36, Day 69 (Written Sunday February 19) ~ Sometimes the deep South gets a bad rap from the rest of the country, and the world for that matter. Traditionally we have been stereotyped as racist and backwards. Granted, the South has suffered from some horrible race relations historically, and things aren't what they should be (I doubt they will ever be perfect), but thanks to Christianity, they are much better than often getting credit.
In the New Testament era there were race/social problems as well. Jew/Gentile, slave/free person conflicts occupy a great deal of the New Testament writings. Critics have often attacked the Scriptures for not attacking slavery and race relations head on, which sounds good in a hypothetical argument, but in actuality would have likely resulted in riots and violence that would have greatly injured the cause of Christ. Instead, the wisdom of God brought about the destruction of these problems in their generation by teaching disciples of Christ to love one another, to esteem others better than yourselves, that being a servant is the path to greatness and that forgiveness is necessary when we wrong one another. Christianity attacked slavery in a non-violent, long lasting way by teaching us how we are supposed to treat other humans.
Fast forward to today. Slavery is no longer an issue in our country, due in part to the teachings of Christianity changing the hearts of men. Racism, well that's another story. It is alive and well, not just in the South, but all over. If it is to be diminished it will not be because of government mandates, quotas or laws, but because hearts are changed from fear, misunderstanding and hatred, to love, compassion, understanding and forgiveness. All of which ware byproducts of Christianity.
I will offer this disclaimer, in many places the church is still infected with racism, some overtly, other more subtly. This past week has been a refreshing week of worship as I have visited four congregations in two southern states (Louisiana and Florida) where the congregations membership was "mixed" (black and white). Standing in the pulpit, looking over the assembly it was refreshing and beautiful to see, not just a black family or a hispanic person, but a congregation that was truly racially/ethnically diverse. Back home many Christians speak in terms of "our" churches and "their" churches, meaning white, black, hispanic, etc, congregations. What a blessing to be with so many families of Christian brothers and sisters first, without regard to our skin color. A great reminder that "Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world, red and yellow, black and white, they are precious in His sight, Jesus loves the little children of the world."
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