Words of Truth

“Actually… racism is the belief that one race – whites — should rule all others.” -Chris Matthews

Did you know that only “white” people are capable of racism?  That’s what MSNBC’s Chris Matthews says. See the video here.

First of all, let me state that there is only ONE race: the human race.  As such, I reject the concept of “race,” but I understand that what they are really talking about is “ethnicity.”  On my census form a few years ago I listed my race as “Other: Human.”  Seriously, what should I have put?  I’m mostly descended from the British Isles countries, with some Belgian, Dutch, and German thrown in. I’m not “Caucasian” because that is someone from the Caucasus mountains in Russia. I’m not “white,” I’m pink. None of the census categories apply to me. Also, my next door neighbor is “African-American” because he was born and grew up in South Africa.  His skin is the same shade as mine.

Etymologically, the dictionary gives various definitions of race. Here are some of them:
•    a family, tribe, people, or nation belonging to the same stock
•    a class or kind of people unified by shared interests, habits, or characteristics
•    an actually or potentially interbreeding group within a species also : a taxonomic category (as a subspecies) representing such a group
•    a category of humankind that shares certain distinctive physical traits.

While I understand that different people mean different things when they talk about race, to me it is just one more way to divide human beings. Also, I’ve heard people use the term “reverse racism” to describe when non-white people do racist things to white people.  Guess what:  That’s not “reverse racism,” it’s RACISM!

Biologically speaking, there is no such thing as “race.”  What people refer to as “race” could be called “ethnicity” instead. What is the difference between the “races”?  Skin color? We all have the same chemical makeup and the same skin color, just varying shades.  We all have the substance melanin in our skin, which is what gives skin, hair, and eyes their shades.  Well, albinos have absolutely no melanin, but the rest of us have varying amounts.  Mine pools into freckles. My brother has more than me (he tans very easily), and my brother-in-law has way more than me (he’s from Africa).  But we’re all the same.  Sure, some “races” have a genetic predisposition to certain diseases or conditions, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t human.  Sorry, white supremacists: there is no “master race”, and your blonde hair and blue eyes are recessive traits. Technically blue eyes are a genetic mutation, so there.

Here’s my eye.  Any idea what color this is? The BMV won’t let me say my eyes are “blue/green.”

Blue? Hazel? Blue-Green?

What does the Bible say about race?  Genesis 1 says that God created the first man, and all men are descended from him.  Romans 5:12 says that sin entered the world through one man, and therefore all men sin because we are all descended from him. Finally, Acts 17:26 really is the best place to look for a biblical view of “racism”:

“And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings,”

The key idea here is that God created one man and every nation of men on the earth is descended from that man.  This is the absolute and total rejection of racism by the Bible.  Acts 10:34-35 says, “Then Peter opened his mouth and said: “In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality.  But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him.”  God shows no partiality. This means that the gospel is open for all people from every nation, every language, every culture, every ethnicity.
What can we logically draw from this?

• We are all human
• We are all sinners
• We all need salvation
• We all have the same provision for salvation

So is any one ethnic group of people of more worth or value than any other?  No. Chris Matthews (and anybody who agrees with him):  God says you are wrong.  The children’s song got it right all those years ago:

Jesus loves the little children
All the children of the world
Red, brown, yellow, black and white
They are precious in His sight
Jesus loves the little children of the world!

(PS:  He loves the adults too!)

Credit: Dan Lietha, Answers in Genesis.

I love having discussions, debates, and sharing information with people.  I hate arguing. There’s a fine line, but with arguing, emotions run high and the temptation to attack the person (ad hominem) increases. I like debate, but I don’t like confrontation. I also don’t like being wrong, so I try to not take a position on something until I’m satisfied that it is the right position. I gather the evidence, and I make the best decision I can.  Then I take a stand based on principles found in the Bible. If I find out later that I’m wrong, I change.

I have a confession:  I am human.  That means that, as a son of Adam, I am a sinner.  This means that I am not perfect.  This means that I can (and often am) wrong.  But every human being (other than Jesus Christ) reading these words is ALSO not perfect, and can be wrong.  So when you read the things that I write, whether on Facebook or here on my blog, know that I am operating under the best information I have been able to determine, and I am not knowingly deceiving or misleading with the information I provide.  When I say something here, I truly believe it to be the truth, and as such, I will defend it until it is proven to be not true.

My worldview is biblical.  To me, this means that I view the world through the lens of the Bible, the written Word of God. If I see or hear something that goes against what the Bible says, I reject it, not the Bible.  I know Christians who reject parts of the Bible with which they do not agree. I am not one of these.  If the Bible says that I should not look at other women with lust, then I make every effort not to do so.  If the Bible says that marriage is between a man and a woman, then that’s the position I take. I don’t say, “well, obviously that’s wrong, because who cares what two consenting adults do?”  In my reading of the Bible, it seems to me that the answer to that question is, “God does.”

There are Christians today who try to merge the Bible with the world. One example of this is theistic evolution. I like to think their mental process went something like this: “I know the Bible is true, but Evolution is also true.  How do I reconcile these two beliefs?  I know! Evolution is the process that God used to create the universe!”

I know other Christians who look at the Bible through the lens of secular science.  They are viewing the Bible through the lens of the world.  Their mental process goes something like this, “I know the Bible is true, but Evolution is also true.  How do I reconcile these two beliefs?  I know! Evolution is true, and the Bible is true insofar as it does not disagree with Evolution!”

Both of these are wrong.  And evolution is just one example.  Pick any issue you want: euthanasia, abortion, gay marriage, fiscal responsibility, feminism, etc.  The short version is this: if what you think disagrees with the clear teachings of the Bible, then you need to change, not the Bible. Look at it this way:  When you were in school, and you got the answer key to a test that you had taken, you were able to see what answers you got…….wrong.  Right?  You didn’t look at the answer key and try to figure out why the answer in the book was wrong because obviously your answer couldn’t be wrong.  You took it for granted that the answer in the book was right, and you were wrong, since you put down a different answer.  You then would attempt to figure out how to change so that you could arrive at the correct answer.  Apply that to life and the Bible, and you have a biblical worldview.

When better to talk about getting right with God than on the anniversary of the day Jesus Christ rose from the grave?  1986 years ago today, He was alive, and is alive even now. Let us cast off this idea that people cease to exist after death!  When I refer to someone who has died, I use the present tense to remind myself that they aren’t gone forever, they are simply living someplace else. Try it, and I think you will find it will change your attitude on death.  Don’t say, “Grandma loved her grandkids.”  Instead, say “Grandma loves her grandkids.”  If Grandma was saved, then someday those of us who know Christ will be with her again, and what a glorious day that will be!

Even so, come Lord Jesus.

TAXES:  I still have not received my tax refund, but today….for the first time….the IRS website says something other than “there’s a delay in your refund.”   Today it says that I should receive my refund on April 3^rd, and that if I don’t receive it by April 8^th, I should call my bank.  So that’s good news.

DEBT:  In reference to my previous post “I Trust God,”  God has seen fit to answer our prayer with a “yes.”  I was praying that He would provide the money we needed, but, if He did not provide it, I was thankful that it would not have been the end of the world.   Well, a friend (I don’t know if this friend wants this known publicly, so names have been withheld to protect the innocent) has graciously loaned us the money to make this month’s payment!  They said that we can pay them back after this debt is paid in full later this summer, and they even gave us a little extra to buy groceries!  God is truly good to us.  He would have been no less good to us if He didn’t provide the money through this friend, but it appears for now that our plans in this are in alignment with His plans, and that’s exciting.