Hi. Political, philosophical and
scientific ideas
have always challenged the doctrinal and
practical integrity of Christ's church.
The age of colonization was no
exception.
Greek philosophy dominated the
intellectual realm of the time and
racist pseudo-scientific ideas
were not uncommon either.
Particularly influential was Aristotle's
theory that
some people were slaves by nature.
Unfortunately, many in the church both
lay people and clergy
favor the prevailing view of society
above
the teachings of the Bible.
Church leaders
tended to ignore the aborigines, assuming
that they were
way below the level of humanity ,so
they were not worth teaching.
But how did it come to this?
Well, in their desire to accommodate the
intellectual climate of the day and
reconcile racist ideology with Christian
thought,
some theologians went as far as to
reinterpret the account of the Bible,
especially Creation and the Fall.
Although all men started out equal, they
argued,
instead of advancing, some people groups
went backwards.
Any explanation for that? Sure!
Punishment for sin...!
One argument for the alleged natural
inferiority of black people
was God's curse on Ham.
This misinterpretation of the Bible was
then religiously used to justify
slavery, segregation, and white supremacy.
It is deeply disturbing that throughout
the centuries,
political and economical interests often
use the church to propagate racist ideas
and maintain racist practices,
from peaceful persuasion to brute force.
Money and philosophy eroded
the biblical understanding of human
origins
and the Christian belief in the
essential unity of mankind,
with both the passive and the
active complicity of the Church.
With all this, the powerful restraining
influence
of the Bible on racism is
undeniable.
And no, not all Christians were silent and
complacent.
Some remained faithful to God and spoke up!
Today racism still exists...
What does Christ's Church do about it?
What do you do about it?
