Race & Social Justice in Light of Scripture ibook

Few people will push back against the fact that disparities currently exist between White people and minorities. The crucial question is Why? What is the cause? The reason people splinter into various beliefs about race and social justice is because of how they answer that question. It’s fairly easy to formulate a biblical response to racism itself. It’s evil. Favoritism is condemned in James 2; we are members of one human race descended from Adam and Eve and therefore no ethnic group or skin color is superior to others; as Christians we are called to be servants and slaves of all (Mark 10:42-45) and not to subordinate one race or class of people to another; and Christ’s command to love our neighbor as ourself clearly condemns hatred of any kind, including racism. There you have it: a biblical case against racism. Yet unfortunately, racism is not always standing in plain sight. Sometimes it’s more difficult to identify. There’s also disagreement, even among Christians, about what qualifies as racism and how to define it.

In Race & Social Justice in Light of Scripture, Michael McGregor examines the various popular answers to the Why question and their correlating solutions to determine their validity, all through the lens of Scripture. What becomes clear is that the cause of current disparities is multifaceted involving both white and minority responsibility. Certain philosophies and solutions about race are out of step with Scripture and therefore untenable for Christians, while some solutions, although secular, do in fact have some basis in Scripture. In the end, the aim of this work is to give Christian readers confidence about what they can and cannot affirm regarding racism and social justice, while charting a path forward for racial reconciliation, helping the poor, and discussing race with others.