All being is shared being. To know that is peace. To live that is love.” ~ Caverly

The Bible has a great deal to say about racism.  For one, we are told that all human beings are created in God’s image, and therefore have equal value and worth.  In Ephesians 2, Paul mentions that the dividing wall of hostility has been broken down between Jew and Gentile.  

The revelation that God has opened a wide-open door for the Gentiles forces the church to embrace the idea of a multi-ethnic, multi-racial community of God’s people. when this is embraced, any structural systems in society that lessen the value of some, based upon race, and must be thought of as a profound evil.  In the end, Jesus Himself insists that His church will be made up of every people, race, and tongue.

It seems to me, that Evangelical Christians, if they are truly evangelical at all, ought to be on the front line and calling for structural changes that bring an end to systemic racism.  Why have we been largely silent?  If Carl F. H. Henry said our conscience was uneasy in 1947, I would contend it still is.

[Quran 49:13] O people, we created you from the same male and female, and rendered you distinct peoples and tribes, that you may recognize one another. The best among you in the sight of GOD is the most righteous. GOD is Omniscient, Cognizant.

We are all children of Adam. That means everyone on the planet is a distant relative. The differences among us in skin color or other bodily features were put in place so we can recognize one another, not so that we could harm one another. Color or ethnicity does not make one human better than another.

Yet, racism is a problem that afflicts countries as progressive as the USA. Our ego works to convince us we are better than others. Even when skin color is not a factor, people still let their ego get in the way. They mistreat others based on differences in physical features, culture, wealth, gender, etc.

As faithful and believers, we have to set the best examples. We must examine ourselves and work hard to remove any prejudices and biases we have. May God help us to kill our ego and treat others in the best manner as decreed by Him?

 In the Torah, the Genesis story tells of how all creatures were created as couples except for the human being who was initially created singly and only subsequently becomes a couple. This would appear to be in order to emphasize the idea that male and female complete one another “and they shall be as one flesh” (Genesis 2:24.)

However, the Mishnah in Sanhedrin (4:5) indicates that the reasons the first human was created singly are to teach the infinite worth of every person; that each person is unique; and that all are equal (“so that none may say, my father was greater than yours”.) These ideas are rooted in the Biblical message that every human person is created in the Divine Image (Genesis 1:27.)

Accordingly, any kind of negative prejudice toward another on the basis of how she or he was created is in fact an anathema for Judaism.

Cush is the Biblical name for Ethiopia (see Esther 1:1) and is synonymous with black skinned people (see Jeremiah 13:23.) However, the sages interpreted the word Cushite in different ways and Rashi (Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki) indicates that it means a beautiful woman. There are also different understandings as to exactly what it was that Aaron and Miriam were criticizing.

Nevertheless, medieval commentators such as Rabbi Avraham Ibn Ezra and Rabbi Shmuel ben Meir (Rashbam) understand the term “Cushite” in its plain sense, to refer to the color of her skin. Rabbi Yosef Ibn Caspi clarifies further that Miriam and Aaron criticized Moses for marrying a black woman, apparently seeing this as beneath Moses’ dignity.

The Divine displeasure with their thoughts and speech is purposefully instructive, and the punishment of leprosy (as white as snow) particularly apposite. It is made clear to us that not only is prejudice against someone because of their color offensive to the Creator Himself, but that light color of skin is not at all necessarily advantageous. Moses was dark brown to black color , Jesus was Middle eastern tanned skin, Mohammed was the same as Abraham who was born in South Iraq.

However, the fact that racial prejudice should be an anathema, did not prevent Jews from falling victim to it, for different reasons - not least of all a misguided perception as to the meaning of Divine election.    

The prophet Amos encountered this among the Israelites in the northern kingdom who thought that by virtue of their birth they were favored regardless of how they behaved.

In addition to highlighting the Divine demand for justice and righteousness, Amos berates the Israelites with the following words in the name of the Creator: - “behold you children Israel are just like the children of the Cushites (Ethiopians) to me. Did I not only take Israel out of the land of Egypt, but also the Philistines from Caphtor and Aram from Kir” (9:7.) In other words, all people are dear to the Almighty regardless of the color of their skin. Moreover, the Almighty’s redeeming presence is to be found not only in Jewish history, but in the history of other nations as well.

Amos makes it clear that the very purpose of election requires Israel precisely to behave in an exemplary moral fashion. Indeed, Deuteronomy (7:7) declares that Divine election has nothing to do with any inherent advantage, on the contrary; and Exodus (19:7) makes it clear that the purpose of Divine election of Israel is to “be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation”.

The prophet Isaiah repeatedly highlights the purpose of the Jewish national existence as being to witness to the Divine presence in the world (e.g.43:9) and to be a moral light unto the nations (e.g. 42:6.) Indeed, arrogance and racism betray that very destiny and purpose. 

Judaism also demands special concern for the marginalized and persecuted, especially where this is the result of demeaning others for the way they were created. The Midrash (Bereishit Rabba 75:1) quotes Rabbi Pinchas who declares that we find “five occasions in the book of Psalms where David calls upon God to arise (to help him and to scatter his enemies.) The Holy One Blessed is He said to him, David my son, no matter how many times you call on me to arise, I will not do so. But when will I arise?

When you see the poor being plundered and the destitute groaning, as it is written “for the plunder of the poor and the groan of the destitute, now shall I arise says the Lord (Psalm 12:6.)”. In this powerful midrash we are told that even King David cannot assume that God is on his side unless he is on God’s side (an idea echoed by Abraham Lincoln); and when are we on God’s side, When we too arise to defend the destitute and the persecuted.

Steve Ramsey.