One in Christ

"There is no longer Jew or Greek, 

there is no longer slave or free, 

there is no longer male and female;

for all of you are one in Christ Jesus."

Galatians 3:28

Shortly after Pastor Sungduk Kim moved in to the parsonage and got settled, I met with him and asked how he was getting along. Had he found a doctor, a grocery store, and the like. I then asked a question that revealed my ignorance, "Had he experienced any racism?" Of course he has.

Webster's Dictionary says racism is a belief that racial differences produce a built-in superiority of a particular race. It is also a political or social system founded on race. 

The Bible in Leviticus says: "When an alien resides with you in your land, you shall not oppress the alien. The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the citizen among you; you shall love the alien as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God."

Jesus says: "For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in." "‘Love your neighbor as yourself." 

Peter says in Acts: “I truly understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who worships God and does what is right is acceptable to God."

For me, my baptism is walking down the path of resisting evil, injustice, and oppression as Jesus called me to do. In doing so, I am affirming Paul's words in Galatians 3:28.

I firmly believe that when I take my baptism vows seriously, I am working towards the goal of equality for all God's children.

However, as informative as the dictionary and Bible are, the real issue is in recognizing my own racism (or bias or prejudice) so I can work towards that goal. 

What are your thoughts about racism?