I do not have anything to say regarding the current immigration matters and Alabama law. However, as a Christian leader, I have looked into matters of race, culture and ethnicity from the biblical perspective. Over the years, I have developed certain core values regarding race and culture.
We live in a society that is multi-cultural. If we believe God is not big enough to help the Body of Christ deal with that, then we have misunderstood basic theology. Overcoming racial and cultural biases for the sake of the Gospel is our duty.
Racism is a spiritual problem. It rears its ugly head in many situations. For instance, why does the best man or woman for the job always look like us? Fear and misunderstanding drive us to stay in our comfort corner. Jesus taught us to pray for things to be "on earth as it is in Heaven." Heaven is going to be a place of many tribes and tongues.
Jesus wants us to be one. Read John 17:20-23. Some people say that will never happen. Well, those who say that have not read the Bible. In Acts 11:19-26 and Acts 13:1-3 we have a description of the church at Antioch. Antioch was a catalyst for the rise of Christianity in the New Testament era. I find it compelling that the leaders of the church of Antioch were from all over the map. Obviously, there was a mix of language, skin color, and cultural ideas.
Reconciling people to God is a product that we look for in sharing the Gospel. Our primary concern is not overturning centuries of cultural bigotry and misunderstanding. However, in each believer's sanctification, God begins a work of reconciling people to each other. The Church must join the Holy Spirit in this work.
I have noticed that many look at the diversity in politics and the entertainment industry (sports, music, movies, etc.) as a motivation to seek a change in attitudes toward other cultures. Some see the changes in their own neighborhoods as a primary reason to understand other people. Yet, these are inferior motives. The GOSPEL is the fitting motivation to love people.
Today, 92.5 % of churches in the United States are mono racial. This means that 80% of the congregation are of one ethnic group. Surprisingly, this is a dramatic improvement from just 10 years ago. Will this change in my lifetime? I believe it will. However, as it changes, my desire is that it changes because of the Gospel. It would be a tragedy if we let the world shame the church into loving all cultures and peoples--instead of making positive changes because of passion for following Jesus.
