Race to the Bottom
by Tom Bartlett
Outside of a few white supremacy groups few would argue that broad scale racial attitudes were healthy before the social changes that culminated in the civil rights movement of the 1960s. But sadly, changing the laws regarding race relations did little to change hearts and minds. In fact, I argue that relations on this side of the 20th-century’s human rights battles are not qualitatively better—just different. In essence, the civil rights movement failed to solve fundamental race issues because it was based on a flawed view of humanity.
To demonstrate my point, non-Christians are quick to point out that slavery, racism, Jim Crow laws, segregation and countless brutal atrocities were carried out during a period when Canada and the US were self-consciously “Christian” nations. But they go too far when they assume that the Christian faith is inherently racist. Quite the opposite is true, as can be seen by even a cursory reading through the New Testament. No, the real problem was that leaders within the Christian world too easily adapted their faith to fit the zeitgeist (spirit of the age), rather than wielding faith in Christ as a weapon against the evils of racial division. That said, it must be noted that devout Christ-followers have always been at the forefront of the battles against discriminatory racist actions and attitudes.
In the 21st century we are now faced with a situation similar to that of the 1960s, but with a twist. In order to coexist with public pressure to adopt a “critical race theory” approach to social policy, many Christian leaders are once again ignoring precious gospel truths and thus compromising the faith. What we see today is essentially the inversion of racism whereby the rabbit becomes the hunter and victimhood and privilege are determined solely by skin colour, not by actual circumstances. If we want to avoid repeating past mistakes, it is essential that we go back to Scripture for direction.
Those of you who know the realities of driving in Toronto will appreciate what an undertaking it was for me as a newly minted driver to make the roughly 1-hour trek from my home to Cabbagetown. My destination was the waterfront where I attended a gathering to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday. The year was 1979, eleven years after King’s death, and upon my arrival I discovered to my astonishment and discomfiture that I was the only Caucasian in attendance. My discomfort wasn’t helped by the fact that all the venders were strictly hawking black-oriented products and merchandise. Other than a bemused look by one attendee (telegraphing either their appreciation that I came out or awareness that I was out of my element), I was ignored by all. Despite my introverted personality, I remained for the closing event—a candlelit rendition of “We Shall Overcome.” Somehow the experience felt hollow.
I thought to myself that this had to be far from the dream that MLK had in mind. I sincerely doubted that the struggle had been carried out so that we could transition from segregated drinking fountains and washrooms to segregated celebrations of black pride. I don’t know whether the insular nature of the event was because there was no need to make accommodations for a demographic that opted to stay away in droves or because pandering solely to blacks let others know they weren’t welcome. Either way, it was an early glimpse of a sad truth; civil rights legislation had not ended segregation, it had merely changed the way it was recognized, or even celebrated.
“Once again, in order to embrace the zeitgeist of the 21st-century, Christian leaders are ignoring the context of our history, not to mention the clear teaching of God’s Word.”
Today many Christians are trying to show deference to these historical wrongs by working within the prevailing narrative—namely adopting the “black lives matter” narrative as an acknowledgment of where we were, where we are, and where we need to go. But no matter how I hold my Bible I find no basis for ceding the foundations of a free society to this ideological framework. Doing so would be a distortion on par with the claim that abortion is a dispute between anti-choice misogynists and enlightened defenders of choice. Once again, in order to embrace the zeitgeist of the 21st-century, Christian leaders are ignoring the context of our history, not to mention the clear teaching of God’s Word.
For example, on two occasions I have heard the BLM message linked to the parables of the lost sheep and the lost (aka prodigal) son. These Bible “expositors” seem to have no clue that such eisegesis (subjective interpretation) is exactly the kind of shape shifting that made Christians so ineffectual in combating racial injustices in the first place. The parables of the sheep and the son are 2/3 of a trio of parables that also includes the story of the lost coin. In each case, the sheep, the coin, and the son belong to someone—with the sheep and son most notably belonging to God. These stories clearly present God’s unconditional love and forgiveness for those who stray; they are Christ’s promise that God’s arms are always open to welcome back those who return to Him. Jesus’ stories have nothing to do with the black sheep being welcomed by the white herd, a premise repugnant to any form of orthodox, Biblical Christianity. So, what is the right view from scripture?
Christians of every colour must be united by our shared identity in Christ, not divided by our unique differences (I deliberately refuse to mention racial distinctions because no such distinction ever existed. Physically, biologically, we are all children of Adam. By virtue of God’s creation, we are all varying shades of brown, members of the one human race). The contextually appropriate parable is that of the Good Samaritan, where Christ eradicated elitist notions that human beings are defined, not by social and cultural distinctions, but by how we conduct ourselves. When we understand our Lord aright, we discover that all human beings are neighbours. Moreover, when Christians understand that our identity is in Christ, we then see that social and cultural distinctions are irrelevant. Even better, as born-again members of God’s forever family, our oneness is doubled. As Paul states so eloquently in Galatians 3:26-28: “So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor are there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Surely it is clear by this passage alone that in God’s eyes our worth is never measured by racial or cultural distinctions, or even by something as fundamental as sex. Every descendant of Adam is of equal worth, all made in the image of God.
Christians must see others as Christ sees them, as distinct individuals, not melded into a tribe or other grouping. While we should never forget the past maltreatment of certain groups based on race or ethnicity, our individuality before God should guide our efforts to better understand each other. We should seek to understand, lift up, and pray for each other based on each person’s uniqueness, including the need for each person to move beyond the hurts of the past. The larger world may not share our view, but we are to remember that as Christ-followers our duty is to chart the correct path, not try to find a compromise with sin.
Paradoxically, our Lord has guaranteed persecution and hardship if we are living in obedience. This can take many forms, including persecution along racial lines. Nevertheless, our duty is always to resist the world and follow the example of our Lord. Never should we join divisive movements but find ways to lift one another up and be examples of loving unity. By doing so we show the world what it means to love our neighbours as ourselves. For Christians, the goal cannot be “social justice,” a forced equity that perverts God’s justice and becomes a stumbling block to cross-based maturity in Christ.
We must not assume unwarranted authority, i.e., authority that belongs only to God. The scandal that led to Jewish religious leaders seeking Christ’s death was his readiness to forgive sins universally, an act rightfully seen as the sole purview of God (Mark 2:5-7). Doubtless, we are to forgive those who trespass against us, but no human being has the right to pronounce absolution or judgment over the deeds of others. Christians should view whites seeking absolution for sin by kneeling before blacks as idolatry, a horrifying arrogation of a privilege reserved to God. To take a knee or insist that someone kneel before you is abomination either way. We are to reconcile with one another and seek to live in peace with everyone, but God alone is worthy of worship, and we must acknowledge that no lasting reconciliation is possible until we are first reconciled to God through faith in His Son.
I am in no way justifying events of the past, nor am I suggesting that racism does not continue to impact today’s human interactions. Where racism genuinely exists, we must advocate for its victims and offer support and prayer, but we must not affirm any form of victimhood. Christians are all victors in Christ and adversity must not be allowed to define us. Our job is to first be sure we are not feeding the beast of division in any form, and then to shine the light of scripture on dark and corrosive ideas. We are to be standard bearers even when under pressure to adapt to the secular drift. We must not accept the world’s description of Christians as caricatures of intolerance. True Christianity is never intolerant by God’s description, and ours is not a defensive faith.
“To excuse criminal behaviour as a product of circumstances is to deny personal agency and the power of God.”
The truth is that we risk infantilizing any oppressed group when we play up a victimhood narrative. For instance, we know that a disproportionate number of blacks attend church, yet at the same time in many city neighbourhoods black men corner the market on murder, criminal activity, school drop-out rates, absentee fathers, gang involvement, abortions and poverty. But to excuse criminal behaviour as a product of circumstances is to deny personal agency and the power of God. To imply that ghetto behaviour is okay because no one can escape the ghetto is exactly the same as saying that antebellum white racism could not be avoided simply because whites were born into a plantation mentality. The Christian truth is that those who are born again are committed to following Christ’s teaching because they know themselves to be accountable to God for their actions, and this is true regardless of the circumstances of birth. The only solution is for all Christians to stand together and fight the spirit of the age by jointly confessing our identity in Jesus Christ, our Saviour and Lord.