Our love of God causes us to love others. Our calling as Christians causes us to speak. and act for those in danger. The unique vocation of the clergy requires that we "cry aloud and spare not" (Isaiah 58:1) when humanity is threatened by the vile threat of racism. Unfortunately, critical race theory, and books such
as Ibram X. Kendi’s 2019 book, How to Be an Antiracist, have
become mainstream. The views are not only immature, poorly stated, and
riddled with historical errors, but are also contrary to God’s Word
and, thus, harmful to human existence. Yet, their horrendous ideologies
are being taught in grammar schools through professional
postgraduate courses. There can be only one conclusion to normalizing hatred
grounded in accidental differences in humankind: the loss of
necessary, rational, civil discourse, which invariably leads to civil
violence, and violence which leads to self-destruction. What is that conclusion? What must we do?
Offer the life of Jesus Christ who forgave us to others. Release the divine Word from Another World and the Spirit of God will convert, or, by judicial hardening of those who refuse Him, judge. I will challenge you to see how hatred of others withers when we see that we are of a race of sinners, under the judgment of our Creator, and desperately in need of a Savior. Therefore, I urge:
Receive God’s love in Jesus Christ, and you will not only be protected
from such corrosive ideologies as racism, but God will use the very thing that you used to stop God's love, to advance it. For good
is stronger than evil, and the God who sent His Son to save one race,
the race of humanity, will transform you.
How did your mother sing it to
you when you were a child? Perhaps, the words are dated or unintentionally focused on color, suspect to stereotypical latent tendencies of an older, less sophisticated era. Nevertheless, the mother who would sing this to her wee lad or lass knew that the more prevalent sins of the heart that could strike at her child had to be faced, and had to be defeated on the most decisive battleground: the child’s heart. Her chosen weapon for this spiritual warfare is the one we need now, more than ever: the love of God in Jesus Christ. Remember? I do.
“Jesus loves the little children, all of 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.“
God's love in our hearts yields a harvest of love for others. This is how otherwise uncontrollable weeds of racism wither, and the new growth of life emerges, bringing peace, creating unity, and releasing the power of life as it was meant to be lived.