Bearing Each Other's Burdens: Addressing Racism As Christians

Anything is being phased by one part of the body of Christ being faced by all of this is family policy matters. Focus on faith tradition with Thomas Grant, pastoral outreach director for NC family join us once a month is pastor Graham shine some light on the intersection between our Christian faith and engaging our culture for joining us for this week.

Special focus on for the family policy motors. Today we will be discussing racism and the responsibility we Christians have two addresses assume our guest today is Russell Moore.

Russell is the president of the ethics and religious liberty commission of the Southern Baptist moral and public policy agency of the nation's largest Protestant denomination is a frequent cultural commentator of the Wall Street Journal has called him vigorous, cheerful, and fiercely articulate is the author of several books including onward, engaging the culture without losing the gospel is an ordained Southern Baptist minister theologian by background native Mississippian husband and father of five sons Russell more welcome to family policy matters.

It's great to have you on the show today sir wealth and honor to be with you by threatening Russell is just plunge right in here, what exactly is racism and why is it raised to the level of being a sin. Well I racism this is whenever a person or group prizes. Is there ethnic identity about others and that can manifest out in terms of personal relationships that can manifest itself in terms community organization that can manifest itself in terms of legal or or system arrangements, but it's a way of prioritizing one's own ethnic background is having some sort of privilege or superiority over over others and the reason that this is a is a sin is because we understand and know that all people are created in the image of God and so that the Bible tells us that when we sin against our neighbor, who she is made in the image of God where we are sinning against God is aware, we are assaulting picture of a goddess put in the world of self excellence is racism like a uniquely American problem or sin.

No, I think we see we see racism and the roots of racism going back to all the way to Canaan. Eight.

When you have when you have king who is seeking that idolatry at the cell.

I'm wanting to put himself in the superior position over able because of his resentment toward his brother. And we see that manifesting itself over and over and over again in Scriptures and God's attitude continually remind his people that humanity is a whole even right when you come into the New Testament and there's a great deal of opposition to the gospel going to the nation and tell you this evening. In Galatians 2 of the apostle Paul confronting even Peter magnificent apostle are chosen by our Lord is confronted because equipment each with with Gentiles uniquely American issue, but it certainly is bound up in American history. From the very beginning Russell today when we look at racism could you discuss or share your view on some of the root causes of racism and how we can more effectively address those well I think that the primary naming of root causes… There's something within all of us that want to say I am better and I am greater and I am more deserving and I am more entitled event that anyone else is the root cause and then I think it it manifests itself in in lots of different ways. One of the problems that sometimes quite Christians will have is thinking that because there's not a since of personal rage against the people of other ethnicities, then that means that these issues are just not a concern. Right when in reality. Often these issues are of racial differentiation show up even in what one notice so not have a pastor friend African-American pastor Randy was we were. One day, and he said, I pray for me because my son is going off to college. He said I'm helping him with his applications and there's one particular school that I don't want him to go to because I just don't think it would be safe for him as a young black man to be in this particular place and I realize that moment that was something that I've never I would never have to to even think about Ryan as I'm working through college options for a son.

So I think that's one of the mentor stations are very Russell, do you think the awareness of racism and the efforts to curb moving in a positive direction or negative direction. In recent years.

I think both at high think that I think that we see some positive things obviously that it happened over the last 50 years in terms of civil rights, voting rights, that we don't have segregated lunch counters anymore. We have we have a great deal of progress that has been a on the other hand, we also see not just in the United States but all around the world. Racial hatred and and racial injustice are continuing to happen, and in one of the problems is sometimes it becomes even worse when we assume well all that's behind us.

It's all if I've been taking care of so we can just move on right right needs to come together. Do you think, and who is coming together to address racism in society today. Well I think I think all sorts of groups need to need to come together and talk with one another and work together primary place that I'm concerned about is within our local congregation because that that the Bible speaks of the of the local church as being more than just a gathering of people together is just Ephesians 3 sign to the principalities and powers and I wanted to keep manifestations at that sign is unity. People who may have been nothing else in common except the blood of Christ and the Holy Spirit right so and as long as as Martin Luther King famously said 11 o'clock on Sundays is the most segregated hour in America were really not sending that word really not sending that message to the devil, of what the unity of Christ actually achieves your listening to a resource to listen to our radio show online resources have a place of persuasion in your community website lighting do you think it is possible for a country like America that has such atrocities as slavery's lynchings and segregation in its history to ever move past those hurts into a completely healed and unified community. I think so.

It with that comes repentance and constant awareness of what has happened in the past and what could happen in the future yet, so I think of it as a personal level. I have a a friend who was addicted to alcohol and drugs before the Lord, and he hadn't destroyed market all around it happened with that is that he now is is devoting his life to administrative people who are in the situation.

He terms of substance abuse and at the same time he recognizes his own vulnerability and so he's watching his own heart and his own life all the time putting protections in place so that he doesn't he doesn't go back out the same thing applies to a society in in many ways decided that it dealt with these issues of injustice sometimes is able to then speak to them out of one's own experience out of a country's own experience, but also having to constantly watch as they had to get into the situation. How do we avoid getting into it again.

Yes Russell.

How would you encourage those on the receiving end of racism to respond well I went I would encourage them to as Dr. King pointed out silent only continues oppression and so the response is not to respond with with more hatred and more able obviously Romans 12 you don't you don't overcome you know evil with evil.

You'll come evil with good, doesn't mean you overcome evil with with silence or with just shrug of the shoulders and this is the way that it's supposed to be part of this just the way that you can you can do anything about it. Instead, I think that the response needs to be one that says my response here is not billed precedence for people who are going to come along in the future you have someone apparatuses is not in a workplace.

It is dealing with racial discrimination that person coming forward and saying this is not right is not just speaking up for himself or herself but also for whoever else might be in that workplace coming coming down the line.

Think about racism in the ever-expanding loss of respect for the dignity of the person our culture today. How does racism sit into that context. Well, you can see a common thread whether one is looking at for instance I people suggesting that Down syndrome babies with Down syndrome ought to be taught never to be allowed to be born or people are suggesting those who have disabilities are terminally ill shouldn't be allowed to have life. For those who would suggest that that that said, we should really care about the way that the pornography industry is trafficking in and dehumanizing women.

All of those all those issues I think are built on a fundamentally satanic view of humanity that says that human work in human value is determined by power and power as the world defines power, which is course as as Christians that's exactly the opposite of what what we believe is those who follow crucified Christ to believe power comes through weakness, and so we we don't we don't who is valuable based upon the what this letter society CS as strong right now whether that's in terms of physical strength or whether that's in terms of five numbers of people I we have a different view. Yes yes yes I I'm sure you get in your place of service to the body of Christ at large, but within the context of your denomination.

You've played a major role in helping Christians, God's people to understand that they have a responsibility to play in addressing the topic of racism as we begin to close out this interview today. Russell, would you mind just commenting about that. What role are Christians of all denominations called play in addressing the topic of racism and the main thing is what Scripture calls us to the Galatians chapter 6, which is to bear one another's burdens, and so that means that we need quite Christians who are asking the question what burdens are being are being born right now by my black brothers and sisters in Christ are my Hispanic brothers and sisters in Christ or or others and to say that that means that that's my issue to because anything is being faced by one part of the body of Christ being faced by by all of them so I think that that's that's the primary issue and also to say I need to be constantly asking whether personally or Congregational lady or in terms of my place as a citizen of where am I where am I contributing to this sort of injustice and and how to live in work to undo that yes Russell, I'm sure listeners are really going to appreciate the value of your remarks today and I so thank you as we bring this interview to a close working our listeners go to learn more about this topic and, in particular, your work will be hosting update Conference and coinciding with the 50th anniversary of the assassination of King about speaks to all of these issues that it'll pay 51st week of April and I listeners could find out about that@ourwebsite.yourlc.com and weekly luck to would love to see some of Russell, thank you so very much for being with us on family policy matters today for your courageous and faithful work. God bless you my friend got bless you. Thanks for having been listening to family policy matters.

Focus on faith, edition Thomas Graham, each director for NC family to listen to our radio show online, and for more resources and information about issues and to families in North Carolina go to our website NC family.org and follow us on Twitter and Facebook and