“A new commandment I give you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.”
John 13:34
So Peter opened his mouth and said: “Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.”
Acts 10:34-35
Editor's Note: The written portion below was prepared by Dr. Robert Youngblood, AFA staff member, based off thoughts from the audio below.
Race relations have come a long way even though they have a long way to go – even within churches.
The beauty is the blessings we all receive when we share and live the truth of Scripture through love and obedience to Christ. God shows no partiality in what he requires of us.
Jesus demonstrates to us and, ideally, through us, how to live with “love, joy, peace patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” and reminds us that “against such things there is no law.” (Galatians 5:22-23)
The fruit of the Spirit, though, is not always present as it should be with believers and their interactions with one another and the world. Sometimes sins, offenses, or wrongs have occurred which require forgiveness, just as Jesus forgave us. How can we be free in Christ if we are bound by unforgiveness? So, how does Jesus love and forgive? Psalm 103:11-12 answers:
For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.
Yet Bible examples like Zacchaeus, Luke 19:1-10, show repentance where people still living were defrauded, and restitution was promised. Or what about Exodus 22:1-31?
How should we move forward in a way true to the Bible’s teachings? How can we “Think Biblically, Live Accordingly” like the tagline for theChristianWorldview.org encourages?
Christian Worldview host, David Wheaton, had a discussion with Dr. Darrel Harrison the Saturday before Martin Luther King, Jr. Day on the topic, “Are Reparations for Slavery Consistent with Repentance and Restitution?”
They spend time together discussing whether there is a biblical basis for paying reparations for slavery, along with other questions, like the four-minute segment below where they discuss:
What’s the best way forward to have better race relations within the church?
Harrison is the former fellow of Black Theology and Leadership Institute and current Dean of Social Media at Grace to You, which is a teaching and preaching ministry of Dr. John MacArthur.
Wheaton is an author, radio host, speaker, former professional tennis player, and contributing columnist for the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
Listen to this four-minute audio from Short Take #5 to:
- Hear Martin Luther King, Jr.’s quote about segregation in the church – is it still true today?
- Discover the difference most people miss between segregation and separation.
- What the social justice movement hasn’t yet figured out, but is clearly shown in the Bible.
- The first requirement necessary for reconciliation.
- How Jesus leads with an example in reconciliation.
- What Scripture says about churches being multi-ethnic…which isn’t shared often from the pulpit.
- The best way forward for better race relations in the church.
- The “new things” churches need to focus on for a reconciliation.
- What the churches and social justice realms have backward.
May we all draw closer to God through his Holy Word so we can do more than just hear His word, but live it too – towards our brothers and sisters in Christ and to the world around us.
Editor’s Notes: The audio above appears here. Harrison’s program airs on Urban Family Talk on Saturday’s at 5 a.m. and 12 noon CST. Wheaton’s program airs on American Family Radio Saturdays at 8:00 a.m. CST.
