RELEVANCE OF THE RACE ON RELIGION
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RELEVANCE OF THE RACE ON RELIGION
Many scholars give their contributions to the definition of race. Many of them conclude that race entails a crowd of individuals who have in joint approximately noticeable physical qualities, like skin color, facial features, eye formation, and hair texture, among others. It entails the idea that the human species are grouped in their distinctive groups based on genetic, physical, and behavioral alterations. Different scholars have researched widely on the topic of race. Religion and racism are topics that have raised diverse debates and are often discussed concurrently. The newspapers frequently make headlines based on the connection between the two. They argue that “races” are traditional involvements depicting specific attitudes and principles that were obligatory on diverse people in the wake of Western European subjugations commencing in the 15th era (Anderson, 2020). There is a climate of fear of terror in contemporary society, greatly caused by racism and religion. The distinguishing features are linked with huge, geographically disconnected inhabitants, and the interior combinations are also chosen as races such as the “European race,” the “African race,” and the “Asian race” (Anderson, 2020). It has been proven that there is a great link between religion and race. Race has different relevance and effects on religion. In this paper, there is an in-depth discussion of the relevance of race to the church.
Race is an important aspect of the church. First, people from different races in the church bring a lot of beauty to the church. When people from different races come together, they bring the important aspects to the church (Peterson, 2020). Everyone, therefore, brings the important aspect of their race to the church; the result is nothing but a joyful and happy church. People from all races are accommodated in the church despite their color, backgrounds, and other differences based on their racial differences. What is depicted in a church full of people from different cultures is defining what true religion is. This is because, according to the Bible, it is stated that Jesus came for all. He never came from the Jewish alone but came for those who will believe in him. According to Fincham (2020), the third chapter of the King James in the New Testament, John 3: 16, states: “For God so loved the world that he gave his solitary begotten Son, that whoever believeth in him shall not perish, but has eternal life.”
Race has central formulations of the church in the contemporary world. The race is central to the church since the ideas about race and ethnicity are valuable to the church to define an individual’s Christianity (Colvin, 2020). Many of the people in the contemporary world identify themselves in terms of their races. From the church’s name, all the other aspects found in the church are conducted based on the race of the members in the church. A good example is a language that is used in the church. The language used during the church services or activities is highly determined by the people’s race in the church. Again, the kind of songs and dances sung in the churches are positively linked to the church’s race. In simple terms, race and the church are intertwined. They both get mutual benefits from each other.
The race is important in the expansion of the church in contemporary society. Many factors influence the growth of the church. The major aim church is to preach the good news to people about Jesus Christ. The existence of people from different racial backgrounds helps fulfill this mission (Colvin, 2020). The races play a vital role in preaching good news to all. The people readily accept the word preached to them since they understand the work in their local languages. The race has ensured that the gospel is preached to all people despite their physical qualities, such as skin color, facial features, eye formation, and hair texture. It, therefore, acts as a tool of unifying persons from different races despite the differences that may appear (Oladipo, 2020). The major groups of people from respective of their races are their skin color where we have the Africans race, the European and the Asians race. These differences are broken when it comes to the churches, thereby leading to church expansion.
The race has led to unity in the church within the society today. When people from different races come together in the church, they are united as one by the common belief. Therefore, religious leaders have used race as an important tool of promoting unity in the church today (Anderson, 2020). When people from the same race come together for religious practices, they unite and become one. Therefore, racial distribution is an important tool used to bond people with the same belief together.
Race is important to the church today since it helps create an understanding environment (Peterson, 2020). People from different racial backgrounds are likely to have different languages. However, most people from the same racial background attend a common church. Therefore, there is an understanding of the language used, creating effectiveness in preaching the gospel. In a situation where there is a misunderstanding of the language used, the possibility of having high cases of disagreement among the members remains high.
The race is generally significant and of a lot of importance to the church. Scholars have found that the church and race are intertwined (Fincham, 2020). They highly require each other. This is very important and matters a lot in the current church. The arguments of how the issue is relevant to the contemporary church are discussed below based on evidence from the Scripture, reason, tradition, and experience.
- Evidence from the Scripture
There is extensive evidence of proof that race is of much significance to the current church. As stated, the race brings an understanding and unity of people from different ethnicities to the church (Fincham, 2020). From the Bible, it is evident that God’s salvation plan through sending Jesus to die for people’s sins was not only for the Jewish but for people from all races. According to the scriptures, it is written, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son” (John 3: 16). This is a clear indication that salvation is not for the selected few. Instead, it is a corporate activity that is aimed at people of all races. Jesus came for all despite their racial differences. There is the condemnation of the act of discriminating against people based on their racial background.
According to Genesis 1: 27, the Bible states that God created all humanity in His image, both male and female. This verse supports the idea of race and religion. It reinforces that the church should accept people in the church regardless of their racial background (Fincham, 2020). The verse shows that God is for all. He is the one who created people in their respective races, white or black, are in the image of God. Therefore, there is a need for unity in the church among members despite their differences based on their race. Scholars and theologians have stood firm and supported the verse that the creation of humanity in God’s image is the foundation of the humanoid self-esteem and equality and sanctity of life (Genesis 9:6).
The other verse that is relevant in this discussion is Romans 2:11. It states that all humans are guilty of God. The Scripture depicts the picture of a god of all. God is there to judge people irrespective of their race. More so, Leviticus 19: 34 talks of love for foreigners. The verse won against mistreating foreigners and recommends that they be treated with respect and impartially.
- Evidence from Reason
From reasoning, there should be equal treatment of people in the church irrespective of race. People are the same and essential. What matters are the race they come from? Similarly, everyone has different unique characteristics of essence to others (Plante, 2021). No one can satisfy himself or herself. People are created to needs each other. There should therefore be equal treatment of people as they make the body of Christ. People’s uniqueness reflects how good the church will be since people have different distinct talents and capabilities. Therefore, each person ought to be treated with respect and dignity. No person ought to be discriminated against in the church.
- Evidence from tradition
People are created from different areas with different ways of doing things. Every community has its way of doing various practices. There is a need for respect and understanding that people carry on their way of life in a unique way (Plante, 2021). Starting from birth, following all the rites of passage, that is, people practice indifferently. The different forms of carrying out various activities are nothing but tradition. A tradition is the transmission of beliefs and customs from one generation to another. In theology, practice entails the confidence to have divine authority though not from the scriptures. The respect of people is in different traditions. People from other races should therefore be accommodated in the contemporary church irrespective of their racial background.
- Evidence from Experience
The relevance of the race to the contemporary church is depicted based on the experience. Research has been done on the most famous churches in the world. These churches are not comprised of one race (Mabry, 2020). Instead, they are comprised of members from different races. The Beulah Missionary Baptist Church is known for having the largest attendance of members in the United States. The church is located in Atlanta, and it haves an average weekly attendance of five thousand members. It is a denomination of the Southern Baptist Convention. Members of all races attend the church. These are the African race members, the European race, and the Asian race (Mabry, 2020). The accommodation of persons from all races has contributed to the success and high attendance of members. It is, therefore, that the idea of racial discrimination should not have a room in the contemporary church.
To sum up, race indeed has a lot of relevance to the church. There has been a suggestion by different scholars on the exact meaning of a race. Most of them have concluded that a race entails a crowd of individuals who have in joint approximately noticeable physical qualities, like skin color, facial features, eye formation, and hair texture, among others. (Anderson, 2020). It entails the idea that the human species are grouped in their distinctive groups based on genetic, physical, and behavioral alterations. Religion and racism are topics that have raised diverse debates and are often discussed concurrently.
Similarly, many scholars and theologians have developed a lot of interest in the topics and researched how they relate to each other. The race has been proven to be of much relevance to the church. It has been identified as an essential aspect of the church. People from different races in the church bring a lot of beauty to the church, thereby reflecting that God is for all. Again, race has been proven to be the central formulations of the church in the contemporary world.
Furthermore, the race is vital in the expansion of the church in the contemporary world. The race is bringing unity and understanding in the church, thereby reflecting the original plan of God. Race and the church are intertwined since they get mutual benefits from each other.
Bibliography
Anderson, John. “Welcoming the Stranger Among Us? The Church of England, Immigration and Race (1955-79).” Journal of Church and State 62, no. 3 (2020): 443-463.
Colvin, Gina. “The Mobility of Race: An Indigenous Feminist View From Aotearoa/New Zealand.” Mormon Studies Review 7 (2020): 35-42.
Fincham, Kenneth. “The King James bible: crown, church and people.” Journal of Ecclesiastical History 71, no. 1 (2020): 77-97.
Mabry, Jamar R. “Race, Ethnicity & Culture with Purpose: The Growth of a Multicultural Church Ministry.” (2020).
Peterson, Cheryl M. “Does the Church Still Matter? A Lutheran Perspective on the Church’s Relevance Today.” Word & World 40, no. 1 (2020).
Plante, Thomas G. “The integration of Roman Catholic traditions and evidence-based psychological services.” Spirituality in Clinical Practice (2021).
Oladipo, Caleb O. “Construction of racism: The challenges and opportunities for promoting justice and modeling race-transcending societies.” Review & Expositor 117, no. 1 (2020): 9-16.