Category: Prejudice
Subject: Prejudice
Mining the Scriptures: James 2:1-4
Here we have a general command of James, which is produced by the characteristic of love. If indeed we want to heed Christ’s imperative: “Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 7:12), James’ admonition must be obeyed. “…Do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality.”
Although the context gives the example of material wealth (not preferring the rich man over the poor), there is nothing in the admonition which would limit it to this case. An understanding of Galatians 3:28, which affirms the value of every soul, shows that any partiality shown, whether it be wealth, gender, race or culture is in fact becoming “judges with evil thoughts.”
The gospel of Christ is for every man. All have the same value to Him, and so should have the same value to us. Those who are vulnerable, disenfranchised, poor, desolate — whatever their state — as we consider their souls, should be cherished by us.
Misconceptions in Lystra
In Acts 14 we read of Paul’s healing of a crippled man. Paul was preaching, but his message was not yet well known to many. So, when the man was healed the superstitious Lycaonians assumed Paul and Barnabas were gods. They thought Barnabas was Zeus, and Paul was Hermes since he was the chief speaker.
This indicates clearly the purpose of miracles. They do not identify truth, but do identify that those who perform those miracles are legitimate. Now, since the inhabitants of Lystra had no true knowledge of God or His Son, they did not know what these powers represented. Their ignorance led to supposition. This is always the case. And, since men do not know the things of God without his revelation, their suppositions were without merit. As Paul said about his own people in Romans 10, “For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God” (Romans 10:2-3 ). Continue reading “Misconceptions in Lystra”
Sermon: 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.
Parable of the Two Sons
Sermon: Rejected in His Own Country
The rejection of Jesus by his hometown of Nazareth serves to teach us important lessons about perseverence, respect for the will of God, and ridding ourselves of personal prejudices. (Lesson text: Matthew 13:53-58).
Sermon: Are You Prejudiced?
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!
Bona Fide Religious Purpose?
In 2007, the state of Iowa updated the state’s Civil Rights Act to include sexual orientation and gender identity. The statute prohibits “unfair or discriminatory practice” in any public accommodation. However, it contains an exemption for religious organizations. A provision in the law states that the law does not apply to “any bona fide religious institution with respect to any qualifications the institution may impose based on religion, sexual orientation, or gender identity when such qualifications are related to a bona fide religious purpose.” The term “bona fide religious purpose” is nebulous.
In fact, a brochure published by the Iowa Civil Rights Commission interpreted the law in a broad fashion. The brochure stated:
Sermon: The Sin of Partiality
Sermon preached by Joshua Cox:
James 2:1-13 teaches us not to be partiality. The lesson describes and discusses the sin of partiality.
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
Two 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!
Podcast: The Sin of Prejudice
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
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
It 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).
