On Racism

I teach in a public school in Kissimmee, Florida, which is officially the most racially diverse student population in central Florida. This is a group of students many of whose parents have come to work in the tourist industry from all over the world with a huge representation from the three minority boroughs of New York: Queens, Brooklyn, the Bronx; and Roxbury and Dorchester which are the lower income minority neighborhoods of Boston.

As a suburban “metro area” Boston native, I understand the culture and the need for loving but very tough compassion with these kids. When I was in high school, I remember many students from these neighborhoods who were bussed into our predominantly white middle class Framingham North High School. Those who survived four years of high school there went on to succeed. I talked to one such success story at my 25th high school reunion, who explained that he is now the principal of an inner city Boston school that is based on a similar model. Young people who want to “get out” of their impoverished neighborhoods and succeed can do it when given the right opportunities.

The problem of racism in our country is complex, but it can be reduced to a class problem. There is no problem with racism if we reduce it to a left-over Marxist obsession with class warfare. In fact, in light of the biblical view on the biblical concept of “race,” I do not agree with the modern concept of “race” at all.

Two articles I’d like to point readers to:

One is a thorough refutation of the so-called “Christian Identity” movement by my friend Andrew Sandlin. In this superb article, he argues that heavenly speaking, there only remain two races of people, the redeemed and the unredeemed.

See: The Royal Race of the Redeemed

The other is the fun and intriguing, “How Did We Get the Races?” which explains that we are all sons and daughters of Noah. Each one of us is descended from an (only!) five thousand year old ancestor who possessed every possible genetic variation of what now makes up the human race.

See: How Did We Get the Races?

Read these and I look forward to your comments.

3 Comments

I believe in ethnicity. The Bible teaches that the nations of the earth each has its own personality and facet of divine intention. However, I do not believe that there are three races as modern anthropology dictates.

A Syro-Phoenician Greek is a nationality, not a race. It just depends on how you translate the Greek word: ETHNE which should be translated as "people group" or "nation."

I teach at a government funded school. I see it as a mission field. However, I would never send one of my children to a government school. I agree that federal government schools need to be abolished in favor of local government public schools, Christian and private schools -- which is the way it was until about the 1960s.

If anything socialism and liberalism have perpetuated racism through class warfare.

If you are going to be posting to this forum, I have no problem with that. But I would prefer that you come out of the closet and let it be known that you are part of the White Identity Movement -- a white supremacist- or whatever label you go by.
Mark 7:26 uses the word "genei" meaning "origin" to describe the Syrophonecian woman. A literal translation would be "of Syrophonecian origin" or still correct "of Syrophonecian nationality". Almost all english translations reflect this except for the NASB.

David
"In fact, as a biblical literalist I do not agree with the concept of "race" at all."

You must be smarter than Rushdoony, Otto Scott and the holy spirit. A "biblical literalist"? Riight!

Mar 7:26 And the woman was a Greek, a Syro-phoenician by race.

Candy Sandlin the feminine postmodernist you must be kidding me? I can tell you teach at a government funded "school".

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