After the last post on racism, I thought I needed to go a little deeper with our tendencies on how we handle the issue of racism. I greatly appreciate the feedback that you gave both publicly on the blog and privately through e-mail. It you have not read the post, you can here: http://kris-harrison.blogspot.com/2010/11/racism.html
One of my goals for this blog is to help us think through how we think. To allow the Lord to penetrate our hearts and reveal who we really are, and to see a glimpse of who He is. If you're not a Christian I hope that you will still read my posts. You can feel free to disagree and to exchange your views with me. Maybe you can help me see where you're coming from. If you are a Christian you can feel free to disagree with me as well.
With that being said, I want to probe racism a bit deeper and try to see how the Gospel relates to how we look at racism specifically in some who engage in relationships of a different ethnic background and our reaction to those who exhibit signs of racism.
1) Seeking approval in relationships for the wrong reason and the gospel's response
The first thing I want to throw out is that many who engage in relationships with people from a different ethnic background or color do so for the wrong reason. Please don't assume that if you have in the past or are currently in a relationship that fits this description that I am talking to you. I have no one in particular in mind, I'm only thinking through what some have done. It would be dangerous to assume that this is the case when it's not.
This person might not be getting the attention they think they deserve or they need. This same type of attitude will follow for a girl (sorry to pick on the girls) who dresses provocatively simply to attract guys. If you have to undress in order to get attention then you are seeking the wrong attention. In the same way if you have to 'shock' your family, friends, or other people by a relationship with someone of a different ethnic background then you have a heart problem. This comes down to seeking the approval of others. When you don't get that approval you either look for it elsewhere and often you seek to hurt those whose approval you don't get. Notice that this is actually less about race and more about the person themselves, race gets inserted and makes it more obvious because of our sin. Don't think that there needs to be a race difference for this scenario to hold true, it's just easier to see when brought to light.
How does the gospel solve this problem?
The gospel says that you will never receive the approval you need in someone else. You will always be let down. Your friends and family have issues just like you do, whether they admit it or not. The person who seeks this approval is searching for someone who will love them, often this love is at the expense of the ones who hurt them: their boyfriend, girlfriend, husband, wife, mom, or dad, the love and acceptance that they were seeking to gain. The gospel says that you are approved by God when you repent of your sin and trust in the work of His Son on the cross. If someone is seeking approval through any other means they are trying to earn love. You can not earn God's approval, it is freely given to those who trust in His Son. The problem is that our sin stands in the way. God will not approve of you because your sin separates you from Him. That's why Jesus came to earth and died. The person who is seeking acceptance from another relationship by clinging to or running from someone will only find it in Christ. Sure, you may find someone who loves you and accepts you, but they will fall short. Jesus is the only one who will never let you down.
2) If you're not racist do you think you are better than the person who is?
As I said in my first point, it holds true here too, I'm not thinking of anyone in particular. If I am thinking of someone who this applies to, it's me. It's easy for those who attempt to view others equally to look down on those who show signs of racism. True, it is sad that some people are that way both in their thoughts and actions, but this should cause us to weep, not to look down on them as if we are more superior. If we feel superior then we are actually doing the same thing we are accusing them of, only instead of color we are using different means to justify us. We're not 'better' than someone simply because God has allowed us to see things a little more clearly. We each have serious flaws (sin) that makes us undeserving of God's Grace. If racism is not one of those flaws, and I would think that in one degree or another it is, then what other flaws do you have?
3) Who needs Jesus more?
Now specifically for the Christian: If your response to the person who you think exhibits the signs of racism is "that person needs Jesus more than me" then you have just proved that the opposite is true. For the believer to think that someone else needs their sin exposed and to repent more than themselves has a small view of their own sin and a small view of the Holiness of God who cannot tolerate sin. If you think that you "did that" (repenting of your sin, trusting in Christ) years ago and that you are ok now, then you need a fresh awareness of the price that your sin cost God, the death of His Son. I pray that if you are a believer then you will increasingly see how much of a sinner you truly are and how Holy God truly is. When seen in this light you will not only see how helpless and hopeless you are apart from Him, but you will also see how loving, gracious, and merciful He is in saving you.
Both of these posts on Racism point to the fact that to me this world is not my home.
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