Racism

The problem of racism exists, it has since Adam's fall. It is horrible, despicable and terrible. In this blog I will state 5 reasons why I do not subscribe to the "Wokeness" or Critical Race Theory view as the solution to racism. You may not agree with me, but hear me out. After all, this is America, and we're allowed to have differing opinions, right? 1) Racism is a human problem, not just a "white" problem. What about the possibility that Black, Asian, Latino, and native people can be racist? All over the world, in India and in Africa for example, people of one race brutally subjugate another. Dr.Martin Luther King said in 1966, "A doctrine of Black supremacy is as dangerous as a doctrine of white supremacy." Condemning all whites does not respect the fact that all people can be saved, that we are made in the image of God. 2) To heal racism requires forgiveness, not revenge. Proponents of critical race theory teach that the only way to purge the world of white privilege is to dismantle our institutions and give minorities special privileges. Isn't this partiality that the Lord says to avoid in Jame 2:1,9 and Ex. 23:3? This contradicts the very character of God. "Burn it down," the mantra of some of the Black Lives Matter and cancel culture people is NOT God's heart, nor His way. 3) "We are guilty" says wokeness. Guilty of past crimes, and guilty of present crimes of which we don't know. We cannot overcome this guilt, we can only embrace it, live under the shadow of our failings, and seek secular means of restoration. But the Scripture says that "The child shall not share the guilt of the parent." (Ezek. 18:20) How much more the guilt of the great-great-grandparent? Openly teaching that a German child born today is guilty of Hitler's atrocities, or a newborn Japanese baby for Tojo's horrors is ridiculous. 4) CRT is itself racist, and empowers elites to persecute others. It teaches that whites should strive to be "less white." That is "less oppressive, less confident, less arrogant, less defensive, less ignorant more humble, listen, break with white solidarity." This is "antiracism" and whites must realize that they cannot truly overcome this condition, but must, like an alcoholic, "manage" it. They are "closing the door, locking it, and throwing away the key '' to the solution. In Christ one is freed from such negativity and bondage. We're free to enjoy our heritage, background, and community. 5) Critical Race Theory treats people as oppressors and oppressed due to skin color and power dynamics. CRT teaches that parents oppress their children, police oppress the people by administering the law on the street, governments oppress those they have civic leadership over, and pastors oppress the churches they lead. Scripture teaches us that all authority figures must guard against sin, but it nowhere says that having authority makes you corrupt. Trapping us in a cycle of anger and victimhood, it drains us of compassion. Though wokeness promises tolerance and compassion, it in reality produces rage, resentment, hostility, and terrible division.Only by embracing the Christian Gospel can we find peace, forgiveness, and reconciliation. (Eph. 2:11-22 explain that Jesus died to make all groups into one, through grace, not anger.) I wish every pastor, every church, in America could have a copy of the book I am reading on Wokeness by Owen Strachan. John MacArthur said that the doctrine of Wokeness and CRT is the worst threat to the Gospel he has seen in 6 decades of ministry. What a statement! What an indictment on it! Sadly, many evangelicals have accepted it. We can only pray for a revival, and that these Chrstians will return to their first love. (Rev. 2:4) If you really want to find a solution to racism, I would suggest finding something written by a black conservative; someone who does not subscribe to the Critical Race Theory. There are lots of them. Dr. Ben Carson and Candace Owens come to mind, but these are just 2 of the better well known ones. . Our exhortation is to "fight the good fight of faith" (I Tim. 6:12), so we do that. It's interesting that in ITimothy, Paul's number one priority is to "urge certain men not to teach strange doctrines." So too we must do all we can in our spheres of influence to hold high the banner of truth. "Keep on keeping on!" We say it to each other for encouragement. We know who wins in the end. Easter shows us that "the last thing is not the bad thing." Quotes come from the book Christianity and Wokeness: How the Social Justice Movement is Hijacking the Gospel- and the Way to Stop it, by Owen Stachan. I also quote Lee Grady's excellent article "Why Woke Race Theory Contradicts Christian Faith" in Charisma Magazine, August, 2021, and "Critical Race Theory" in The AMAC Magazine, August, 2021.