"The people of Israel, including the priests and the Levites, have not kept themselves separate from the neighboring peoples with their detestable practices, like those of the Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Jebusites, Ammonites, Moabites, Egyptians and Amorites. They have taken some of their daughters as wives for themselves and their sons, and have mingled the holy race with the peoples around them. And the leaders and officials have led the way in this unfaithfulness….But now, O our God, what can we say after this? For we have disregarded the commands you gave through your servants the prophets when you said: 'The land you are entering to possess is a land polluted by the corruption of its peoples. By their detestable practices they have filled it with their impurity from one end to the other. Therefore, do not give your daughters in marriage to their sons or take their daughters for your sons. Do not seek a treaty of friendship with them at anytime, that you may be strong and eat the good things of the land and leave it to your children as an everlasting inheritance” (Ezra 9:1-2, 10-12, NIV).
Now pour you a fresh cup of coffee and let's get serious about being prejudice. As I have often said, prejudice may be either positive or negative. Negative prejudice leads to discrimination, and discrimination leads to racism. Discrimination is evident in three categories: individual, legal, and institutional. Since sinful individuals form a legal institution called the church, all three categories join to form one very large and sinful super highway for discrimination to flow. This negative prejudice leads an ongoing practice of discrimination and racism within the church in total contradiction to the teaching of Scripture. Racism is a belief that race is the most important determinant of human traits and capacities, that racial differences produce an inherent superiority or inferiority of a particular racial group, and that these racial characteristics determine their respective cultures. This racism leads the institutional church to seek members, employees, and vendors of like race.
If you have ever sat in a church committee or board meeting and heard someone say that the church should find a vendor or an employee of a particular race or ethnicity, you have experienced individual discrimination and racism. If you did not speak up and confront the sinful individual discrimination, you participated in institutional discrimination and racism. But, you might ask, doesn’t God teach us in His word that Christians are to keep ourselves separated by race and ethnicity? Is it not correct for White people to worship together, Hispanic people to worship together and Black people to worship together, and so forth? Is this not what God told Ezra?
Notice what God really said to Ezra. God called for Israel to practice a positive Godly prejudice that the Church needs to practice today. God said his people had not “kept themselves separate from the neighboring…detestable practices.” The issue is that the people of God had mingled and married outside of their faith. Scripture does not teach that it is wrong for a Christian Black woman to mingle with or marry a Christian White man, or a Christian Hispanic man to mingle with or marry a Christian White female. It is wrong for a believer of any race to mingle in the ungodly practices of or to marry a nonbeliever of any race, even if it is the same race! The church today places more emphasis on men and women marrying within the same race than within the same faith. Believers are to be prejudice against mingling in sinful behavior and marrying those who do not have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. We are to be prejudice against mingling with the detestable practices of the nonbelievers.
I know this is hard to hear in a “politically correct” society, but the Church must emphasis the positive prejudices. It must teach its members to refuse to mingle with the politically correct sins of our culture. Even if it is politically correct to call sin an alternative life choice, if it is an abomination to God, we must prejudice ourselves against it. Christians must live as Christ lived, and not as the world would have us live.
Prayer: "Lord, I ask you to help me guard against all negative prejudice, but hold to those positive prejudices. Lord, help me to guard against all discrimination that stems out of prejudice by loving others as you loved them. Help me Lord, to always want the best for others, regardless of what they have done to me. Amen.”
4 comments:
Hey Dr. G. It is good to seeing you blogging again. Here you are making a job shift soon. Best Wishes. CH
Please also know that some of this came about in many cases because certain ethnic groups were not treated fairly. Typically, Black vendors could only work for Black churches and Black clientele. As a Black person, we do have a strong sense of ‘taking care of our own’ because racism was blatantly evident. My own father was denied a chance to become a fireman as they stated he was not tall enough. My father was 5’ 9 and obviously was tall enough to be a fireman. He was denied simply because of the color of his skin. He scored highly on the test. Some things will only be understood when you have walked a mile in that person’s shoes; not once but day after day after day. There is still a ‘privilege’ in America that comes from being White (and even Hispanic now) that still has not been extended to the Black man. America takes in all races of people who flee from various places for an opportunity for a better life. Several years back, I remember a boatload of Haitians being literally turned around in the water and sent back. They were not even allowed to touch American soil. Yet, we are the country that cries, “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses…”.
As a person who happens to be Black, I can understand the mindset when Black churches wants some Black vendors to be hired at a predominantly Black church. I do think that their quality of work needs to be satisfactory and not sub-par. I also believe that young Black men and women need to see Black entrepreneurs to encourage their hopes and dreams. This is why many people (whether they voted for him or not) were rejoicing over this brown-skinned family who moved into the White House in January. You see, while America told us, “YOU WILL NEVER!”, we were telling ourselves, “NOT IF, BUT WHEN!”
In my household, I was taught that I was smart, beautiful and strong. I’m glad I was taught that and yes, I am all of those things. It helped when covert racism tried to make me think I wasn’t. Thank God also for the Black church that allowed us to learn the ways of God while also learning how to hold our heads up high and go forth in the many gifts and talents that were given to us. This is why we have Black History celebrations. If we don’t share our achievements to this nation, who will? I was not taught about some of my people’s accomplishments in school.
Those of us who call the name of Christ are brothers and sisters, no matter what the outside of our bodies looks like. I have friends of all races; I certainly count you as one of them. I am not ignorant though, to the fact that there is a segment of society that will never have love for me because I’m Black, because I’m a woman, and most of all because I’m a Christian. It’s fine. Jesus had a segment that hated Him as well. I have discussions like this a lot with non-Black people. It is only through conversations such as these that some level of understanding may be reached. Some level. Some things just won’t make sense, unless you have lived them. To a non-tither, tithing makes no sense. How could I be blessed by consistently giving 10% of my increase? Totally illogical, isn’t it? But you and I know that it works – over and over and over. Prejudice is real. I can admit to you that when a Black family and White family are playing against each other on Family Feud, Felicia pulls for the Black family! Shameful? Possibly! I can identify with them and usually feel like their opportunities are possibly limited, simply because they are Black. I look at them and realize that they probably have had to be twice as good just to get the same opportunity as their White counterpart. I think about how they are watched and followed when they walk into a store. I think about how I’ve had to push and fight just to be treated equally. Why do I feel that way? Because all these things have happened to me. Throughout my lifetime.
- Felicia Gaston
Please also know that some of this came about in many cases because certain ethnic groups were not treated fairly. Typically, Black vendors could only work for Black churches and Black clientele. As a Black person, we do have a strong sense of ‘taking care of our own’ because racism was blatantly evident. My own father was denied a chance to become a fireman as they stated he was not tall enough. My father was 5’ 9 and obviously was tall enough to be a fireman. He was denied simply because of the color of his skin. He scored highly on the test. Some things will only be understood when you have walked a mile in that person’s shoes; not once but day after day after day. There is still a ‘privilege’ in America that comes from being White (and even Hispanic now) that still has not been extended to the Black man. America takes in all races of people who flee from various places for an opportunity for a better life. Several years back, I remember a boatload of Haitians being literally turned around in the water and sent back. They were not even allowed to touch American soil. Yet, we are the country that cries, “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses…”.
As a person who happens to be Black, I can understand the mindset when Black churches wants some Black vendors to be hired at a predominantly Black church. I do think that their quality of work needs to be satisfactory and not sub-par. I also believe that young Black men and women need to see Black entrepreneurs to encourage their hopes and dreams. This is why many people (whether they voted for him or not) were rejoicing over this brown-skinned family who moved into the White House in January. You see, while America told us, “YOU WILL NEVER!”, we were telling ourselves, “NOT IF, BUT WHEN!”
In my household, I was taught that I was smart, beautiful and strong. I’m glad I was taught that and yes, I am all of those things. It helped when covert racism tried to make me think I wasn’t. Thank God also for the Black church that allowed us to learn the ways of God while also learning how to hold our heads up high and go forth in the many gifts and talents that were given to us. This is why we have Black History celebrations. If we don’t share our achievements to this nation, who will? I was not taught about some of my people’s accomplishments in school.
Those of us who call the name of Christ are brothers and sisters, no matter what the outside of our bodies looks like. I have friends of all races; I certainly count you as one of them. I am not ignorant though, to the fact that there is a segment of society that will never have love for me because I’m Black, because I’m a woman, and most of all because I’m a Christian. It’s fine. Jesus had a segment that hated Him as well. I have discussions like this a lot with non-Black people. It is only through conversations such as these that some level of understanding may be reached. Some level. Some things just won’t make sense, unless you have lived them. To a non-tither, tithing makes no sense. How could I be blessed by consistently giving 10% of my increase? Totally illogical, isn’t it? But you and I know that it works – over and over and over. Prejudice is real. I can admit to you that when a Black family and White family are playing against each other on Family Feud, Felicia pulls for the Black family! Shameful? Possibly! I can identify with them and usually feel like their opportunities are possibly limited, simply because they are Black. I look at them and realize that they probably have had to be twice as good just to get the same opportunity as their White counterpart. I think about how they are watched and followed when they walk into a store. I think about how I’ve had to push and fight just to be treated equally. Why do I feel that way? Because all these things have happened to me. Throughout my lifetime.
- F. Gaston
positve prejudice is going to become increasingly important in our society. we are fighting a spiritual battle of faiths, even if some can't see it.
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