Embracing Ethnicity, Rejecting Race
A Christian Response to a Racialized Culture
Race and ethnicity are words we should not use interchangeably. “Ethnicity,” I believe, is a concept Christians should embrace, while “race” is a concept Christians should reject and resist. We also need to recognize the very real damage the concept of race has done. Here is why this distinction matters and what Christians can do about it.
What is Ethnicity?
Our English word “ethnicity” comes from the Greek, “ethnos.” It refers to people groups, distinguished by unique cultures, languages, and traditions. In the New Testament, “ethnos” is often translated “Gentiles,” because it was used to distinguish the Jewish people from all the other ethnic groups of the world.
It is important to note, ethnicity is not determined by physical characteristics. It is more about what language someone speaks, the style of clothes they wear, or the foods they grew up eating, rather than the color of their skin. Sometimes people of a particular ethnic group share some common physical traits, but not always. Furthermore, people from two different ethnic groups may look similar, but be radically different in terms of culture. Finally, many people belong to multiple ethnic groups at the same time.
Ethnicity is a natural and beautiful human reality. The church should have a special appreciation for ethnic diversity. After all, Jesus has “ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation” (Revelation 5:9). People from every ethnic group should be welcomed into the church without being expected to conform to the cultural standards of any other ethnic group (see Romans, Galatians, and Ephesians).
What is Race?
Race is a very different concept, especially as it is has been conceptualized over the last 300 years or so. In the late 1600s and early 1700s, various theories were proposed which divided humanity into categories based on physical features.
For instance, Francois Bernier (1684) divided humanity into four groups:
Europeans, North Africans, and Indigenous Americans
Sub-Saharan Africans
Asians
Lapps (northern Scandinavians)
Fifty years later (1735), Carl Linnaeus divided and color-coded humanity into four races:
“Red” (Indigenous Americans)
“Yellow” (Asians)
“Black” (Africans)
“White” (Europeans)
From the very beginning, racial theory was used to dehumanize, mistreat, exile, and enslave people. Even after centuries of race-based slavery ended in the United States, racial theory continued to be taught and enforced through laws and social customs. This theory was the basis of segregation, forbidding so-called “interracial” marriage, housing and job discrimination, and countless other injustices.
It is incredibly important to realize that racial theory is (and always has been) antithetical to a Christian worldview. Racial theory claims people with various physical features belong to biologically distinct groups. Scripture, on the other hand, teaches that God “made from one man every nation (ethnos) of mankind” (Acts 17:26). In other words, people of every ethnic group are all descended from Adam and all belong to the same human family.
Let me say that one more time, for those who might not have caught it: The idea of distinct races is an artificial construct and every ethnic group in the world belongs to a single human family.
Still a Racialized Culture
It was only 70 years ago that racial theory was still being taught in schools and churches. Today, thankfully, it is nearly universally recognized—by Christian apologists, scientists, anthropologists, and even Critical Race Theorists—that race is not a biological reality. It is reassuring that people who disagree on many other topics can agree that racial theory is false.
“Race does not provide an accurate representation of human biological variation. It was never accurate in the past, and it remains inaccurate when referencing contemporary human populations. Humans are not divided biologically into distinct continental types or racial genetic clusters.”
However, just because racial theory has been formally debunked, does not mean the general public has been fully disabused of the idea. It also doesn’t mean the effects of this theory suddenly and completely disappeared.
Imagine if, when you were 20 years old, someone spread vicious rumors about you. They made up lies, saying you were a dangerous monster, barely human, and should never be trusted. Because of this lie, for 50 years, you were denied housing in certain areas, not hired for certain jobs, constantly looked at with suspicion, and were even told who you could and couldn’t marry.
However, on your 70th birthday, it was discovered that the rumors about you were not true. People in certain positions of authority said, “Oops, I guess we were wrong.”
Could the effects of that lie be reversed? That lie set your life on an entirely different trajectory. Your life at 70 is nothing like what it would have been, had it not been for the lie. Not to mention, there are people who didn’t “get the memo” that the lie was untrue. Some continue to distrust you, because they were taught to distrust you for decades.
Wouldn’t you say something like, “Can we please talk about what I’ve been through and what I’m still going through?” How would you react to others saying, “Just forget about it. It’s over now. Let it go.”?
This is very similar to where we are in our culture. However, instead of just one person, we are talking about millions of people. Furthermore, instead of 50 years, the lie about “races” was told for 300 years (and there are still people who believe it)!
So, where do we go from here?
A Christian Response to Race
Sadly, Christians have not always gotten this right. However, God is gracious and Jesus teaches us how to deal with situations like this. Here are a few suggestions of what you can do, regardless of your ethnicity:
Recognize God’s image in your neighbors. The Bible begins with a creation story that is radically different from other creation narratives (see Genesis 1-2). Other ancient people told creation narratives that claimed their kings were the image of their god. In other words, the king was the token and reflection of their god’s glory. However, Genesis tells us, YHWH created every single human being as his images. Everywhere you look, when you see a fellow human being, you are looking at a living statue of our living God. When you love your neighbor as yourself, you are honoring the God in whose image they were created.
Be poor of spirit and hungry for God’s justice. Spend a lot of time meditating on the Sermon on the Mount, especially the “beatitudes” (Matthew 5:1-11). We should pursue justice (the putting right of all things). However, in our pursuit for justice, we must never be self-righteous. We must maintain a poverty of spirit, freely confessing that we are just as guilty as everyone else. No one—regardless of their ethnicity—is righteous (see Romans 1-3). We also need to recognize, God is the only one who can ultimately set things right. The best we can do is be a sign of his kingdom.
Have the mind of Christ (Philippians 2:1-11). Jesus had all power, privilege, position, and prestige, but he didn’t hold onto it. He humbled himself, took on the form of a servant. He considered others more significant than himself. He looked out for the interests of others. If we have Christ’s Spirit, we will imitate him. We will let go of all pride and selfish ambition. We will become servants, loving and looking out for our neighbors of every ethnicity.
Overcome evil with good (Romans 12:14-21). “Evil” has a range of meanings. It can mean moral evil (sin) or it can simply mean harm. When we see sin and the effects of sin in the world, our first reaction is often a reaction of the flesh (anger, hostility, bitterness, etc.) We understandably want to “fight fire with fire.” We want to get even. However, vengeance is not ours. Vengeance is God’s. We cannot overcome evil by doing harm, only by doing good. We overcome evil by listening to our neighbors, loving them, and doing good works to help them in the name of Jesus.
I realize there is a certain level of ambiguity to all of this. What sort of “good works” should we do? We have a lot to sort through together, as Jesus’ people. Each of us will have to discuss the practical steps that can be taken in our church communities and neighborhoods. We will inevitably have disagreements about what is practical, what is fair, or what is good.
It’s ok for us to disagree, but it’s not ok to ignore this issue.
Through it all, we must walk by the Spirit. Producing the Spirit’s fruit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control) must be our top priority. We must show the world what it looks like when King Jesus brings together people of every tribe, language, and ethnic group into a unified body to love and care for one another.
That is the biblical vision of the kingdom of God and it must be our vision as well.
I love you and God loves you,