church to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms. I think that Satan is very happy that America and other nations are divided on race. I also think that the Church of Jesus Christ has an answer for that division. When the division that marks our nation is present in the church, we do not preach the gospel well.  In fact, it is possible that some might even be denying the gospel through their divisive attitudes. Some say that blacks and whites are primarily divided by cultural preferences and not racial prejudices. Maybe so. I can't judge hearts. But, in the church where we live in a racially divided society, shouldn't our preferences take a back seat to a clear demonstration of the power of the gospel in tearing down the dividing walls that have kept us seperate? Don't tell me that we are just divided by culture when just a generation ago it was preached from pulpits that seperation between blacks and whites was ordained by God and to violate that would be sin. How can the Church bring healing and show that we are united in Christ, even if it starts with predominately black and white churches working together to bring the Kingdom? There must be some way that we can consistently show that Jesus is bigger than what divides us. 

I am going to preach on that this Sunday. I am going to tell people that the Church has an answer to the problems that our country faces. I know that things are different in other parts of the country, but in Montgomery, AL, this is still a major issue. I am also putting this on our marquee out in front of our church:

Sunday Sermon:

God's View on Race

I do believe the church has an answer. His name is Jesus.

Comments

[Bryan Riley]

I saw this on another blog - quoting Mike Huckabee: (from http://methodius.blogspot.com)

As easy as it is for those of us who are white to look back and say, “That’s a terrible statement,” I grew up in a very segregated South, and I think that you have to cut some slack. And I’m going to be probably the only conservative in America who’s going to say something like this, but I’m just telling you: We’ve got to cut some slack to people who grew up being called names, being told, “You have to sit in the balcony when you go to the movie. You have to go to the back door to go into the restaurant. And you can’t sit out there with everyone else. There’s a separate waiting room in the doctor’s office. Here’s where you sit on the bus.” And you know what? Sometimes people do have a chip on their shoulder and resentment. And you have to just say, I probably would too. I probably would too. In fact, I may have had … more of a chip on my shoulder had it been me.

It's a fantastic statement.

[Alan Stoddard]

Alan,

Good post. I have been disappointed with most of the SBC bloggers and their silence on race. Silence reveals.

Is you message online somewhere? I would like to listen to it?

I agree with Mike Huckabee above to an extent. There must be a line of "no more" regarding race though. Remember, Huckabee was weak on the Confederate Flag issue in South Carolina. Racism at some point must stop. MLK's dream must be a reality. Well, I don't guess it has to be, but it can for those who want it.