5 Questions Christians Should Ask Themselves About Racism

I know I have some readers who saw the title of this post and turned away. They are tired of hearing about race and racism, so they’re not going to read this. Some of you are proceeding with caution. A few of you may be proceeding with enthusiasm. Given all that I’ve seen and heard in recent weeks, I’m guessing that only a small number of you fall into this latter category. Nevertheless, in light of recent events, I feel it would be remiss of me not to address this topic.

I try to avoid touching on political topics here on the blog, but as I’ve thought about the topics of race and racism in the past weeks, I’ve realized more and more that they aren’t political topics. They’re people topics. They’re heart topics. For those of us who are Christians, they’re topics that help us see if we are salt and light to a broken, hurting world around us.

I’m not an expert on racism and, sadly, I can’t say that I’ve never said or done things that are racist. I’m simply a person who loves the people in my family, community, and country. If I’m to love these people well, then I need to do it in a way that is consistent with God’s commands. I’ve been asking myself some questions about racism. I believe my answers will help me see if my views are consistent with the teachings of Scripture. I hope you will join me in answering these questions. Please note that though the topic of racism is relevant to everyone, I am writing this post in the context of current events and as a White individual. Everyone is encouraged to read it, but White individuals may find it to be more relevant because of the examples I use.

How do I define racism?

Various dictionaries define racism differently:

• “a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race” (Merriam-Webster)
• “the belief that people’s qualities are influenced by their race and that the members of other races are not as good as the members of your own, or the resulting unfair treatment of members of other races” (Cambridge Dictionary)
• “the belief that people of some races are inferior to others, and the behavior which is the result of this belief” (Collins)

I think that most individuals I know would agree with these definitions, but some would tack on a couple of things. One is that racism is motivated by hate. In other words, if you are racist (believe that one race is superior), then you harbor hatred in your heart. Another is that a person’s thoughts and actions are racist because of the person’s intentions. In other words, if the person “didn’t mean anything by it” and he or she loves people of all colors, then an action wasn’t actually racist.

As Christians, I believe we need to be careful to avoid these two add-ons. Thoughts and actions can be racist even if they aren’t motivated by hate and if the individual having the thought or taking the action isn’t intentionally trying to be hurtful. Consider these two examples.

• Researchers have found that many doctors and medical students believe that Black people’s nerve endings are less sensitive than White people’s and that Black people’s skin is thicker than White people’s. As a result, across a variety of healthcare settings where patients are experiencing several different types of pain, Black patients are 22% less likely than White patients to receive appropriate pain medication. Please note that Blacks don’t have fewer nerve endings or thicker skin—these are inaccurate stereotypes that likely stem from the once common belief that Blacks and Whites are biologically different. These doctors likely don’t consider themselves to be racist. They may even have friends who are Black and/or believe that every person has the same value. Some of the doctors may even be Black. Thus, these doctors aren’t motivated by hate. This doesn’t change the fact that their beliefs and actions regarding Black patients’ pain are racist and that Blacks suffer because of them.
• An employee in a workplace may tell fellow employees jokes that perpetuate negative stereotypes and prejudices toward individuals of a particular race. This employee may not intend to cause offense or harm. This doesn’t change the fact that the jokes may be hurtful to fellow employees who are of the race being joked about. It doesn’t change the fact that the jokes create a hostile workplace. It doesn’t change the fact that these jokes may encourage feelings of racial superiority or deliberate acts of discrimination.

Christians are called to do the loving thing. We are called to look to the interests of others (Philippians 2:4). I believe this means we should humbly recognize that our thoughts and actions can be racist (and harmful) even if we don’t feel hatred towards a particular race and we aren’t intentionally trying to be hurtful. We should then, of course, avoid these thoughts and actions.

Do I do racist things?

If you agree with what I’ve said above, then the next step is to consider if you think and do things that are racist. Personally, I feel a little defensive when someone insinuates that I may do and think racist things. After all, I (a White woman) am married to a Black man and have three biracial kids. This means I can’t be racist, right? Well, it’s nowhere near that simple. There are many covert expressions of racism. Most of us would agree that things like lynching, calling a Black person the n-word, and being part of the KKK are racist. However, there are many less obvious thoughts and actions that are racist. Consider these examples.

• Assuming you can’t be guilty of perpetuating racism because you “never owned slaves”
• Hiring discrimination
• Calling the police on a Black person when you wouldn’t have called on a White person who was doing the same thing
• Choosing school curriculum (or not challenging public school curriculum) that doesn’t provide an honest account of U.S. history, such as teaching the realities of slavery
• Fearing people of color
• Believing that Black individuals’ accounts of being targeted by racism are exaggerated or untrue
• Telling racist jokes and/or standing by and not saying anything when someone else tells racist jokes
• Supporting policies (such as dress codes) that discriminate against Black individuals who have natural hair (locs, afros, etc.)
• Denying that racism is an issue today
• Racial profiling
• Trusting the word of White experts but being distrustful of the word of Black experts

I could list a dozen more examples (you can see additional discussion of covert racism here and here), but I’ll stop in the interest of keeping this post a reasonable length. It is not comfortable to examine our own thoughts and actions. However, for Christians, I think it is essential that we do so. Otherwise we won’t be loving our neighbors as ourselves (Matthew 22:37-40).

Do I seek to be colorblind?

For years many churches and individuals in society promoted “colorblindness” as a means to reduce or eliminate racism. Proponents of colorblindness will often say that we’re all one race—the human race. This is factually untrue. “Human” isn’t a race, it’s a species and race is actually a social construct (it’s a way to classify people, but it isn’t biological). Regardless, the idea is that people won’t act in racist ways if they see everyone the same. I believe there are a few issues with this approach.

• Being colorblind isn’t possible. We see the skin of the individuals around us. We notice skin color just like we notice hair color, height, clothing, if someone has glasses or not, if someone uses a wheelchair, etc. It’s silly to pretend as though we can look at a person without noticing these things.
• Being colorblind ignores the beautiful diversity around us. Christians celebrate the diversity of the world around us—different animals, plants, geological formations, etc.—and think that these are a blessing. Why then would human diversity, including differences in skin color and hair texture, not also be worth appreciating?
• Being colorblind invalidates the experiences of individuals of color. If we “see only one color” then it is easy for us to write off reports of someone being treated in a racist manner or even someone being discriminated against. After all, why would someone treat this person that way? We’re all one “race,” right? The way a person looks, including his or her skin color, impacts his or her life experience. We should seek to understand this experience instead of insisting that we can live in a world where a person’s appearance isn’t relevant.

Because of these things, I believe that we shouldn’t seek to be colorblind. I think we should believe that everyone has equal value instead of trying to see everyone the same.

Do I believe that how I interact with my community should be influenced by my personal salvation?

Though choosing to follow Jesus is a personal choice (i.e., each person must choose for himself or herself), I believe that following Jesus should impact more than our personal thoughts and the private aspects of our lives. In fact, it should impact all aspects of our lives, including the way we interact with family members, friends, and community members. Here are a handful of ways Christians are supposed to interact with others.

“Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters! Let every person be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger.” James 1:19 (NET)

“Each of you should be concerned not only about your own interests, but about the interests of others as well.” Philippians 2:4 (NET)

“Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide yourselves purses that do not wear out—a treasure in heaven that never decreases, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys.” Luke 12:33 (NET)

“Pure and undefiled religion before God the Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their adversity and to keep oneself unstained by the world.” James 1:27 (NET)   

“Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’” Matthew 25:34-36 (NET)

“Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.” Romans 12:15 (NET)

“If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacks daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, keep warm and eat well,’ but you do not give them what the body needs, what good is it? So also faith, if it does not have works, is dead being by itself. But someone will say, ‘You have faith and I have works.’ Show me your faith without works and I will show you faith by my works.” James 2:15-18 (NET)

I don’t know how it is for you, but I find it easy to identify when someone is doing something that blatantly conflicts with these verses. Robbery, murder, adultery, and even things like calling someone a racial slur or overt discrimination because of race are easy to recognize. However, the same isn’t true for subtle things. In the context of the current conversation on racism, I have to ask myself if I am acting in accordance with these verses.

• When Black family members, friends, and even strangers share their experiences with racism, do I take time to listen—truly listen—or am I quick to share my own opinion? (James 1:19)
• Many Black individuals (as well as individuals from other racial and ethnic groups) feel pain and sadness because of racism and/or discrimination they have experienced. Am I taking the time to be present with them and weep with them? (Romans 12:15)
• When I learn of racial disparities in wealth and health, what do I do? Do I ignore them, assuming that I’m not at fault? Do I do nothing because I assume the disparities are brought on by laziness or lifestyle choices? Or do I take a different approach? Do I carefully examine these disparities to see if there are any changes I could make (or encourage government leaders to make) that would address them? Do I step up and offer food to the hungry and care to the sick? (Matthew 25:34-36)

Personally, I don’t think it is enough for Christians to avoid doing racist things. I believe verses like these indicate we need to proactively connect with others and work to heal the racial divisions that plague our nation.

What am I doing to combat racism in my home, church, community, and country?

Here’s the really hard part: what should I do with my answers to these questions? I hope that, like me, you want to do what you can to make sure there isn’t any racism in your home, church, community, and nation. This isn’t going to happen unless we answer questions like these and then take action. I don’t know that “one size fits all” applies when it comes to actions. I think it will look different for all of us. However, I hope that you will do something. This post is already so long that I don’t want to list a whole bunch of possibilities here. What I will do is provide links to lists that others have already compiled.

• 6 Ways to be Antiracist, Because Being ‘Not Racist’ Isn’t Enough
• How to Stop the Racist in You
• 75 Things White People Can Do for Racial Justice

Final thoughts

One thing that I have felt strongly about lately is the need to pray. There are so many opinions out there and so many varied ideas about how to address the issues we’re facing. I need wisdom to know which opinions are correct, which ideas are the best, and how to best interact with those that hold views that differ from my own. I hope you will join me in praying about these things as you answer these questions.

What other questions do you think Christians should ask themselves about racism? Please share these with us so we can all continue to learn and grow.

Shared at the following:

Encouraging Hearts and Home, Over the Moon, and Busy Monday.