Character--Not Color

December 10th, 2021

No one can deny that racism exists in America. However, if we’re to be completely honest, we must admit that America has come a long way since slavery.

Martin Luther King Jr. expressed his wish that someday people would be judged by their character and not color. This was something most Americans would side with. Indeed, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 made it illegal to judge people by their color.

But now there is a new narrative that is taking us backwards, not forward, in race relations. It is being said that all Western Culture based on the Judeo-Christian worldview is evil and incurably racist, and it all must be torn down to build back something better. One might ask, “What do you mean that Western Culture is based on Christianity?” Ever since the Reformation 500 years ago, Western people have been profoundly influenced by the Bible. These people came to the American colonies, and they wrote that ‘all men are created equal”. In other words, their view of reality was:

There is a God,
He reveals truth in His Word, and
People are created in His image with innate value.

This meant that people should not be oppressed but be free to rule themselves. Not everyone was a good Christian at this time, but most people saw the world through these glasses. It was this worldview that brought about so much freedom and prosperity.

Since Adam sinned, there have always been people who want to conquer and enslave others. There is a word for that, we call it sin.

Critical Race Theory (CRT) sees America differently. Those who espouse CRT would say that America is so wealthy because it is so evil. They concentrate on the unique evils of Western culture: Colonialism, and slavery, exploiting others for one’s own benefit. What many people don’t realize is that exploitation has been in the world since the beginning of time. Since Adam sinned, there have always been people who want to conquer and enslave others. There is a word for that, we call it sin.

Exploitation is not unique to western culture; in fact, it has been a part of non-white cultures since before the founding of America. (We encourage you to watch the "A Short History of Slavery" video at the end of this blog for more information.) What is unique about Western culture is freedom, giving image bearers the liberty to be everything that God wants them to be. It is in western culture, based on Christianity, where laws were first made to prohibit slavery. It was the West that pioneered laws to elevate women to a place of dignity rather than a piece of property.

We should not be ashamed of our culture. No other culture in all human history has brought more freedom, prosperity, and opportunity than Western culture based on Judeo-Christian values.

Is there still racism in America? Of course, there is. There are sinful people in all societies. But if you listen to the media, you will think that America must be the most racist nation. However, Orlando Patterson, Professor of Sociology at Harvard University, claims:

“America is now the least racist white majority society in the world, has a better record of legal protection of minorities than any other society, white or black, offers more opportunities to a greater number of black persons than any other society, including all of those of Africa.”¹

Critical Race theory is an attempt to divide America as Karl Marx advocated.

Marx attempted to bring about a revolution by dividing people between the haves and have-nots.
CRT also divides people based upon the color of their skin.
There are a host of other divisions being used to tear down all Western culture and bring about a utopian world where the government ensures that everyone is a good citizen.

So, an important question we should be asking is, "Is CRT biblical?"

This is just the opposite of Christianity. Christians seek to bring about freedom, not forced equality handed down by our benevolent caretaker government. So, an important question we should be asking is, "Is CRT biblical?" This YouTube video helps to answer this question:

Here are my three reasons why CRT is not biblical.

CRT tells us that our identity is based on color or gender, while the Bible says we are all equal because we are created in the image of God.
CRT sees ‘sin’ as oppression, therefore the oppressed are excused. The Bible says we are all guilty and need salvation.
CRT defines salvation as social liberation, so their hope is in activism to change this present world.

The Bible says we all need to be saved from this sin-broken world. We all need salvation through Jesus. Jesus alone will come back and cure the world of all evils.

To learn more about Critical Race Theory with a biblical worldview, click HERE, and/or view the video below.

God’s Word says it best:

“And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32).

God’s Word and His love will set you free from the lies that enslave people into believing there is no hope.

To become more educated about the true history of slavery, watch this video.

To gain free access to our DeBunked videos and dozens of other Reasons for Hope* resources, download our FREE APP--Reasons for Hope (look for the blue asterisk on a black background).