Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction:

A lawyer came to Jesus asking Him questions about the law -

This lawyer’s motives seemed to have been less than pure—He was trying to trap Jesus in some sort of inconsistency, where Jesus might have violated the Law of Moses -

Therefore, in order to make himself look more honest, yet more dubious at the same time: he asked a follow-up question.

Who is my neighbor?

-

Upon this question, Jesus gave a parable of a Samaritan man who dealt kindly toward a Jew -

Then Jesus asked the lawyer a question: who was neighbor to the man who had been robbed?

-

The lawyer could not even speak the word “Samaritan,” admitting who was the true neighbor to this Jewish man.

He said “the one who showed mercy...”

That was true, but this highlights the problems between the Jews and the Samaritans.

“For the Jews Have No Dealings With Samaritans”

When Jesus was traveling back from Jerusalem to Galilee, He and His disciples stopped in Sychar (a Samaritan village) -

Here, Jesus began a conversation with a woman of Samaria—double trouble since she was a woman and a Samaritan.

And then John lets us in on the tensions between Jews and Samaritans -

Not only did Jews and Samaritans have difference religious practices but there were cultural, racial, and ethnical tensions as well -

Samaritans were a reminder to the Jews of a bad spot in Israel’s past -

Samaritans were a reminder to the Jews of a bad spot in Israel’s past -

Samaria was part of the 10 northern tribes - v. 6

When Israel sinned, God sent the Assyrians to take the 10 tribes captive - vv. 22-23

The king of Assyria brought foreigners from other lands—other captives—to live in Samaria and settle it - v. 24

After several generations, Israel was restored in the land of Palestine, but the Samaritans were antagonists to the Jews -

All of these things created barriers between these two people groups.

These tensions exploit the nature of racial tensions.

Racism is not a one-sided issue.

While Jews hated Samaritans, the Samaritans hated the Jews -

Samaritans did not receive Jesus and His disciples “because” they were traveling toward Jerusalem.

It is naive of us to think that only white people can be racists.

Black liberationists and white supremacists are two radical ways to address this issue.

Black Liberation Theology makes the hermeneutical mistake of looking only for equality and justice in this life and seeing salvation as merely having an earthly affect—not an eternally spiritual effect.

White Supremacists believe that white, Anglo-Saxon people are the true, literal children of Israel.

Both mindsets are extremes which will create more racial tensions.

Jesus Christ and the gospel is the only true answer that will help ease racial tensions.

Exploring and Defining Racism

RACIAL TENSION Unrest and division among people caused by differing racial origins.

Personal identity in the ancient world was not primarily based on race but on family, tribal, city, national, ethnic, or religious ties.

Unrest and division among people caused by differing racial origins.

Personal identity in the ancient world was not primarily based on race but on family, tribal, city, national, ethnic, or religious ties.

RACIAL TENSION Unrest and division among people caused by differing racial origins.

Personal identity in the ancient world was not primarily based on race but on family, tribal, city, national, ethnic, or religious ties.

Racism is something that has been a challenge for many brethren.

Where churches of Christ have been strong (geographically), there has also been a strong sense of racism and segregation.

In 1907, Bellwood church of Christ in Nashville, TN wanted to exclude a young black girl who had been adopted by Mr. and Mrs. Elam.

Members wanted the girl to attend the “colored church.”

David Lipscomb said in response to this situation, “No one as a Christian…has the right to say to another ‘Thou shalt not,’ because he is of a different family, race, social, or political station…To object to any child of God participating in the services on account of his race, social or civil state, his color or race, is to object to Jesus Christ and to cast him from our association.”

(Reviving the Ancient Faith, p. 273)

Shepherds (who were typically Semitic) were an abomination to the (non-Semitic) Egyptians ().

When the Jews lived outside Palestine, racial differences became more significant (; cp. ).

Paul reports an accepted Greek maxim stigmatizing the Cretans as always being “liars, evil beasts, slow bellies” (; “lazy gluttons” NIV).

Because there is no racial distinction in Christ (; ), the church was able to spread rapidly to the Gentile world to encompass persons of all races.

Divisions and prejudice based on race are unacceptable for Christians.

Shepherds (who were typically Semitic) were an abomination to the (non-Semitic) Egyptians ().

When the Jews lived outside Palestine, racial differences became more significant (; cp. ).

Paul reports an accepted Greek maxim stigmatizing the Cretans as always being “liars, evil beasts, slow bellies” (; “lazy gluttons” NIV).

Because there is no racial distinction in Christ (; ), the church was able to spread rapidly to the Gentile world to encompass persons of all races.

Divisions and prejudice based on race are unacceptable for Christians.

Foy E. Wallace, Jr. was a very capable preacher and defender of the truth.

Yet, some of his writings reveal the struggles of racism that even good men have had:

“reliable reports have come to me of white women, members of the church, becoming so animated over a certain colored preacher as to go up to him after a sermon and shake hands with him holding his hand in both of theirs”

About Marshall Keeble, an African American preacher: “This letter is characteristic of the humility of M. Keeble.

It is the reason why he is the greatest colored preacher that has ever lived…[black preachers like Keeble] know their place and stay in it, even when some white brethren try to take them out of it.”

A.B. Lipscomb, David Lipscomb’s nephew, on segregating white and black congregations: “The second meeting among the Negroes of Valdosta, Georgia, conducted by the colored evangelist, Marshall Keeble, of Nashville, TN, came to a close on August 9.

All told, one hundred and sixty-six persons were baptized, chiefly adults…through the effort of the white disciples a large commodious house has been secured and regular worship prevails.”

Again, A.B. Lipscomb, “we whites have never made a better investment for the Lord nor any which brought such quick and happy results…the new religious and moral status for the Negro element…means that we now have better farm hands, better porters, better cooks, and better housemaids than ever before.”

The point of looking at these quotes is not to tear down these men.

Hopefully they repented and changed their attitudes.

But these statements do serve as a warning that even good men, people that should know better, have harbored evil attitudes towards people of a different racial background.

Aaron, Moses’s brother, had the same struggle.

Miriam, Moses’s sister, had the same struggle.

Peter had the same struggle.

Barnabas, the son of encouragement, had the same struggle.

Racism, bigotry, and hate judge people based on character-neutral traits:

Paul H. Wright, “Racial Tension,” ed.

Chad Brand et al., Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2003), 1361.

Level of income

Level of education

Skin color

Bald

Genealogy

Gender

Racism looks like:

Refusing to talk to someone because of race

Refusing to listen to someone because of their race

Attributing less to someone because of their race

Justifying reasons to avoid interaction with someone because of their race

Mocking or belittling someone because of their race

Assuming negative characteristics about a person because of their race

racism.

A form of prejudice that discriminates among persons and social groups on the basis of ethnic origin or skin color.

Racism is sometimes viewed in a positive light as the appropriate separation of humans into societies based on ethnicity and is defended by appeal to supposed distinctions among the various races of humankind or to theological considerations such as God’s intention that humans be separated into races.

More commonly, however, racism is seen as a negative attitude, for it is generally characterized by hostility, contempt or condescension, and readily leads to social, economic and political mistreatment of others.

Christians decry racism in this sense as contrary to the unity of humankind as created by God and as reconciled to God in Christ, as well as a violation of the dignity of all persons

human dignity.

The unalterable, inherent value due every person by virtue of being a human being.

Although human dignity is a widely recognized concept today, much debate surrounds the basis out of which it arises and its practical implications.

In Christian thought, human dignity is often connected to the idea that humans are the image of God

RACIAL TENSION Unrest and division among people caused by differing racial origins.

Personal identity in the ancient world was not primarily based on race but on family, tribal, city, national, ethnic, or religious ties.

Shepherds (who were typically Semitic) were an abomination to the (non-Semitic) Egyptians (Gen.

46:34).

When the Jews lived outside Palestine, racial differences became more significant (Esther 3:1–6; cp.

Luke 4:25–28).