Versión de HTML Básico
The Racial Issue
in Biblical Perspective
Everett Tilson
The Bible makes numerous references to African countries and
peoples. It likewise contains reports of frequent conflicts between Israelites
and Africans. But in no place does it ever suggest race as the source or focus
of any of these clashes. In fact, the only race ever mentioned in the Bible is
a footrace.1 . . .
Numerous biblical teachings have moved the major branches of Chris
tianity to call for an inclusive church in an inclusive society. Yet many Chris
tians remain unconvinced by this summons. And some of them continue to
quote the Bible in support of racial discrimination. . . .
Biblical Props for Discrimination
Numerous biblical quotations and several alleged biblical teachings have
been used in defense of racial discrimination, but only a few of these have
appeared with marked regularity in racist literature. Therefore we may safely
limit our investigation to the interpretation of such favorite quotations and
themes. This will by no means indicate the limits to which such use of the
Bible has sometimes gone. It should nevertheless quite adequately demon
strate the astonishing ingenuity and dubious reliability of this whole
approach to the Scriptures.
Genesis 9:18-19 and chapter 10 (see also Acts 17:24-26) often get
quoted in support of the idea that God has established boundaries, by con-
1.
The black-white issue, because it stands at the center of this country’s race problem, wi
be the primary focus of this article.
272