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| Official photographic portrait of US President Barack Obama (born 4 August 1961; assumed office 20 January 2009) (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
As long as God continues to delay
Christ's return for His people, I believe that we will always be dealing with issues of race, especially here in America. I live in the South, where race is always a hot topic, whether it's dealing with
voter id laws, or a half-hispanic man shooting a black teenager in self-defense. Those are the race topics of our day, it seems. One would think that many racial issues that divide us, might be solved by having a President who is truly African-
American (having an African father and an American mother). They aren't solved, nor will they be, as long as we are human. The problem comes when we pull what is termed, "The
Race Card."
North Carolina recently signed into law a more strict voter id law and immediately was sued by "civil rights" groups, presumably over it being
racist.
I support tougher restrictions on voting, but that's because I believe our forefathers fought for that right for the people to have a voice, and it needs to be protected from those who would wish to defraud the system. Getting a state-issued identification is not that hard, and the states that have passed such laws have put measures into place to ensure that everyone can get one, regardless of ability to pay. Most
ID cards only cost $5-$10. I'm still not sure how that is racist, to begin with.
Where "The Race Card" gets pulled more recently is with homosexuals and those of other religions. Homosexuals seem to be quick to pull it when they are being "persecuted." I say that loosely, because, in reality, Christians tend to be the persecuted ones here. And yet, a business that turns away a gay couple on religious grounds is accused of being homophobic and racist. Since when did homosexuality become a race? I've also seen people call out people for being Islamaphobes and racists when they speak out against Muslims. The last time I checked, Islam was a religion, not a race.
Where do Christians stand in all this? We should be last ones to pull "The Race Card." This is not about race. Jesus didn't make issues of race. He made a point to travel through
Samaria, to show that his message was not just for Jews. He used a Samaritan to show who really could be a neighbor. Peter was commanded to go to a Gentile (Cornelius, a
Roman military official). Is that racist? I live in a neighborhood where I am one of a few white families on the street, and yet, I hear about "white privilege" neighborhoods. I'm surrounded by black families and yet, neighborhoods like mine are considered to be "white privilege." My oldest daughter's best friend is black. So, what does that mean?
To be frank, I'm tired of "The Race Card." When can we move past, start talking to each other, and showing Christ? There are still many pastors around here who are racist. They would not let a black or hispanic person in their church, and yet, they might send missionaries to Africa or
Mexico. It's hypocritical, but I've met some of these people, and that type of issue is not going away, unless Christ changes their hearts. I, for one, would like to see us to be like Christ, and talk to people, and show them Christ. Stop making issues of Race, and start making issues of the Gospel.
10 Sacred Cows in Christianity That Need to be Tipped by Jared H. Moore is a short read, but it's one that opens up dialogue in the Church about some issues that we tend to hold sacred in the American Church. It is only about a 15 minute read, and it is more or less a compilation of blog posts from this past year, but I believe it is something worth reading and exploring. First of all, who is Jared H. Moore? From his website:
