Is "tribalism" ok or racist?

We are most comfortable with those who are most like us. 

Why?

Because we are more affirmed and feel safer (more comfortable) around those like us. It is common ("natural or normal") for everyone to feel this way. It is not unique to any one group - white, black, brown, yellow, etc. 

Why?

It takes a lot more self-denial and sacrifice to relate to those who do not have the same values and interests as we do. If we have any interaction with others we have nothing in common with, or who are at least like us, our focus and energy must be on them, not on our interests and needs. ¹This kind of interaction is more about giving than getting. It requires less effort and sacrifice to interact with those most like us.

For the above reasons, being with those most like us tends to energize us. Being with those least like us tends to drain us. If we are not full of love, loving others different from us is impossible to maintain ⁷long-term. 

For the same reasons, harmony is more pleasant and enjoyable than disharmony. We are naturally drawn to harmony. Harmonious relationships tend to energize us. They affirm and reinforce our interests. Those that drain us tend to be challenging with more conflict.

There is also a practical benefit of working with those who are most like us. When we are in a joint effort, uniformity can result in greater cooperation and efficiency. This is good, not bad.

Some accuse others of racism for having these sentiments and being naturally drawn to those most like themselves. Yet, if we are honest, this is common with all groups. 

Is this ⁵racist? If so, every last one of us - regardless of our ethnicity - is a racist. Hanging out with others for the above reasons is common to everyone. 

Some call this ²tribalism. But is tribalism racism? It is no different from when you and I prefer being with loving friends or family ("our tribe") rather than with a group of strangers.

Having ³these sentiments is common in all relationships and "groups." The very act of accusing someone else of being guilty of this - as if they aren't themselves "guilty" - is exercising this very attitude by the accusation.  

This is why a loving family is so valuable (if we are blessed enough to have one). A healthy, loving family is a place where we are best known for both our strengths and flaws, and still most accepted and embraced. It is usually where we feel most free to be our real selves, with the least concern about ridicule or rejection.

Racism, on the other hand, is very different. It is an attitude of superiority based on one's ethnicity (group/"tribe"). It is believing we - our "group" - are better, ⁶objectively, more important or valuable than others. This may be true subjectively - i.e. more valuable to us - but not objectively.

But isn't this also true of friendships? No one considers having friends racist. Good friends are good, important, and valuable to us personally. They encourage and strengthen us. That is a good thing, is it not?

While close relationships may be more important to us subjectively, they are not necessarily so objectively.

On the other hand, it is not wrong to love those who are ¹different from us. It is what we are called to do. In fact, as followers of Christ, we are called to love those opposed to us, i.e., our enemies. It just takes the most energy of all interactions and ⁴directly the least immediately rewarding, if not harmful - but potentially the most rewarding indirectly. 

To be able to love those least like us is not natural but ¹supernatural. For this reason, it is good to love others who are different from us. It requires greater dependence on God to love others sacrificially. 

In fact, it is impossible to love sacrificially until we experience the sacrificial love of God offered to us in and through Christ. 

God calls us to this because this is how He loves us...

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. " - Matt 5:43-48

But again, is it wrong to gravitate to others we are most like and have the most in common with? This is actually the basis for friendship. No one would suggest friendship is wrong. Yet some would have us believe it is and call it ⁵"tribalism" - which is the "first cousin" to racism according to those who throw these derogatory labels around.  

The irony is it is usually actual racists that push the narrative that being drawn to others most like us is wrong when, in fact, everyone participates in friendship and considers it not only perfectly normal but healthy.  

We are all far more alike than different.

One thing all of us have in common, that unites us at the strongest and most basic level, is we all desire to be loved, valued, affirmed, and important, i.e., we are designed for love because we are designed to be in relationship with God, who is love. We are all like God, who continuously gives and receives love among the Father, Son, and Spirit. We are in His image.  

And what is God like? The most valuable person of all. Without Him, nothing else exists. We are valuable by virtue of being like God - i.e., in His image.

In summary, it is not wrong or racist to feel more comfortable around those who are more like us. Nevertheless, we are called to a higher standard and to reach out and love those who are least like us, even our enemies. Not loving those different from us is not racist. Unloving, yes. Racist, no. 

For a discussion on identity politics Click here

For a discussion on the joys and challenges of giving, click here. 

To see if God has anything to say about immigrants or immigration, click here.

For a discussion on values, culture, and racism, click here.

For a discussion on racism and the necessity of forgiveness, click here

For a discussion on what divides us, click here.

For a discussion of the harmful nature of identity politics, click here.

What is the nature of racial privilege? Click here for a discussion.

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Footnotes:

¹People who are culturally different from us can have one main thing in common with us. A relationship with God through Christ. This connection is stronger than any natural ties we may have with those most like us culturally, intellectually, in appearance, etc. This is the most significant and deepest common denominator we can have. Especially those least like us naturally. What lovers of Christ have in common is even more significant than the connection among a loving family - though very much like it in important ways. 

If we are among others who have this deep spiritual connection with God, we are dealing with others who are focused on giving and not getting. This is the strongest possible bond we can have with anyone, even immediate family who do not have a love relationship with Christ. True believers are people who seek to love their neighbors as they love themselves. This is the greatest and most unifying value of all. This is also why Christ called loving God and others the greatest commandments.

When this is the central focus of a group of people, it is the strongest point of unity and overrides all other differences. In fact, it allows us to enjoy the differences of others as their uniqueness is a reflection of the creativity of God. This is unity within diversity.

This is why a strong church can be filled with a diversity of cultures and ethnicities yet still be united under this most central point of unity. A relationship of receiving love from our Creator and loving Him in return and our neighbor as we love ourselves. This is greater than any differences and can override them all when we are governed by love.

The two greatest commandments are the greatest not simply because we are told they are but because they summarize the purpose of our existence and the very nature of God and His creatures, i.e., to love as we are loved.

Anything we place a higher value on over our relationship with the Creator is a form of idolatry. Nothing is more valuable than God. Not our culture, race, vocation, or even our family.

This is why churches segregated by race or culture - e.g., white, black, Hispanic, Jewish, etc. - are likely not as honoring to God. To be segregated in this way is to value our culture and personal preferences over loving and valuing God and our neighbor. 

If we are separated by a language barrier, that is a separate issue that can be addressed on a church-to-church basis. But outside of this...

 "...in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise." - Gal 3:26-29

²Some subcultures are so strong they have their very own "lingo."  Some examples would be the hip-hop world, the technology world, the academic world, the world of sports, the medical or health world, etc.  These are subcultures within a culture. 

³Having common values is so important that if we do not, it can even lead to husbands and wives separating. We call it "incompatibility" when, in fact, it is actually a matter of love, or the lack of it. 

⁴By directly, I mean we rarely gain any direct benefit from those we seek to love who are different from us. The benefit we may gain, however, is from seeing others blessed by our efforts to love them. It is an indirect gain. This is not something that comes from them, but comes as a result of loving others as Christ loves, i.e., seeing them flourish because of our efforts. This is what God is like. We are acting like God when we love in this way.  

⁵There can be a problem with tribalism, but it isn't racism as some assert. The problem is it is basically about me, my needs, my wants. So in that sense it is wrong and contrary to our initial design, not because it's racist. 

This focus on self is the result of our rebellion against God and our failed attempt to be our own God. Based on the current condition of the world, it is clear we have failed miserably at being our own gods.

Everything is a mess because of our rebellion. We are now missing the love we once had in a relationship with God, caused by our choosing to disconnect from God, the very Source of love. Now we go about trying to fill that void caused by His absence through created things and our own efforts to obtain them.

The fact is we weren't designed to be our own god and to make life work without the only true God. We were designed to be in union with Him. The source of love, life, and all things, and experiencing a constant flow of love from Him. This enables us to pass love (from Him) on to others. 

We are not an endless spring of love. Only God is. We, on the other hand, are vessels or conduits that can hold and pass on the flow of love from God to and through us to others.

The main point about tribalism is it's not unique to a certain race but common among all humanity, for we have all rebelled from God. But this is not racism as is asserted by some. It is the broken condition of all humanity -  including you and I - not a particular group or race.

⁶ VS subjectively, where someone or some group can be more valuable to us personally.

⁷ Unless or until we find out that all humanity has far more in common at the most fundamental level of who we are as bearers of God's image, i.e., we are all designed by God to love and be loved by Him and to pass on that love to others. This is God's greatest desire i.e. will, directive, commandment etc.

God made the nations?

There is debate within the church of the validity of nations and/or borders. Does the Bible have anything to say about this? Let's see.

"The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.

And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, (why?) that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him."- Acts 17:24‭-‬26 ESV

It appears from the above passage that the nation/state is a valid entity. The important question is why? 

Due to man's rebellion towards God, man seeks to unite in that rebellion whenever possible. This was the problem at the tower of Babel. Man determined to combine his resources in order to "climb to the heights of heaven" i.e. to achieve heaven on earth and bring in the kingdom of heaven (bliss) to earth without God-Christ, the rightful King. (This is the current goal of one world government - driven by corporations and those who back and control them. They seek to capture and control the economic resources of mankind, often in order to fleece them - Though some genuinely seek to serve their fellow men and women). 

This is the result of mans rebellious attempt to exalt himself, and is directly contrary to God exalting man due to man humbling himself. 

Salvation is of the Lord only. Man cannot save himself...not permanently. As a result God had to divide them up by language i.e. into different people groups, which resulted in different ¹nations. Nations were instituted by God himself in response to man's rebellion. 

Man's greatest need is to be reunited with his Creator, not uniting together in their rebellion against Him. Some seek a one world government in order to acquire unlimited power and control over all the resources of creation and other creatures. They have no regard of God's intention for His creatures or creation. 

According to the above passage reconnecting with God best occurs when we are in our separate Nation/States i.e. so... "that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him."

It appears nations and the borders needed to distinguish them is not only legitimate but the necessary and best way for humanity to reach out and seek God again.

To see if God has anything to say about immigrants or immigration click here.

For a discussion on values culture and racism click here.

For a discussion on racism and the necessity of forgiveness click here

For a discussion on what divides us click here.

For a discussion of the harmful nature of identity politics click here.

What is the nature of racial privilege? Click here for a discussion.

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¹To have different nations is to have boundaries or borders. While some object to this idea no one objects to having a fense or wall around their property or doors on their home. Why do we do this? We live in a broken world and therefore desire to protect those we value and cherish. 

To voluntarily invite someone into our home is a kind and loving thing but it's not wise if we invite people in who have ill intent towards us and our family. We would not invite liars, thieves, or murderers in our house for good reason. Heaven itself does not allow such people entry. 

Doorways are also entry ways through which we invite people we trust into the sacred dwelling place we call home so we might welcome, honor and serve them.

What exactly is privilege?

You may have heard the expression the "upside-down gospel."  What exactly does this mean? The gospel is counter-intuitive. We are told to become weak is to be strong, to find your life you must lose it and to be exalted you must be humbled. The meek, not the demanding, inherit the earth. This cuts against common sense and everything within us. 

But the gospel is what we are called to build our lives on by Christ himself, no matter who we are or what ethnic group we belong to. Why do I raise the race question? Because the current racial tension is due to men ignoring the essence of the gospel. To self identify or identify others by a certain race is divisive - and I would suggest often intentionally so. Our true identity can only be found in a relationship of perfect love with our Creator, not some group. Race in today's climate is a destructive label unless in reference to the human race. Then it is uniting. We are all made in the image of God and therefore all equal in the eyes of God. And if we are in Christ and under His rule-kingdom, we are brothers and sisters in Christ. This is our identity, not the pigment of our skin regardless of what others think, say, or do to us. 

In God's economy, the gospel takes privilege - used in the present political sense - and puts it on its head. What is that message? In God's gospel ruled kingdom, the 1st shall be last and the last shall be 1st. This says that those who are last - from the

world's perspective - are more privileged than those who are first with all their earthly advantages and benefits. This is not the message we are given by the world, more so now than ever. 

We must be careful not to forget God's ways are not ours, and ours are not his. Man seeks to understand his world independent of infinite wisdom, i.e. God's wisdom, expressed above. Why? Because he seeks to be his own god and believes his own independent understanding of himself and the world around him is right and sufficient, i.e. it alone can lead him to the truth. But only God is infinite in knowledge and ¹in every other way; man is not. Finite man can never gain access to the infinite on his own. He needs help from someone far greater than himself i.e. someone infinite in knowledge and wisdom. The finite - you and I - can not reach up and bring the Infinite down to us. The Infinite must come down and reveal Himself. And He did in Christ! Yet man rejects God's Son and the wisdom and revelation he offers.

To operate contrary to our design - i.e. to ignore our limits - is foolish. This is like trying to care for a delicate plant or rare animal or operate a complex machine to the maximum of its potential and ignore the manual that tells us how to do so. Man can observe himself and the world around him and definitely discover certain things. But can he discover all that needs to be known unaided? Is there a difference between facts and truth? 

There is. Let me illustrate.

We can all see the sun - unless we are literally blind, but even then we can feel its warmth. No one would dispute there is something bright or warm in the sky. Over time, with enough study, we can discover the specifics of how the sun operates; all are important facts, they are just not all the "facts." 

As hard as science tries, science has never been able to answer the why question. This is different from the "how" questions. Why is the sun there? Why are we here to observe it and experience the benefits that come from it? We may try to find the answer to the why questions through science but discovering the facts of what is, is the role of science, why something exists is not. To this day science has not concluded with certainty why anything is, only how it works. The why must be found elsewhere. We must go to the Designers manual and see what He says about the why of His creation. 

There is man's way of seeing and doing things. Depending on one's worldview, those ways could be the polar opposite of each other. Why? Because man is limited in his understanding if left only to his own reasoning and finiteness i.e. we are not all knowing, all powerful, everywhere present of all loving. Hence all the tension in the world today. Everyone thinks their knowledge is absolute, independent of the source of absolute knowledge. There is usually ²some truth in all views, mixed in with some fallacy, some being more or less true than others. Who decides what is true and who is the arbitrator when these differences create great tension and conflict? Man's sole reliance on his own reasoning and resources in determining truth instead of confiding in the Source of all wisdom and truth will not settle a matter, only inflame it.

When there are opposing views, the truth often lies somewhere in the midst of the tension of those views. Both sides are seeing truth the other is not. Then there is God's way or a 3rd way if you will. The way of infinite knowledge. The way none of us as finite beings, can see unless God reveals it. And who does he reveal himself to? Those who know they need to see it-Him i.e. those humble enough to recognize that along i.e. without God who is infinite, man can not see all he needs to see to know with certainty his understanding of the world is correct (remember the why questions). 

If we are to resolve the tensions of differing views, we must recognize our limitations and acknowledge true understanding and correct view of the world must come outside us and from the Source of infinite knowledge, love, life, and all things. To see this, we must humble ourselves and recognize we need to see more than we need to be seen or heard. This same source tells us the 1st shall be last and the last shall be 1st and to find our life we must first lose it.

 

So to bring this back around to privilege, those who complain the most about someone being privileged over them or another is to miss the whole gospel message. If one is a believer they will rejoice in their low standing not be envious of what they think is someone else's high standing. 

For a further discussion on strength in weakness, click here.

For a further discussion on identity politics, click here. 

For a further discussion on the necessity of forgiveness, click here. 

For a further discussion on values, culture and racism click here. 

For a discussion on my personal experience of discrimination, click here. 

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*All the "omni's" Omniscience, Omnipotence, Omnipresence and Omni benevolence. Or to say it more practically, all-wise and all-knowing, all-powerful, everywhere present and all good and loving.

**We live in a world of design where we can observe how things operate a particular way. And that is because there is design and a designer who created them to do so. Though we can observe this design and discover to some extent how things operate - some truth about their operation - we can never grasp the full purpose of creations design without acknowledging the Creator who designed them. 

And what is that purpose? All things are from, through, and to God. To him be the glory i.e. He must be recognized as the Creator and sustainer of all things if we are to see them as they truly are.

 

 

 

White privilege or white guilt

Is white privilege a legitimate problem or does the problem have more to do with white guilt and shame?

Without question - for those of us who believe in God - God has ¹blessed America. Is this because America was founded by white men and women? Or is this rather because men and women who came here sought to honor God and conduct themselves according to His design and direction? If those who founded America, came with the same aspirations, values, and culture but had a different skin color would America have not also been ²just as "blessed?"

God does not care about one's ethnicity or the color of one's skin but only the posture or disposition of one's heart. To use a biblical expression, God is not the ³"respecter of persons" i.e. He has no regard for our ethnicity, position, or economic status in life over against someone else. His acceptance of us is based solely on something other than our racial or economic status, i.e., it's based on who He is and what He has done... i.e. on grace.

The view of the founders declared in their founding documents is that all people are created equal. Not necessarily equal in ability but equal in value in the eyes of God and in their access to God - i.e., all men and women are created in His image with equal access to God. Did he not create the different nations/races for this very reason?

Granted, the founders were far from flawless in living out these principles, but it was because of this fundamental belief that slavery was eventually abolished in America. 

The truth that is never discussed about racism in American history is that the mistreatment of different races was common throughout the world at that time. For example, others, such as the Irish or Scottish, were severely mistreated by England - who, as you likely know, were white.

Slavery was also a major part of the very history of Israel, who were slaves in a foreign land for 400 years. 

This is not a justification, simply an example of how extensive and far back mistreatment goes due to someone's national identity or ethnicity.

Certainly, being wrenched from one's home country or family against their will is never acceptable or right. For this reason, it should be clearly condemned.

It is also worth pointing out that slavery, of a sort, is still common in America today. The vast majority of Americans are slaves to a job. Many sell 40 to 60 hours of their time, energy, and talent in exchange for money. Granted, it's ³voluntary but it using their labor to better another - i.e., a business, institution, venture, system, etc. - hopefully bettering oneself in exchange. But we all know employers who take advantage of employees, so it often doesn't work this way, does it?

Christ himself was not a "white" man as is commonly understood. As far as we know, he was a typical Jew who was medium brown in skin tone - as if this really matters in the larger scheme of things. 

Should we feel guilty because we were born in America versus the jungles of South America, or the bleak tundra of Siberia, etc., or because of what race we are? Did we choose where we were born or who our parents are? No, on both counts. This isn't true just of white people but people of all ethnicities. We should all be grateful for any and all blessings we have been given, regardless of how great or small they are. ⁴Everything we are and have is a gift. It is not just a privilege to live in a relatively free and stable society - whether that be in America or anywhere else - it is a gift first. With the world as crazy as it can be, economic or political stability and freedom are truly a blessing.  It is not something we should be ashamed of but grateful for.

It is also something we should use to bless others with. This is the 2nd part of the greatest commandment. Christ himself said to those whom much is given, much is required.

Being a certain way, having certain talents or attributes (all of them, no matter what they may be) are also gifts. Nothing about us should be disparaged or held in higher regard than any other person's station in life, because it is all given to us to begin with. We are who we are, where we are, and when we are by God's good and wise appointment and design. Everything we have and are is a ⁵blessing, not a right. 

1Co 4:7 "...What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it?" 

Also, to say there is something wrong (or right) with someone simply by virtue of their skin color, ethnicity, nation of origin, or even economic status is, in fact, the classic definition of racism. To say it simply, to condemn (or praise) someone merely because of their race or skin color is racist - regardless of what race it is.

We should all be grateful for any and all ⁵blessings of God, no matter what form they take or on whom they are bestowed, but never feel guilty or apologetic. These are the blessings of grace, not earned or deserved but all gifts. In this sense, all blessings are a privilege no matter who they are bestowed upon. But that bestowal has nothing to do with race and everything to do with our Creator, dependence upon and trust in Him with all the subsequent blessings.

These blessings are given to honor God and to bless others, not to bring praise to ourselves. 

To the degree men and women seek to honor God is the degree to which God will honor them, regardless of race. And to the degree they don't, they will not be honored.

Key verses for those who have been more blessed and those who consider themselves less blessed.

More blessed – too whom much is given much is required (Lk 12:48). It is more blessed to give than to receive (Acts 20:35).

Less blessed –  If God is for you who can be against you (Rom 8:31)? Be content in all things (Phil 4:11). You shall not covet (Exod 20:17).

If we are God's child, we are blessed with the benefits of the grace of God bestowed on us, resulting in the love of God set upon us, regardless of our lot in life. But this is not white privilege. It is a "privilege" (i.e., a gift) offered to all who will accept it; the majority of whom happen to not be "white."  Far more people of "color" are followers of Jesus worldwide than "white" people. 

The whole notion of "white privilege" is rooted in identity politics and ⁵envy which seeks to divide people by their ethnicity (or economic status) instead of uniting us in our common humanity and the common offer to all groups/races of God's grace. Identity politics, along with its close cousins of envy and "victimhood" outlook, is destructive, designed to shame, manipulate, or coerce others into taking responsibility for someone else's station in life. Because this is at the heart of racism and divisive, it should be rejected.

If God has blessed our neighbor, we should not envy or condemn them but rejoice knowing he is a God of grace and extends to all of us equally his love and goodness no matter what our ethnicity or station in life. 

Rom 8:31  What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

Rom 8:32  He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?

Rom 8:33  Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies.

Rom 8:34  Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.

Rom 8:35  Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?

Rom 8:36  As it is written, "For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered."

Rom 8:37  No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

Rom 8:38  For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers,

Rom 8:39  nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

For more discussion of racism, click here. 

For more discussion on being a victim, click here.

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¹Some may have a hard time accepting God blessing America given its early acceptance of slavery by some of its founders. If you have read through the entire article and the following comments, this is addressed to some extent. However, it's worth mentioning that if God waited for perfection before he blessed us, no one would be blessed. That is not excusing harmful (evil); it is recognizing God is a God of grace and does not treat any of us only according to our destructive behavior (sins) in this life. 

²Click here for some examples of God blessing countries who have, in large part, turned to him.

³Though it could be argued that being "at work" is where some do not want to be. They are only there because they are "slaves" to their bills or a certain standard of living. In America, we have a greater opportunity than most to do something about it.

As an employee, you give yourself to an employer to do their bidding for so many hours a week in exchange for money; i.e., when you are at work, you are not your own person (as far as your time goes). They own you in a sense (and use you). Your services are being bought and paid for. So this is a kind of slavery, though we are usually free to quit if we don't like how we are being treated.  

Fortunately, many of us are blessed to use our skills and find enjoyment and satisfaction in helping others do so. For those who do, it is a trade-off and not complete drudgery. We give something, but we also get something. 

Some might argue slaves didn't get paid. True, however, they were provided "room and board." A smart slaveholder understood healthy slaves were more productive. There were those who drove their slaves out of fear and threat of punishment, even death. This was the worst abuse and what gives slavery its notorious reputation. But this was not true for all forms of slavery. Slavery was often an abusive arrangement, but abuse of it was not throughout. In some cases, it was a mutually beneficial relationship.  

So perhaps much of our economy is based on a kind of slavery, i.e., employment.

This is why working for oneself is desired by many. You often hear the expression "I am free now that I work for myself." Though some find they are now "enslaved" to their business instead of an employer. 

This issue is being held against one's will and being abused - but as already mentioned, being employed can be abusive at times, and many would rather not be there, i.e., it's against their will. 

There were forms of slavery where a slave could earn his freedom i.e. after a certain number of years if they did well they were able to accumulate enough to set out on their own. This was a common form in biblical times. 

In summary, the word "slavery" doesn't always mean the same thing historically as the hot-button term commonly used today. Slavery often did not refer to the same thing or equal conditions. In some cases, such as in the OT, it was the best way to one's freedom. 

None of us are perfectly free in an absolute sense, regardless. If you are a believer, however, you can be free in the most important sense. Not circumstantially, but in your heart, regardless of your race or status in life. If so, you will one day be perfectly free in the absolute sense. This is true freedom and the most important kind. The bible asks, what does it profit a man to gain the whole world but lose his own soul, for good reason. 

⁴To be a Christian and discontent with our station in life - regardless of location, economic status, or race - is to forget that God is sovereign in his appointment of our days and uses all things to advance us spiritually, even evil things. We are told to be content, no matter what our circumstances. This may go contrary to logic, but much of what Christ taught is counter-intuitive. To live you must die? That's completely illogical, yet it is absolutely true. 

⁵To recognize we are blessed engenders thanksgiving.

 

To say we are privileged invites and incites envy. 

How "End times" teaching aids Globalism.

The following history behind Dispensationalism is part 4 of a 5 part paper at 

https://thotsaboutgod.blogspot.com/2010/02/doom-and-gloom-of-dispensationalism.html 

I am posting it as a separate article for those who may not be interested in the weakness of the biblical foundations behind the "last days" or "end times" teaching. After reading this part below, you may wish to read my entire discussion on dispensationalism. To do so you can click here or the link above. 

4. The history behind Dispensationalism

(Dispensationalism teaches the world will be destroyed by God but before it is, a rebel to God - the Antichrist - will rise up and set up a one-world government where you can do nothing economically without His permission or his mark i.e. 666 or the Mark of the beast).

The first 3 sections of the complete paper (linked here) dealt almost exclusively with various scripture passages on why the Bible does not teach this widely held view (commonly known as Dispensationalism). 

Now we will see if the history behind this teaching can shine any light on its problematic rise and influence. 

The promotion and expansion of Dispensationalism appears to have had considerably more to do with the political views of Zionism, than with the teaching of scripture. A little-known document called The Blackstone Petition or Blackstone Memorial called for the re-establishment of the State of Israel almost 120 years ago, in 1891. It was submitted by a lay minister/real estate developer named William Blackstone (not to be confused with the British attorney who wrote “Commentaries” on Common Law in the 1700s).

http://www.jewishmag.com/146mag/brandeis_blackstone/brandeis_blackstone.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Eugene_Blackstone

Blackstone was a “student” of John Nelson Darby’s teachings, who was considered the “Father of Dispensationalism."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Nelson_Darby

Even though most of us have likely never heard of Blackstone and his petition, it was not an insignificant document at the time, considering some of those who signed it. For example, J.P. Morgan, John D., and William Rockefeller, who were signers, also happened to be key “players” in forming the *Federal Reserve System implemented in 1913 under which our country’s monetary system now operates. (For an excellent book on the issues regarding the Federal Reserve I highly recommend http://www.webofdebt.com)

If the involvement by these signers seems unimportant or irrelevant, you may also wish to read

http://web.archive.org/web/20090503204211/http://www.taxtruth4u.com/money.htm which addresses our current monetary system. This will help tie this part together. NOTE: The link immediately above is from the Internet Archive, known as "The Wayback Machine" because my original site no longer exists.

Is it merely a coincidence these particular gentlemen were signers of this petition? If you understand the destruction and deception of the Federal Reserve System as discussed in the links above, this simple fact alone makes their - aka the "banksters" - early support and promotion of the dispensational system highly suspect. And this is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. If the connection is not apparent at this time, I encourage you to do your own research. The links above will be a good starting point. If you really dig around, it gets even more "interesting." To understand why I say this, be sure to read the article on Blackstone on the above link and also linked here for your convenience.

It should be pointed out of the 413 signers of this Petition only a total of 15 were either rabbis or of Jewish or Hebrew descent. That is less than 4% of the 413 signers. In addition, one of the Jewish signers happened to be a banker and President of a bank called “International Bank.” Yet this petition was supposed to be about bringing Jews back to their “homeland” not about finance or politics (the more you dig, the more you will discover how "big money" and corrupt government have been connected for well over 100 years in the USA via the Federal Reserve. To read this list of signers, you would think this petition had more to do with some corporate business venture instead of a spiritual/religious effort.

The rest of the signers were a mixture of Protestant clergymen, representatives of several major national newspapers (early promoters of fake news?), politicians, government workers such as postmasters, judges, clerks, and even some collectors of revenue, along with a variety of businessmen. The whole list can be found at

http://web.archive.org/web/20080515083850/http://www.amfi.org/blackmem.htm (Also no longer on a website but from the internet archives). Considering the apparent nature of this petition to reestablish Israel as a nation, this was a curious mix, wouldn’t you agree?

The rabbit hole goes even deeper when you consider that J.P. Morgan and its interests also purchased controlling interest of every major newspaper - 25 in all - at that time (1915) in order to control the information going to the public to protect “their interests” but not necessarily to report the truth.

The banksters (the private banking system called the Federal Reserve) realized when they pushed through the Federal Reserve Act in 1913 that to pull off the control of the newly implemented money system they would need to also control the information to the public via the news. This would allow them to divert the public away from and hide this subtle but very significant takeover of commerce of the entire country through a totally corrupted money system, which is exactly what they did over 100 years ago.  

To the shock of anyone learning this for the first time, the mainstream media has actually been controlled by the "banksters" since that time. This is not "conspiracy theory" but documented in the Congressional Record of 1917 on page 2947. If you wish to see a photocopy and discussion of this in the actual Congressional record, click here. 

As a further indication of the influence and control of the media, I offer you these additional quotes.  

"There is no such thing, at this date of the world's history in America, as an independent press. You know it and I know it. There is not one of you who dare to write your honest opinions, and if you did, you know beforehand that it would never appear in print. I am paid weekly for keeping my honest opinion out of the paper I am connected with. Others of you are paid similar salaries for similar things, and any of you who would be so foolish as to write honest opinions would be out on the street looking for another job. If I allowed my honest opinions to appear in one issue of my' paper, before twenty-four hours my occupation would be gone. The business of the journalist is to destroy the truth; to lie outright; to pervert; to vilify; to fawn at the feet of mammon, and to sell his country and his race for his daily bread. You know it and I know it and what folly is this toasting an independent press? We are the tools and vassals of rich men behind the scenes. We are the jumping jacks, they pull the strings and we dance. Our talents, our possibilities, and our lives are all the property of other men. We are intellectual prostitutes. 

-John Swinton, former chief of staff, The New York Times, in a 1953 speech before the New York Press Club 

"We are grateful to the Washington Post, the New York Times, Time Magazine and other great publications whose directors have attended our meetings and respected their promise of discretion for almost forty years... It would have been impossible for us to develop our plan for the world if we had been subject to the bright lights of publicity during those years. But, the world is now more sophisticated and prepared to march towards a world government. The supranational sovereignty of an intellectual elite and world bankers is surely preferable to the national auto-determination practiced in past centuries".

-David Rockefeller, in an address given to Catherine Graham, publisher of The Washington Post and other media luminaries in attendance in Baden Baden, Germany at the June 1991 annual meeting of the world elite Bilderberg Group. 

"We are going to impose our agenda on the coverage by dealing with issues and subjects that we choose to deal with".

-Richard M. Cohen, former Senior Producer of CBS political news

 "Our job is to give people not what they want, but what we decide they ought to have" 

-Richard Salant, former President of CBS News

"Only the small secrets need to be protected. The big ones are kept secret by public incredulity"(i.e. disbelief)

-Marshall McLuhan, media 'guru'

Comments in (  )’s and or with emphasis mine.

Why take so much time to address the news media in a paper on the teaching of Dispensationalism? If you get nothing else from this article, please understand this: the current political and monetary system has subtle but clear connections to a system that is far more encompassing than simply a particular theological worldview. For this financial/political system to survive, we must remain ignorant and apathetic to the true nature of events related to the "banksters" activities and the corrupt monetary system they set up and use to control all financial transactions, and therefore the necessity and importance of controlling the information ("news") outlets. Truth, care, and action by you and me are the globalist "banksters" biggest fear. That’s why any exposure of this information is often aggressively attacked with considerable effort to discredit it. If you have read this far, you are apparently neither apathetic, and you can certainly say you are no longer ignorant i.e. uninformed. 

But it is our fault as the church as much as anyone’s (maybe more so) on why this monetary/political system has thrived and exists to this day.  And it is also our problem to solve. Politicians have proven they are not interested in truly addressing this corrupt banking system. In fact, they helped to implement it - either directly or indirectly - benefit from it, and allowed it to continue unchecked by turning a blind eye at a minimum.  

Am I saying the "banksters" created this theological system called Dispensationalism? Not at all. I do think, however, that they saw in dispensational teaching a perfect ²opportunity and vehicle to heavily influence the church to aid in implementing a one-world system aka globalism, and gain the support of the church to advance their deception. The "banksters" no doubt realized if the church could be convinced that the Bible predicts the coming of a one-world system under some diabolical opponent to God Himself (i.e. the "Antichrist"), then to resist it is futile (remember the Borg in the Star Trek TV series?). The globalists figured no good Christian would go against what the Bible predicts is inevitable. A clever, highly deceptive, and effective strategy. As a result, a very large portion of the church universal has bought into Dispensationalism to this day. 

Though our understanding of the subject of this paper must be formed primarily from scripture (which I address here) the political/ historical/ financial roots of Dispensationalism play a far greater role in the promotion of this teaching in the church than many may realize. Since the focus of Bible students is mainly on understanding what Scripture teaches regarding the “end times” this lack of awareness of its historical roots is understandable. However, I believe knowing the history behind the promotion of this doctrine is of no small significance or consequence and should be considered more closely by all students of the Bible. Therefore, I have taken the time to address this side of this rather involved subject of Dispensationalism (which can be read here).

I believe it is the intention of globalist "banksters" who seek to rule us (whoever they may be) that we buy into the pessimistic mindset fostered by Dispensationalism (we address this pessimism in part 5 “Two World Views…”). The result is we unintentionally (on our part, not theirs) look to our "rulers" for solutions to our problems and not to God. -- I believe this in part also explains why Futurism (how the world ends) and particularly Dispensationalism is such a widespread and popular notion among many non-Christians as well. No other teaching -  purportedly based on scripture - is more widely accepted by non-Christians than this “end time” doctrine and apocalyptic view of the world's future. 

This in itself should raise a red flag about the validity of this teaching. Are not the things of the gospel normally foolishness to the world? Christ’s words “broad is the road that leads to destruction…” may be very appropriate here. I believe those who wish to rule over us count on the church, doing just what we are doing, which is next to nothing when it comes to infusing the culture with the gospel and advancing God's kingdom here and now (His reign over the hearts and minds of all who look to Christ as their king) and speaking out against the corruption at all levels, especially within ³Government. The pessimism and passivity created by the belief in an inevitable future destruction of earth taught by Dispensationalism aids the advancement of a one-world government and plays right into their hands -- after all, according to Dispensationalism, a one-world government headed by a political figure called “The Antichrist” is predicted in the Bible so why waste time to resist it. 

I think if the establishment and promotion of Dispensationalism were not expressly to create a passive church - which indirectly aids the advance of one-world government - it has certainly been cleverly utilized toward that end.

I also think attempts to label ³a Preterism as anti-Semitic - yes, believe it or not, it’s true...labeling someone as a racist of any kind is a common and effective hot-button issue. It is a convenient diversion from discovering the truth. And if you understand that Satan is ultimately behind anything that neuters or distorts the truth, the church’s effectiveness on culture and government, and the advancement of God's kingdom in the world, all of this is not beyond reason but in fact makes perfect sense. If you further study the history behind Dispensationalism, if it isn’t already apparent, it will become more apparent how all of this is connected as you dig in. 

________________________________

¹Some believe Zionism is the main player behind globalism. I have concluded it is merely a useful tool of the real players - i.e. the "banksters" (Rothschild - the founder of the central banking system in England - being an Ashkenazi Jew) 

- Zionism is a diversion used by the banksters to promote globalism (one world government). Globalism is about power, money, and control, not a particular religious view or system. Making it about a religious view (with racial implications) also aids them in creating division within the church. For a discussion on how Zionism helps promote identity politics and racism, click here. One of the strategies of globalists is to accuse their opponents of the very things they are most guilty of. 

²Possibly they saw and sincerely believed this teaching was justification for one world government. 

Most centers of influence and power, such as the church (media, government, and other major centers of influence such as entertainment, social media, sports, and the like), start out well but are infiltrated and commandeered to advance the "bankster" aka globalist agenda in one fashion or another.  This is a clever but diabolical strategy because these institutions are centers of influence for a reason - i.e. they've gained the trust of so many and are far less likely to be suspected of anything nefarious. They are perfect "candidates" to gain control over the minds and lives of others and culture and society as a whole because of the trust they gained in their beginnings.

³For those who raise the question of obeying the authorities discussed in Rom 13, keep in mind Christ’s most scathing criticisms were against the Pharisees who were the religious authorities in Israel during Christ’s time on earth. If you care to read more on this click here.  

³a which teaches the "end times" the Bible speaks of was a historical event, not in the future.

For a look at what the bible really says about the promise to Abram (later named Abraham) regarding the nation of Israel, click here. 

This is only part 4 of a 5 part paper. If you wish to read the rest of the paper this current post is taken from click here.

For a further discussion on what promises God actually made to Israel click here

If you wish to discuss any of the points addressed in this article or have any questions, message me at  

thotsaboutGod@gmail.com Ask for Jim. God Speed

Identity politics and God's word.

One of the subtle issues of ¹Dispensational Eschatology is "identity politics." 

It's not obvious on the surface, but when you look closely, this teaching places a certain nation/race on a pedestal above all others. The Jewish race. The nation of Israel is viewed by many - mainly within, but also outside the church - as the "apple of God's eye." To even question this superior status is considered antisemitic by some - i.e. racist. 

The irony is if this high view were held toward any other race - such as Hitler's so-called Ayran race -  It would be racist, and people would rightly be up in arms protesting. 

I am not suggesting at all that Israel was unimportant or insignificant. They certainly were and played a unique and vital role in God's plan of redemption, as well as on the stage of human history. Nor am I suggesting we should not ²support national Israel today. Any nation that promotes freedom, especially if surrounded by a region of hostility toward that freedom, deserves our ²support. But to accurately assess national Israel's true significance in God's eyes, we must explore God's words in the bible. God must be true even if every man is a liar. 

³If you wish to explore this more click here.

If someone does not view Israel as superior to other nations some will object and ask "Isn't the nation of Israel God's chosen people; special above all others?" The short answer is yes, but to answer that question properly and completely, we must ask the bigger underlying questions. e.g. to what end was Israel chosen for and was that purpose ever carried out? If so, how and when? 

The longer answer is they were chosen to be the nation through which the promised Messiah came, and he did (though orthodox Jews believe the Messiah's coming is still in the future). And He came not just as the Deliverer of the Jews only, but the Savior of the entire world. For a more thorough discussion on this click here.

The general issue with identity politics.

What does any of this have to do with identity politics? In essence, identity politics says one's individual value or worth is determined by one's group, race, nationality, etc. However, when you follow this through logically, isn't this in fact at the heart of racism - i.e. one group or race being superior (or inferior) to others. This is saying I am better (or worse) than you simply because I belong to a particular race or group. Or, I can do no wrong because I belong to a certain group e.g. a person of color - any color or lack of it - can't be racist because they are the victim of racism. A certain group could get away with many things others would never be able to do if they were considered superior to others. 

But this is not true, no matter who asserts it. This is a form of group or ethnic supremacy if you will. Not unlike the "white supremacy" label we hear thrown around today. A kind of ⁴ethnic-based identity -- exactly the opposite of the message of grace. 

In God's economy, identity is based on something much greater and far more significant. God calls us to ground our identity in who we are as His image-bearers first, as well as ⁵who he has made us to be in Christ, not in our ethnicity, group, gender, culture, worldview, etc. The teaching of the Bible shatters all boundaries of race, gender, or any other difference.

Gal 3:25  But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian,
Gal 3:26  for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.
Gal 3:27  For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
Gal 3:28  There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
Gal 3:29  And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to ⁴promise.

The above "group" - God's group if you will - is the only group we can ultimately and legitimately base our identity on. Being part of this group has nothing to do with race and everything to do with grace.

This is not a point of pride, but of humility, since it's based on grace and not our ethnicity, culture, efforts, some assumed "birthright" or anything that has to do with humanity seeking to bolster their identity apart from and outside of God, their Creator. 

This is also unifying because being an image-bearer of God includes everybody, so in this sense -- the way most define a group -- it is not a group at all because we all belong to it. 

Also, being remade in Christ's image is available to anybody and will be denied to no one who desires to enter onto this path i.e. it excludes no one and is freely offered to anyone. 

These aspects of our identity are determined by no less than God Himself -- the Creator of us all -- making them the only legitimate grounds for our identity and of far greater significance than anything offered or asserted by men.

Ironically, those who scream ⁶loudest about racism are usually those who look at the world exclusively through an "identity politics" - i.e. racial - filter. The problem is that this creates an "us-them" mindset and division instead of unity. 

A lot of accusations about who is being more divisive are thrown around these days. However, if we stop and think about it, we will find identity politics at the heart of this divisiveness, not racism in the classical sense e.g. whites vs blacks, Aryans vs Jews, etc. Those who are least racist are the least likely to think in racial terms - e.g. I am not a brown, white, or black woman or man I am simply a fellow human being created in the image of God, just like you are, regardless of race, gender, age etc.

The truth is we are all created in God's image, and our value is not rooted in our group, race, nationality, or gender...at least not in God's eyes (this, of course, includes Jews). So in the most basic and vital sense, as bearers of God's image, we are all the same in the eyes of God; we are all ⁷equally created to know and experience God in all his beauty, majesty, love, and goodness. We are all members of the human race who have equal access to God in and through Christ and are equally valued by God regardless of group, race, gender, etc.

We see this in the Gospel of John by Christ himself when he said the following to the Samaritan women at the well...

20  (the women said) 0ur fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship.” 21 Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. 22 You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 But the hour is coming, and is now here, when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. 24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” 25 The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes, he will tell us all things.” 26 Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am he.” John 4:20-26

Note Christ said he's seeking people whose heart (i.e. "... in spirit and truth...") is after him, not those who come from any particular group, race, or area i.e. not the heart of a Jew, white, black, yellow, brown, or any other specific race, but all hearts. When you understand that Samaritans were considered "half-breeds" by the Jews - not unlike the Muggle-born "mudblood", Hermione Granger, in the Harry Potter series - this conversation with a Samaritan woman becomes even more significant. 

In addition, he was having a conversation with a woman. Women were considered second-class citizens by that culture and time (but obviously not by Christ). And you certainly didn't hang out with a woman alone, one on one, even in public. This was considered taboo. When you look at the context of this conversation, his disciples' response subtly hints at this taboo.

Am I saying it is wrong to love our heritage? Not at all. To the degree it honors and displays the beauty and diversity of God, it is a good thing. However, it is not the ground on which we base our identity and worth. 

There is nothing wrong with cultural diversity. It can be a good thing to display the vast creativity of God. It is just not the ultimate thing we base our identity on.

For a discussion on why and how we must distinguish culture from race click here. 

For a discussion on the image of God click here

For a discussion on Dispensationalism click here.

For a discussion on the promises made to Abraham click here. 

___________________________________

Footnotes:

¹I am not looking to single out Dispensationalism for its own sake but because of its widespread support in the evangelical Christian community, the subtle effect of this view is significant and worth mentioning.

²I'm not saying financial support necessarily but verbal or moral support assuming they (or anyone else we support for that matter) are acting morally and legitimately in self-defense. 

³For more on that promise click here

⁴One group is more valuable than another because of their ethnicity, thereby deserving greater respect.

⁵However, this does not make Christians superior to non-Christians because it is a status given to us as a gift and available to anybody who will receive it.

⁶I'm not saying there is no racism or that racism shouldn't be addressed, I'm saying those who see everything through a racial filter (identity politics) are likely the most racist. Those who don't are the most "colorblind." 

To say it another way, the most racist among those who read this will probably scream loudest that this article is racist and antisemitic. To assert a person of color can be a racist is taboo or that all "whites" are not automatically racist by being white, will upset some. 

⁷This also happens to be the worldview of the founders of this nation - that all men are created equal - even though not fully put into practice initially. However, this view eventually became the impetus and basis for the abolition of slavery. The foundation of truth laid in the founding documents of the "great American experiment" ultimately won out, even though a significant compromise over the equal value of the black man was initially made in order to form a union of the 13 original colonies that later became the United States of America i.e. our nation. Contrary to much of the present-day narrative, most of the founders were opposed to slavery and this compromise. An accurate and revealing depiction of this battle and compromise is shown in the second episode -- titled "Independence"-- in the HBO miniseries "John Adams."