Category: Racism

Subject: Racism

Sermon: Antisemitism

Antisemitism

A discussion of the form of racism known as antisemitism (a hatred of Jews). This, like any kind of prejudice against men, is sinful.

Sermon: Racism

The text of James 2 is used to discuss the sin of Racism.

Sermon: Are You Prejudiced?

Image

Individuals who practice prejudice violate the law of love, and sin in the eyes of God. However, it must be understood that God’s view of what constitutes prejudice, and what man believes it to be, are not always the same thing!

Audio

Powerpoint Slides

Racism and the Christian

ImageRacism has always been a problem in the United States of America. Slavery in America was a racist institution. Today, the problems in dealing with militant Islamic terrorism, and illegal immigration are compounded by racist overtones.

I disagree with the view that if one emphasizes the rule of law, or if one opposes Islam as a false religion, he is a racist (as is sometimes claimed in the national discourse). However, it is obvious that the rhetoric being used by many is indicative of racial prejudice. It is also obvious to me in my observations of God’s people that racism is present in the church. This is shameful.

There are a number of scriptures to which we might refer that clearly teach racism is sinful. We might note James’ condemnation of personal favoritism in James 2:1-13. While the specific prejudice of the chapter is a preference for the rich over the poor, the principle can clearly be applied to preferences for one race above another. “If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself,’ you do well; but if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors” (James 2:8-9). In fact, any scripture calling the Christian to love his fellow man, by principle, condemns racism.

Continue reading “Racism and the Christian”

Sermon: Is Racism Sinful?

From the series, Simple Answers to Difficult Questions. The sermon shows that racism is sinful.

Sermon PowerPoint: Click Here .

Sermon Audio: Click Here .

Two Apples in a Tree

ImageTwo apples up in a tree were looking down on the world. The first apple said, “Look at all those people fighting, robbing, rioting — no one seems willing to get along with his fellow man. Someday we apples will be the only ones left. Then we’ll rule the world.”

Replied the second apple, “Which of us — the reds or the greens?”

Gene Brown
Danbury, Con., News-Times.

“If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself,’ you do well; 9 but if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors” (James 2:8-9).

Prejudice of any type, whether based upon race, culture, gender, age or financial standing, makes one a judge “with evil thoughts” (cf. vs. 4). It is sinful, and violates the principle of neighborly love. It is also subtle. Many show their prejudice in language and behavior, and are slow to recognize it in themselves, or quick to rationalize its presence. Brethren, this is important, do not show partiality!

In The News: Chess Eccentric Bobby Fischer Dies

ImageChess master Bobby Fischer, one of the greatest chess players in history, has died, a spokesman for the World Chess Federation confirmed to CNN Friday. He was 64.

No cause of death was given.

Fischer became the first American world chess champion when he defeated Boris Spassky of the Soviet Union in a legendary encounter during the Cold War in 1972.

Former Russian chess champion Garry Kasparov said Fischer would be remembered as “the pioneer, some would say the founder, of professional chess” and called his death “very sad news.”

According to media reports in Iceland, Fischer died at a hospital in the capital, Reykjavik. He moved to Iceland after being granted citizenship in 2005.

Fischer became almost as famous for his personality quirks and his renegade behavior as for his brilliance at chess.

He learned to play as a child in Brooklyn, New York, and quickly became a prodigy. He was only 15 when he reached the level of grand master in August, 1958.

— CNN

Analysis:

Bobby Fischer is one in a long list of examples that establish the truthfulness of the wise man’s words in Ecclesiastes 2:17, “Therefore I hated life because the work that was done under the sun was distressing to me, for all is vanity and grasping for the wind.”

The life that Fischer lived was sufficiently significant that his death was reported world wide. His success in playing the game of chess was prodigious and noteworthy, but he was a failure as a man.

Continue reading “In The News: Chess Eccentric Bobby Fischer Dies”

Podcast: The Sin of Prejudice

ipod

Podcast Number 44

Showing favoritism, or prejudice, is condemned by the writer James in the second chapter of his epistle. This condemned prejudice can be with regard to age, race, or as in the context, economic standing. Regardless, it is wrong for the child of God to hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ with partiality.

To listen to this Podcast, click here .

To subscribe to the podcast feed, click here .

Podcast: Prejudice Among God’s People

ipod

Podcast Number 21

Any type of Prejudice or favoritism with regard to the preaching of the gospel, or the acceptance of the penitent, is sinful. This includes racism, ageism, sexism, as well as the Classism condemned in James’ epistle.

To listen to this Podcast, click here .

To subscribe to the podcast feed, click here .

In The News: Anti-Semitic Comments Aren’t Kosher

inthenewsIt says in the Book of Proverbs: “Wine makes a fool of you and leads to brawling.” Friday night, Mel Gibson, Christian action hero, found that out the hard way. Tooling through Malibu in his Lexus, he was pulled over on suspicion of drunken driving, got into it with a sheriff’s deputy and wound up in handcuffs.

“Are you a Jew?” he allegedly demanded of the arresting officer.

That question alone constitutes prima facie evidence that Gibson was DUI. Come on, 30 years in Hollywood and he can’t tell the difference between a Jew and a deputy sheriff?

No wonder they booked him.

To his credit, as soon as he sobered up, Gibson apologized to the lawman, something presumably along the lines of: Sorry I called you a Jew, mate. No hard feelings.

In the process of getting arrested, Gibson shared some of his opinions with the cops. One that found its way into their report is that the Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world…

…On Saturday, a chastened Mel issued a statement apologizing to anyone he had offended. He had said “despicable” things that he does “not believe to be true.” He didn’t go into details. He didn’t need to…

Still, there was a puzzling lack of logic to the apology…

…So, let’s certify that Gibson is an anti-Semite, as his critics have charged since he released the film “The Passion of the Christ” in 2004…

…Anyway, I confess to being less than shocked to read about Gibson’s Jew-war theory. The tip-off came when he denied being an anti-Semite in an interview with Diane Sawyer in the publicity run-up to “The Passion.” This is known as the Richard Nixon “I am not a crook” principle: When you get to the point you have to declare your innocence on network television, you are probably guilty.

by Zev Chafets
The San Jose Mercury News

Analysis:

While Chafets is having a bit of fun with the rather erratic behavior of Mel Gibson, a devout Catholic, the evidence indeed seems to indicate that Gibson has some anti-semitic tendencies. Evidence indicates that his father harbors a hatred of Jewish people, and while Gibson says otherwise while sober, those sentiments seem to be ingrained in him as well.

There is a great difference, however, between a drunken tirade against Jews, and accepting the Bible account of the crucifixion of Jesus. In Gibson’s movie, The Passion of the Christ, he correctly portrayed many of the events of Jesus’ betrayal and crucifixion. In noting the part that Jews played in Jesus’ death, he related historical fact, not an ingrained bias against Jewish people. Claims that an established representation of history is inherently biased are ridiculous.

2,000 years ago a group of Jews cried out to the Roman governor, “Crucify Him, Crucify Him” (cf. Luke 23:21). On the first day of Pentecost following his death, 3,000 of those same Jews received forgiveness for their crime (cf. Acts 2:40-41). The important question does not concern what the Jews did or did not do to Jesus. The important question is what any Jew (or Gentile) today will do with Jesus! Will you be obedient to Him as your Lord and Master? Or will you “crucify again for [yourself] the Son of God”? (Hebrews 6:6).