Racial & Ethnic Relations

My father was born in Poland but came to the United States when he was two years old. I was born in Chicago, IL, was raised in a suburb of Indianapolis, IN, and attended schools in three Midwestern states. I know only a handful of words in Polish, such as pierogi, which are Polish dumplings that I enjoy at Polish buffets. We adopted our son from Ethiopia when he was ten years old, and within his first year with us, he told his school teacher that he “was adopted by a Polish family.” His teacher, who knew our family well, chuckled. Why did she laugh? Because she knew intuitively that “Polish” was not the most fitting adjective to describe me or my family, because my broader ethnic background more prominent and relevant than where my dad was born.

John Piper, in his book Bloodlines, clarifies that “ethnicity” is a bigger category than “race.” He quotes Eloise Meneses: “The term ethnicity is usually used to stress the cultural rather than the physical aspects of group identity. Ethnic groups share language, dress, food, customs, values, and sometimes religion” (p. 235). Piper argues that when we meet others, and as we relate to them on an ongoing basis, it is more helpful to learn about their personal history, language, values, beliefs, and religion—more so than simply labeling them “White” or “Black” or “Hispanic” or “Asian.”

And yet issues of skin color and nationality play a prominent role in the way people relate to one another, and these factors are often used to discriminate and divide. The authors I list below understand all these realities, and they explain how the gospel of Jesus Christ cuts through divides, however we define them.

*Advocates by Dhati Lewis (2): The author outlines principles for pursuing reconciliation across racial and ethnic lines—principles that are grounded in the good news that Jesus died and rose from the dead to reconcile people to God.

The Gospel & Racial Reconciliation by Russell Moore and Andrew T. Walker (eds.) (2 or 3): The editors enlisted a diverse team of writers to address questions in relation to racial reconciliation, such as “What are we for?” (which includes the question “What are we against?”), “What does the gospel say?”, and “How should the Christian live?” The book concludes by providing a simple framework for relating to people across cultural divides: we look, we listen, we learn, and we live (in accordance with God’s will in Scripture).

*Bloodlines by John Piper (3): The author organizes his material in two parts: “Our World: The Need for the Gospel” and “God’s Word: The Power of the Gospel.” He addresses issues such as the roots of racial strife, how Jesus created one new humanity at the cross, and celebrating human diversity for the glory of God.

From Every People and Nation by J. Daniel Hays (4 or 5): A biblical theology of race and ethnicity across the entire Bible. The author concludes by asserting truths such as: all people are created in the image of God (and therefore share the same status and value before God) and “the gospel demands that we carry compassion and the message of Christ across ethnic lines” (p. 204).