Living As God’s Children

Introduction

The Problem of Racism

Once when the missionary E. Stanley Jones met with Ghandi he asked him, “Mr. Ghandi, though you quote the words of Christ often, why is that you appear to so adamantly reject becoming his follower?”Ghandi replied, “Oh, I don’t reject your Christ. I love your Christ. It’s just that so many of you Christians are so unlike your Christ.”

Racism. A form of prejudice that discriminates among persons and social groups on the basis of ethnic origin or skin color. A European Enlightenment creation designed to maintain societal control.

Pocket Dictionary of Ethics Prejudice

Thus, prejudice refers to the (generally) negative attitude toward a person or group of people that is formed on the basis of preconceptions, unsubstantiated claims made by others, gossip or hearsay, and without due regard to what may actually be true regarding the person or group. Prejudice readily leads to discrimination and hostile, injurious or unjust actions, or persecution against the person or members of the group.

Historically

How did we get here?

Many of us weren’t raised this way.

Others were and had to overcome it. Children begin to acquire prejudices and stereotypes as early as 3 and pick up terms of prejudice without really understanding them.

Form attachments to their own group - the “in” group and form negative attitudes about other racial or ethnic groups - the “out” groups.

Fueled by Darwin’s Theory of Evolution

We view things through built-in biases.

A bias is a tendency, inclination, or prejudice to favor one thing over another.

Normal human tendency. Most bias is harmless.

Favorite color, food, ocean vs mountains

What’s NOT normal: toward or against someone.

Confirmation bias, for example, refers to the brain’s tendency to search for and focus on information that supports what someone already believes, while ignoring facts that go against those beliefs, despite their relevance.

Attribution bias, on the other hand, occurs when someone tries to attribute reasons or motivations to the actions of others without concrete evidence to support such assumptions.

Characterize people based on a few things we think a cultural group has

Legends of Zelda Concert

Interpreting differences in negative ways

Music

Where we worship

Where we live

Interests

Race

Lead to hostility, contempt, condescension, social, economic and political mistreatment of others.

Violation of human dignity.

Globally

Every Continent

Nationally

Systemic - attitudes embedded in social institutions, policies, practices, ideas and behaviors that give more resources and power to one group of people and denying them to another based on ethnicity and/or skin color.

Wrapped in many layers - socioeconomics, education, criminal justice, employment, housing, health care.

Refusal to respect cultures.

Not just black and white.

Locally - Why it matters

Michael

YFC

Underground railroad

Galatians: Paul’s Character

The Gospel transforms our relationships and view of each other.

When we become followers of Jesus, there is no room for bias of any kind.

Galatians 3:23–29 ESV

Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.

Locked Up

Unaccompanied Minor

paidogogios - Guardian, leader, guide - someone who went with a boy from home to school and back again;

Children needing direction, to be taught

Escort for children, tutor - lead to Christ

Waiting for Release

The Law was designed to teach us that only trusting Jesus can our wrong be made right, what is broken put back together, the distance between God and us gapped.

Preparing for Freedom

It prepares us for receiving it by helping us understand that reality.

Limited - ends with Christ

Release - All Grown Up

Old Patterns Are Gone

Once the child has grown up, it is no longer under the control of the slave escort.

Faith - trusting Christ matures us

Kingdom freedom - frees us from attitudes, actions that are destructive, anti-Kingdom;

New rules: Love

Law of Love

In Christ

1 Corinthians 12:13 ESV

For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.

Colossians 3:11 ESV

Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.

Romans 10:12 ESV

For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him.

These dividing walls are broken

Baptism

Initiation into the community of faith in Christ

Keep Identity, Humanness

Closeness changes us. Keep personality, human identities.

One Entity

Clothed - we are drawn together as one entity together; one humanity

No place for traditional distinctives that divide us: gender, race, etc. They don’t apply.

Becoming Culturally Competent

What are your own cultural and family beliefs, values, biases, prejudices?

What are the assumptions and perceptions of other groups that fuel them?