Can you be Christian and racist?

TLDR

For some reason, we are still debating this topic. Every time I think this is settled, I find out that this is still a "grey" area. Crazy. I remember standing with a young adult at the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg South Africa, and telling them that our country has gotten through it, and so will they. Man, I was ignorant.

Before I go on - full disclosure. I am in a family of mixed ethnicities. We didn't set out to be that way, but our lives have been impactful to us, even as we try to make an impact on the world.

I want to dig in about hip-deep on this post, but it's still lengthy. I'll provide TLDR at the end.

The essential question here is, does the Bible leave any wiggle room for racism (and bigotry, which goes a step further than just race-centered "beliefs"). Is there support for it in scripture? This is a little muddy. First, I'll mention passages that SOME people use to justify their racist beliefs:

1. Noah said, “Cursed be Canaan! The lowest of slaves will he be to his brothers.” (Genesis 9:25) This is called the Curse of Ham. Some people believe the descendants of Ham were dark-skinned Africans. There is absolutely no evidence within the Bible or elsewhere to support that claim, and I dare someone to try. You can't do it. Ham was a man, and his people lived in the middle east.

2. “Do not intermarry with them… for they will turn your children away from following me to serve other gods.” (Deuteronomy 7:3–4) This is a passage used to justify separation of races and to say that interracial marriage is not permitted. Again, there is zero evidence that this passage was about skin color or even language. The preponderance of evidence confirms that this was only about requiring people to marry others who were also followers of God. It was a spiritual-belief litmus test.

3. “Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear…” (Ephesians 6:5) Some say passages like this (there are a few) suggest that slavery was endorsed or reasonably accepted. There is another passage that commands slave masters to treat their slaves well. You cannot apply this to chattel slavery, and should not - by any means - believe this is an endorsement of slavery. The equivalent term today would be indentured servitude, where a person in debt will work for someone else to pay off that debt. In current terms, it's what all of us with credit card debt are doing. This is absolutely not a passage supporting the mistreatment of others of "lower classes". And it is even less true that it supports racism.

4. “So the Lord scattered them from there over all the earth…” (Genesis 11:8) Some people believe that it was the will of God to separate people by tribes and languages, and that to intermix is to disobey the Lord's will. Take a second, read that again, and tell me where it provides a command in perpetuity to keep separate. And, the background is based on the pride of mankind, who built a "tower" to "reach the heavens." Doing it their own way...not God's way.

Now, what does the Bible say that denounces racism?

1. “So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” (Genesis 1:27) He made mankind, and we are all in His image...his likeness. To suggest that His image was lesser in one race or ethnic group is nonsense, but you'd have to believe that to be racist.

2. “My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations.” (Isaiah 56:7) The mention of "all nations" is a way of saying ALL PEOPLE. No exclusions.

3. “Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.” (Colossians 3:11) In the context of the world that the Colossians were living in, this was all inclusive. It is the equivalent of saying that EVERYONE is eligible to be Christian. There is no caste system in Christ.

4. “If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself,’ you are doing right. But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers.” (James 2:8–9) Favoritism is essentially the other side of the coin to prejudice. You can either provide favor from upfront acceptance of a person, or unjust action based on upfront rejection of a person.

So, no, you cannot be a Christian and be a racist or bigot. It is especially egregious to attempt to make your statement of faith include racism. You cannot do so and keep with the Bible, and to do so is a denial of the sacrifice of Christ being for all.

On a personal level, I will provide some commentary. I have witnessed friends, family, and even strangers who are a different color being mistreated based on their race/ethnicity. I have witnessed people being hateful and vengeful towards others of different economic status, religion, and sex or gender identity. I have on multiple occasions interfered in violent or near-violent situations to protect the victim of racist or bigoted attacks. I am getting older, but I will keep doing that, because I must. I am absolutely against all forms of mistreatment. You cannot be a Christian and sow discord and hate. You cannot be a Christian and turn people away from the Good News of Christ because you believe their lives are sinful. If someone is chased away from the Gospel because of your actions, I think it's safe to assume you will answer for that eventually. Same for me.

Confused? Not sure what you as a Christian should you do?

Don't judge, and denounce your "pre"-judging, which is worse. Stop allowing your discernment to be based on race, culture, language, or any other thing that makes people different from you. You have a direct command from Jesus to make disciples of all peoples. You cannot do that from your sin-stained, bigoted perch. You're going to need to get dirty. Get dirty.

Summary of the Article

• The Bible gives no support for racism or bigotry, though some have misused certain passages.

• Misused texts: Curse of Ham (Gen 9:25), intermarriage laws (Deut 7:3–4), slavery instructions (Eph 6:5), and Tower of Babel (Gen 11:8). In context, none of these justify racism.

• Clear teaching against racism: All people are made in God’s image (Gen 1:27), God welcomes all nations (Isa 56:7), all are one in Christ (Col 3:11), and favoritism is sin (Jas 2:8–9).

• Conclusion: A Christian cannot also be racist; racism denies the universality of Christ’s sacrifice.

• Author’s personal note: They have witnessed and opposed racism firsthand and emphasize that Christians must reject prejudice and embrace all people.

• Final call: Stop judging by race or culture; obey Christ’s command to make disciples of all peoples, even if it requires humility and sacrifice.