The Problem
Another unarmed African American man was killed by a white policeman, and the nation is in turmoil. Such acts cause the African American community to wonder whether any amount of time, legislation, or speeches will free them from the stigma of being second-class citizens, or worse, second-class humans. Many Caucasians watch with horror as one of their own commits a heinous crime against another race and wonder how there can still be so many rogue police officers or vigilantes, to say nothing of outright racists, who continue to emerge in what we assumed was a civilized, educated, and liberally minded society.
During this time, countless experts, whether they be sociologists, psychologists, criminologists, or government officials, will voice their opinion on news and social media outlets on why racism and oppression continues in history’s wealthiest, most powerful nation. Diagnoses won’t be in short supply. Many will demand action and assign blame. Yet, if this crisis is like all those that have preceded it, people will have a nagging suspicion that, even after the voluminous rhetoric, nothing will fundamentally change.
Because, in spite of the horrific pain society continually experiences, it never addresses the cause. It merely complains about the symptoms. Racism at its core is not primarily an economic or political issue; it is a sin problem. It is evil. Economics does not eradicate evil. Politics can legislate against acts of evil, but it cannot root out evil from people’s hearts.
Humanity’s Sin Problem
Adam and Eve committed the first recorded sin. Until then, they lived in paradise. The insanity of sin is that it makes people commit acts of senseless evil. The immediate result of that first sin was alienation. A husband blamed his wife. People began blaming God. The result of a sinful couple rearing children was that they produced a sinful younger generation that took their parents’ sin to greater depths by committing murder. A sinful society without restraint became so evil and destructive that God ultimately had to destroy it and start over with Noah. But Noah and his shipmates were sinful too. Throughout history, regardless of how many disasters and divine judgments occurred, people continued to act destructively toward one another.
For that reason, God regularly speaks out against oppression and injustice in the Old Testament. The psalmist declared,
“. . . The Maker of heaven and earth, the sea and everything in them, He remains faithful forever, executing justice for the exploited and giving food to the hungry. The Lord frees prisoners. The Lord opens the eyes of the blind. The Lord raises up those who are oppressed. The Lord loves the righteous. The Lord protects resident aliens and helps the fatherless and the widow, but he frustrates the ways of the wicked” (Ps. 146:6-9).
God is our Creator. He knows the good He intended when He made us. And God is righteous. He is never swayed by financial gain or political winds. He stands for what is just and good, without exception. No one cares more for the exploited than God does. He loves the poor and hungry. God doesn’t blame the poor for being poor. He typically views their condition as symptomatic of exploitation and greed. During biblical times, many prisoners were in bondage because of debt and poverty, not crime. God understood that a society that enslaved its vulnerable citizens was corrupt and in need of repair. The Lord grants sight to the blind. This healing certainly applies to those who are physically blind. But, as is evidenced by reading the biblical prophets, God also seeks to help His people see their sin and turn from it. How can God-fearing, church-attending, Bible-believing people tolerate or even practice racism? They are often blind to it. Their parents made condescending comments about other races, and now they see nothing wrong with doing the same. Their church quietly discriminated against other races and made certain people feel unwelcome, and now these people see nothing wrong with doing the same. Sadly, there have been times when the Church has been a bulwark for racism rather than a prophetic voice against it. It is time for the Church to take a close look at itself and at its society.
Notice that God also loves the immigrant, the fatherless, and the widow, the segments of the population who suffer most in unjust societies. Sadly, American society has become so polarized that these social issues have become politicized. If you are attending a Bible study today and happen to point out that God cares for the poor and oppressed, you are likely to be subjected to an impassioned speech about government overreach and high tax rates. But there is no escaping the fact that God repeatedly charges His people to care for the oppressed and to treat every person with justice.
Two Incorrect Viewpoints
There are two fundamental misconceptions that hamstring society’s efforts to deal with its chronic problem. The first is the view taken from Jean Jacques Rousseau and the Enlightenment that people are fundamentally good. This perspective assumes that if people can simply be set free, society will naturally transform into a utopia. Communism mistakenly adopted this view, assuming that if everyone had a job, universal goodwill would naturally result. Many capitalists have likewise embraced this approach, presuming that in a free market society, people will naturally treat others with respect and justice and that the poor will be automatically elevated out of poverty as the overall tide of national prosperity rises.
Ironically, Rousseau, the famous popularizer of this rose-tinted view of humanity, was an egomaniac who fathered five children with his mistress and then had each of them summarily dispatched to an orphanage so they would not disturb his tranquility as he pondered noble thoughts. (See Paul Johnson’s Intellectuals [aff] for a scathing look at Rousseau). This view simply ignores sin, and any worldview that neglects to account for sin is destined to produce bewilderment when people in a modern, prosperous, educated society continue to act sinfully.
The second mistake is to hold too high a view of government by assuming it can legislate morality and goodness by telling citizens how to act and punishing them if they don’t comply. This worldview assumes government can intervene and alleviate the consequences of a sinful society by providing funding and aid for those in need while regular citizens wash their hands of any sense of guilt or responsibility. They pay taxes, after all. But, of course, government cannot change how people think, despite its numerous attempts throughout history. Sadly, government is often far from righteous. It is typically wasteful of taxpayer dollars and driven more by winning votes than acting justly, effectively, or biblically. Anyone who places hope in government to right the ills of society is destined for repeated disappointment.
What to Do?
People must let God deal with their sin. We are not naturally good and benevolent. Scripture loudly declares, “There is no one righteous, not even one . . . There is no one who does what is good, not even one . . .” (Rom. 3:10, 12). A society that trusts in the inherent goodness of its citizens or the efficiency of its government to bring out the best in people will continue to struggle with its sinful issues, just as the United States has done.
So, what should we do?
First, begin with God. Listen to His heart in the Scriptures. You have to ignore large swaths of the Bible not to see that God champions the poor and oppressed. True Christians love what and whom God loves, and they hate what God hates. The Church needs to do a better job of reflecting Him.
Second, focus on you. Have you behaved in an ungodly way? Have you inherited attitudes from your parents, grandparents, or church that need to be identified and firmly and finally renounced?
Third, ask God what you can do. Don’t sit night after night glued to your television as you watch riots occurring and angry people demanding to be heard. Don’t assume you have discharged your moral obligation to better your society once you leave the ballot box. God expects His people to be salt and light. Christians ought to make a positive difference!
Ask God to show you how you can 1) renounce injustice, 2) bring healing to those who need it, 3) promote justice wherever you see it is lacking, 4) pray. Politicians, economists, and psychologists won’t solve the problems our nation is facing. America’s greatest issue is sin, and only God has a remedy for that.
