A New Kind of Racism...

Well, not exactly a new kind of racism; it has actually been around for awhile. I'll get to describing this new form of racism, but let me set this up. When reading the Bible, I see that there are many forms of racism implied.

First, God did set his nation Israel apart. So at times; we can see that the nation of Israel is segregated from the rest of the world. Circumcision, not eating ham, and other rules that God gave His people seemed to place His people even farther apart from the world. Though, God was doing this to set up the Messianic bloodline so that he could send His Son into the world to redeem it. In a way, we can see that God designed His people "not to be of the world" so to speak. In fact, when we accept God; He calls us to live a different life than that we lived before Salvation.

Another implied form of racism we find in the Bible; was between the Jews and the Samaritans. When we read Scripture, it does not take long to see that they hated each other! Why? Well, the Jews were full-blooded Jews; while the Samaritans had intermarried into the world. Jesus went through Samaria. He communicated and interacted with Samaritans, and even offered them salvation!

In our own American history; during the 1800's, we fought a civil war over slavery. In the 1900's, we fought segregation of blacks and whites. Expressing that each man is equal in the eyes of God, and should be the same to man.

Christians should hate racism! Whether it was Jew vs. Samaritan or Black vs. White...

Though, Christians, can be racists themselves! I call it Church People vs. Un-churched People...

I have seen this a lot within our churches and society. The excuse many times is that we are not to be of the world...the problem with that is that we hide our lights under a bushel and that bushel is called the church!

We set the table for people like us, those that are of like faith, those who dress like us, those who act and talk like us. Our churches grow only when either like people come or we convert a person to our way of doing church. Now, I should mention I am all up for doing church in the way Scripture says to do it; but when we start adding tradition as what Scripture says, I get fired up. I have seen churches that have done Bible checks at the door to see if you had a King James Bible! Churches that have a dress code where people stop coming because they felt like their best didn't match the code! I see groups of church people that talk to each other week after week, but never connect with a new person! Music, dress, church talk, versions of the Bible, tradition in general; can hinder an unchurched person from connecting to a church and hearing about Jesus.

What should saddened us as Christians?

1. When we realize that we don't communicate with people that don't know Jesus! When we look around and all we have done is surround ourselves with Christians. Not that surrounding ourselves with Christians is wrong; but when we don't have connections to share Jesus with people then we have a problem...

2. When people that you have known for years finds out that you go to church! If we never talk about Jesus, the Word, church, etc. we are not living out what Jesus asked us as Christians to do.

3. When personal preferences and church tradition keeps a church from reaching out and growing!

4. When we see that unchurched people are right about the church! We are just a bunch of self-righteous people that are a bunch of hypocrites; that need Jesus.

I'll finish my thoughts with this: Is there a difference between church people and unchurch people? Absolutely no difference between the two; except, for one main factor that separates a true follower of Jesus and someone that does not follow Jesus. The grace of God! Church people are sinners! Unchurched people are sinners! We are the same! BUT the grace of God is the only thing that separates us; and that grace of God is for all people, churched and unchurched.