The Meaning and Significance of Race, Part 1

From Gospel Translations

Racial Harmony Session 3

Wednesday Evening Message

(This outline is from notes taken during the message.)

1. Evolutionary theory of human origins encourages racist thinking about human groups.

• Evolutionary theory: Humans came from lower life forms.
• Why does this tend toward racism? It can cause you to think that other groups of humans can be explained by saying they are less evolved.

2. The biblical correlation of Adam and Christ as the heads of physical and spiritual humanities points to the unity of the human race

• Romans 5:12 ff
• 1 Corinthians 15:20-22
• 1 Corinthians 15:45-49

3. Paul makes the common origin of humans the ground of equality and the end of ethnic arrogance (Acts 17:24-28).

4. The genetic differences between races are absolutely trivial.

5. Dealing with various groups justly follows from a common origin as creatures of the same God.

• Job 31:13-15
• Proverbs 22:2