The Jena Six cases naturally have people buzzing about racism. And they should – it’s a real problem in this country, although I reject the stereotypes. For example, my blogging on the Jena 6 has led some folks to conclude that I’m black. Not so – I’m so white I practically glow in the dark. And the guy who really started publicizing this, Alan Bean of Friends of Justice, is also white. I personally have known minorities who are every bit as racist as my Uncle Klukker.
I believe racism, although still a problem, is far less of a problem than it was fifty years ago. The fact is that Jim Crow laws were in effect during my lifetime. Now, that type of government sanctioned racism is not only illegal but soundly rejected by most people. When we learn of something like the injustices in Jena, we’re shocked and angry, and nearly everyone wants it stopped. The law is now on our side to get it stopped. The more subtle forms of racism persist because people are inherently evil. Racism is something Christians should take the lead in combating. We need to start with ourselves and work our way out.
Over at Desiring God blog, Abraham Piper is quite blunt:
If you have prejudice and enmity against others, your relationship to God is questionable.
He links to a series of sermons (audio) on Racial Harmony and the Gospel. There are six so far, and they are all well worth a listen.
So much for Romans 7, huh? Too many of the “neo-Puritan” crowd are given to making statements like this: “If you have any __ in your heart, your relationship with God is questionable.”
I’m not seeing a connection between Romans 7, and saying that if you have a serious heart issue like racism you ought to rethink where your relationship with God is. Can you explain?
Well, there are numerous problems with this statement.
First of all, since man was made by God, he inherently has a relationship with him. God is a personal God. He has a name (Yhwh). If you are an unbeliever, you have an estranged relationship with Him.
Second, for believers, your relationship with God is secure through Christ who died on the cross and rose again for your justification. It’s objective, not subjective to whatever sins you have in your own life.
Third, I think he’s trying to say that if you harbor racism, you fall into the former category, that of the unbeliever. How he can make that assertion, I have no idea. If you fail the various tests set forth in 1 John, or you aren’t providing for your family, or you are excommunicated, then “your relationship with God is questionable.”
It seems to me that A. Piper has a certain theological conviction and is choosing to wield it as a cudgel, which is both unhelpful and unbiblical. Given that he’s only the webmaster, I’m not sure what authority he has to make such pronouncements. In this case, racism is a product of indwelling sin, common to him and everybody else. Romans 7 certainly allows for the fact that you can have indwelling sin and still be a believer. Considering Romans 7 is nowhere mentioned in Desiring God’s statement on sanctification, as it is in the Westminster Confession and the 3 Forms, it’s not hard to see how he arrived at this conclusion.
I think you’re reading more than is meant into “questionable.” I didn’t receive that at all as a loss of justification. You correctly point out that it’s impossible to lose justification. But it is our ongoing relationship with the Lord that provides further sanctification, and I think harboring hatred, unforgiveness, etc. certainly hinders that relationship.
If you listen to the sermon, I think you’ll find that he’s not saying that racists = unbelievers.