Black or White is a #1 single released by Michael Jackson in 1991. With that single, Jackson became the first artist to have number one hits in the 1970’s, 80’s and 90’s. The song was also an international hit, hitting the number one spot in at least 20 countries around the world. The song was a plea for racial tolerance and harmony.
“And I told about equality and it’s true,
Either you’re wrong or you’re right.
But, if you’re thinkin’ ‘bout my baby,
It don’t matter if you’re black or white.” —Michael Jackson
Man in the Mirror was Michael Jackson’s tenth number-one single and appeared in early 1988. It’s a song about taking personal responsibility for bringing change and transformation to your world. It contains one of the greatest lyrics in music:
“I’m starting with the man in the mirror,
I’m asking him to change his ways,
And no message could have been any clearer:
If you want to make the world a better place,
take a look at yourself, and make the change…”
—Siedah Garrett for Michael Jackson
The lyrics weren’t written by MJ. They were written by Siedah Garrett. The music was composed by Glenn Ballard. The song was one of only two songs not written by Jackson included on his album, Bad.
Jackson and producer Quincy Jones were looking for an anthem with a great melody, soulful feel and lyrics of substance. Siedah delivered that in spades. The song still connects and resonates more than 30 years later.
Truth About Racism
Both songs connect deeply with the subject of discrimination, favoritism and racism. Over the next few days, I want to unpack about thirteen verses in James 2 that contain four challenges regarding discrimination and prejudice.
Perhaps you’re thinking: “Chris, you’ve written and talked about this before?”
You’re right! I have! In fact, long before there was a message or a movement called, Black Lives Matter, we were speaking biblical truth about these issues. For 38 years I’ve been talking about this stuff, because God’s Word talks about this stuff. I agree with Peter who wrote the following in 2 Peter 1:12,
“I will not be negligent to remind you of these things, though you already know them and are standing firm in the truth you have been taught.” —2 Peter 1:12
This series of posts isn’t necessarily corrective, but I do believe it could be protective. In other words, we constantly need to remind ourselves of the truth of God’s Word if we’re going to protect the precious unity we have with people who don’t “look” like us.
It should be noted that this post is sub-titled, “Truth About Racism,” not “The Truth About Racism.” I can’t possibly unpack all that could be said about this subject in a short series of posts, but I’ll do my best to share truth contained in this passage.
With that said, check out James 2.
My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism. —James 2:1 NIV
The Message renders this verse, “…don’t let public opinion influence how you live out our glorious, Christ-originated faith.” That’s a great word for this moment!
Our viewpoints shouldn’t be formed by opinions from the far right, right of center, or the far left or the left of center. Our viewpoints on all matters must be formed by the unchanging truth of God’s Word.
The word “favoritism” in Verse 1 gets translated “prejudice” in the New English Translation.
Our English word “prejudice” comes from a Latin word that emphasizes the “pre – judge – ment” of someone. In other words, forming an opinion about someone — often based upon very superficial or surface level externals — before you really know them.
Prejudice = “pre-judgment”
The church I grew up in was obsessed with externals. Regardless of what God said to Samuel in 1 Samuel 16:7,
“Don’t judge by his appearance or height… The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
—1 Samuel 16:7
We knew that verse. We could quote it. But very seldom did we actually live it or put it into practice.
Instead, we formed our own “Check List” against which we subconsciously, probably even unintentionally, pre-judged everyone and anyone:
- Her hair’s too short… It’s green, purple and blue…
- His hair’s too long… Or, he doesn’t even have any hair…
- Can you believe she’s wearing that?
- Could his jeans have any more holes in them?
- Check out those tattoos…
- Did you see her piercings?
- Did you know she has a PhD?
- He didn’t even graduate from High School…
- Their kids are in home school…
- That dude is rich…
- She is dirt poor…
- Can you believe that car?
- Have you seen their house?
- She’s black.
- He’s white…
- She’s Hispanic…
- They’re Asian or Indian…
- Can you believe that bi-racial couple?
That’s just some of the prejudice James is taking on in James 2.
The Greek word for favoritism is prosospolempsia and means, “to accept or judge according to face.” It refers to any time we make an assessment of something or someone on the basis of status or exterior appearance alone!
The favoritism, partiality, discrimination and prejudice that was taking place in the church James addressed was between rich and poor, upper class and lower class, the impressive and the unimpressive, the bathed over those who couldn’t afford to take a bath, the “haves” and the “have nots”. It was discrimination that was based on outward appearance, social status and financial net worth. But the principles James describes can be applied to any form of discrimination.
Dictionary.com provides three definitions for prejudice:
prej – u – dice
noun
1 an unfavorable opinion or feeling formed beforehand or without knowledge, thought, or reason.
2 any preconceived opinion or feeling, either favorable or unfavorable.
3 unreasonable feelings, opinions, or attitudes, especially of a hostile nature, regarding an ethnic, racial, social, or religious group.
Here’s a great question to ask yourself:
My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism. —James 2:1 NIV
Do any of these definitions apply to attitudes, actions, beliefs or behaviors in me?
This is exactly what was happening in the church James was writing to. Check out Verse 1 again.
Notice that James begins with the phrase, “My brothers and sisters…”
That’s so important! James is reminding us, “Guys, don’t think for a moment that this is just a problem out there! Discrimination, prejudice, partiality, racism, bigotry — you name it — isn’t just a problem out there — in the world. It can also raise its ugly head in here — in the church!”
The Nature of Prejudice
More than six decades ago, psychologist Gordon Allport, introduced what has became known as Allport’s Scale[1] to describe how prejudice gets ranked and even grows in his highly respected book, The Nature of Prejudice[2]. Here’s a very condensed overview:
STAGE 1: Spoken Words
This is when the majority group makes jokes about or says derogatory things about a minority group. The words aren’t always harmful or hurtful, but sometimes can set the stage for and create an environment where hate speech and other forms of prejudice are viewed as more acceptable.
STAGE 2: Avoidance
This is when people in the majority group actively avoid people in or members of another group.
At this point, a question to ask yourself might be:
“Is there a group of people I tend to avoid?
Maybe I even do this unconsciously?”
The consequence of avoidance is isolation and exclusion. The impact can be devastating.
STAGE 3: Discrimination
This is when the majority group actively discriminates against the minority group by denying them opportunities and services. This was happening in James 2. The rich were being seated, while the poor were told, “You stand or sit over there…”
STAGE 4: Physical Attack
This is when people in the majority group carry out some form of violent or physical attack on people in the minority group.
Do you see how things are escalating on Allport’s Scale?
STAGE 5: Extermination
This is when people in the majority group attempt to completely exterminate people in the minority group.
If you don’t think this happens, read the history and stories of places like Rwanda[3], Bosnia[4], the Cambodian killing fields[5] and the genocide taking place right now in places like Xinjiang[6], Iraq[7], Syria[8], South Sudan[9] and now, Afghanistan[10].
Evaluating Yourself Using Allport’s Scale
Here are a few questions you might want to consider while looking at Allport’s scale:
Where do you fall on Allport’s scale? Have you used words (even unintentionally) to belittle or diminish people who are different than you?
What about avoidance? Do you intentionally avoid people who look different and think different than you?
Where do you register on this scale? Do you even register? Or, maybe you made a decision a long time ago that you would treat every man, woman, boy and girl as a person created in the image of God and deeply loved by the God who created them?
Here’s the BIG IDEA I’ll drill down on over the next several blog posts:
There is one race — the human race. Every person is created in the image of God, has been chosen by God and invited to become adopted into the family of God.
Because of what Jesus has done, His church is a counter-cultural community of believers that loves beyond the lines of ethnic divisions, social classes
and cultural differences.
I’ll close this post with two of my favorite stories on this subject. The first is recent. The second is a story that got played out in the first century.
“It’s God’s Church!”
Scott Williams is a pastor, speaker, author and leader who happens to be African American. He’s written a book called Church Diversity [11] where he takes on the subject of discrimination and favoritism in the church.
In the book, Williams describes an encounter with an African American shoeshine man that completely transformed his paradigm on racial diversity especially within the church.
“At the time, I was going to a great Spirit-filled African American church, and I remember needing to get my shoes shined. I always felt like I needed to be really sharp and dressed to a T when I attended this particular church. One afternoon I stopped by the local full-service carwash, and just like I always did, I got my shoes shined while waiting for my car to be cleaned. It’s amazing the wisdom that you can glean from the local old-school shoeshine man. This particular shoeshine man’s name was “Slim.” Slim was an elderly black man who stood about six foot four…
“As Slim and I talked about life during the course of my shoeshine, we somehow got on the subject of church… I explained to him my frustrations and experience as it relates to the Church. I told him that I was looking for a church home, one that I could truly settle down in and one day raise a family in. Slim began to tell me about his church, and many of his descriptions brought back memories of the things that I liked from my previous church experiences… Once Slim finished describing his church, I began to get excited and thought to myself, ‘Wow, this sounds like a place for me!’
“My next question to Slim was this: ‘Is it a white church or a black church? No sooner than the words came out of my mouth, Slim responded with words that I will never forget. He said, ‘Young man, that is the stupidest question you can ever ask. It’s not a black church, it’s not a white church, it’s God’s church. It doesn’t matter what you look like. That’s what’s wrong with the Church today. So-called Christians are so worried about whether all of the faces of the congregation match their own that they miss the part about making sure their hearts match up with the heart of Jesus.” [12]
BOOM! Mic drop!
“…that is the stupidest question you can ever ask. It’s not a black church, it’s not a white church, it’s God’s church.” —Slim
A Game-Changing Revelation
The definitive statement on partiality and discrimination in the N.T. shows up in Acts 10 when Peter was on the roof top praying before his evening meal and he had an extraordinary vision.
He saw a large sheet – basically a tablecloth – come down out of heaven and it was covered with all kinds of food that in the Jewish faith would be considered “unclean” – even sinful – for a guy like Peter to eat. We’re talking bacon, barbecued pork, ham, shrimp, bacon… Not really. Maybe? You get the drift…
Then Peter heard the voice of God commanding him, “…Get up, Peter. Kill and eat them.” (v 13)
Three times Peter spoke back to God… “Are you kidding? No way, God! I’ve never eaten anything that isn’t kosher. I’ve never eaten anything that is impure or unclean.” (v 14-16)
Three times the voice spoke back to Peter, “Don’t call anything unclean or impure that God has made clean.” (v 15-16)
By the end of this series of visions Peter was thoroughly confused. The visions he had just received went against everything he had ever been taught.
Before he could get clarity on what had just occurred, the Holy Spirit spoke to him again and said, “Go downstairs. Three men have coming looking for you… Go with them. Don’t ask questions. I sent them to get you…” (10:20)
Peter went downstairs and sure enough, three Gentile dudes were asking for him. They wanted him to go with them to the house of a Roman Army Officer — another Gentile — named, Cornelius. They told Peter, “An angel commanded Cornelius to send us to get you and bring you to his house.” (v 22)
All of a sudden, the illustrated message God had just given Peter on the roof started to sink in. The next morning, Peter went with this group to the house of a Gentile dude named Cornelius.
Peter finally got the point of God’s message. He went to the home of a group of people he had always discriminated against and pre-judged… A group he had completely written off.
In Acts 10, Peter walked into the home of this non-Jewish man, and for first time in history, he preached the Gospel to a completely “Gentile” or non-Jewish audience. This is just part of what he said… Check out Verse 28.
Peter told them, “You know it is against our laws for a Jewish man to enter a Gentile home like this or to [even] associate with you. But God has just shown me that no race is better than any other.” —Acts 10:28 NLT / MSG
This was a ground-breaking, earth-shaking, paradigm-making revelation. It was a total game-changer!
Cornelius broke in and told Peter about the vision he had received four days prior. The vision that had caused him to send messengers in the first place. As Peter heard about the vision Cornelius received and thought about the vision God had given him, he realized, “Oh, wow! The Holy Spirit is at work… He’s doing what God always said He would do. He’s doing what Joel and the prophets spoke about! He’s crossing racial and ethnic lines (see Joel 2:28-30). He’s breaking down barriers and building bridges!”
God plays no favorites!
I love the way Verses 34-35 read in The Message.
Peter fairly exploded with his good news: “It’s God’s own truth, nothing could be plainer: God plays no favorites! It makes no difference who you are or where you’re from—if you want God and are ready to do as he says, the door is open… —Acts 10:34-35 MSG
Peter preached the Gospel! The place was supercharged with the person and power of the Holy Spirit! According to Verses 44-48, the entire household of Cornelius was born again and filled with the Spirit and also baptized in water…
Peter started turned to leave, but Cornelius said, “Hang out with us… Stay here for a few days… We want to know more…” (v 48)
Can you imagine what took place over the next several days?
Maybe Petef ate his first ham sandwich. Maybe he got introduced to bacon? Maybe he ate shrimp! We’re not sure. But, we do know that at some point Peter realized, “Oh, wow! A group of people I’ve treated like ‘second class’ or ‘no class’. A group of people I’ve rejected and treated as unimportant all my life, actually matter to the heart of God, and have some amazing and beautiful things to contribute to my life and God’s kingdom!”
Before we wrap up this post, let’s look at the BIG IDEA once more:
There is one race — the human race. Every person is created in the image of God, has been chosen by God an invited to become adopted into the family of God.
Because of what Jesus has done, His church is a counter-cultural community of believers that loves beyond the lines of ethnic divisions, social classes and cultural differences.
In the next post, I’ll begin sharing four challenges that can create a game-changing perspective on how we relate to people.
Until then, take a few minutes to look at Allport’s Scale again. Are you on the scale? Do you need to spend time talking with God about how you think of, relate to and treat other people, especially those different from you?
Perhaps you could even read through Acts 10, spending time thanking God for His commitment to break through every wall that divides us and create “one new humanity” that reflects the beauty, creativity and heart of our great God!
“I’m starting with the man in the mirror,
I’m asking him to change his ways,
And no message could have been any clearer:
If you want to make the world a better place,
take a look at yourself, and make the change…”
—Siedah Garrett for Michael Jackson
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allport%27s_Scale#:~:text=Allport’s%20Scale%20is%20a%20measure,psychologist%20Gordon%20Allport%20in%201954.
[2] https://www.amazon.com/Nature-Prejudice-25th-Anniversary/dp/0201001799/ref=sr_1_1?crid=269YKC3DBD2HR&dchild=1&keywords=the+nature+of+prejudice+gordon+allport&qid=1632230401&sprefix=the+nature+of+prejudice%2Caps%2C184&sr=8-1
[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rwandan_genocide
[4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bosnian_genocide
[5] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cambodian_genocide
[6] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uyghur_genocide
[7] https://us.gov.krd/en/issues/anfal-campaign-and-kurdish-genocide/
[8] https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/03/11/whats-happening-syria-is-genocide/
[9]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Sudanese_Civil_War#:~:text=About%20400%2C000%20people%20were%20estimated,subsequent%20fighting%20had%20ethnic%20undertones.
[10] https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/8/19/us-troops-to-stay-in-afghanistan-till-all-americans-out-live
[11] https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004W9NL0G/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1
[12] Williams, Scott. Church Diversity: Sunday the Most Segregated Day of the Week (p. 29). New Leaf Press. Kindle Edition.