THERE IS NO question that the Bible teaches there is only one race — the human race…

God created mankind in His image and in His likeness. We are the pinnacle of His creative activities. The Bible clearly states that all of the lineage of humanity came through one woman, Eve. She is defined as the “mother of all living” (Gen. 3:20). But do we really believe that?

While congregations would argue that they are not racist, the fact remains most congregations remain segregated. While we preach about diversity and everyone having a special role in the body of Christ, we do not promote or celebrate integration — because for many it is not comfortable. Pulpits herald messages about loving all people, but dark hallways echo the sounds of racial slurs and jokes. We use terms like “brothers and sisters in the faith,” but many treat individuals of different color like “step-families.”

How many times have conversations been started in which a Christian says, “I’m not a racist or prejudice, but…” But what?! How many times have “faithful Christians” or one color uttered hateful generalizations against people of a different color? Do we secretly believe (or hope) that there will be a heaven for each individual race? As sad as it is, I think an honest evaluation of the church reveals that we are still struggling with race relations. I am afraid many have forgotten that God is the Creator of Jews and Gentiles. Christ is the Savior of blacks and whites. If we are going to purify the hearts of our children and grandchildren we need to stop playing the blame game and start actively teaching them the biblical perspective that there really is only one race. (Brad Harrub)

“Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth'” (Gen. 1:26).
–Mike Benson