THE BIBLE: OUR GROUND OF TRUTH
James 2:8
If, however, you are fulfilling the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well. () The Bible is our common ground interracially. It is the guidebook that links black and white Christians to God’s eternal truth. Therefore we should look to it for an understanding of race relations, just as we read it to know how to make our everyday decisions. The Bible is the primary source for legitimate white and black racial pride, self-authentication, self-analysis, intra-cultural and cross-cultural analysis, and determining God’s view of a group’s national purpose.
The Bible alone fulfills this function with honesty and integrity and should be the starting point for any group to find out its true identity. More and more churches these days celebrate Black History Month, but the focus is usually on black American history because there is very little awareness or appreciation for black biblical history. However, part of the process of discipleship within the church in the area of race relations needs to be to equip our congregations by providing biblical, historically accurate answers to the relevance and value of the ancestral presence of blacks in Scripture. Without it, we are asking people to define African-Americans with a warped or incomplete view of history. We receive a tremendous amount of education and awareness when we broaden our scope to include those outside of our own personal race. This knowledge then breeds a greater respect and ability to have mutually satisfying relationships.
REFLECTION: Read Song of Solomon 1:5–6; Numbers 12:1; Acts 13:1. How do these stories highlight cultural differences within Scripture? Why do you think God included racial details like these in His Word?
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