This
blog arose from my (John's) comments in response to social media post. A Christian friend whom I will call "Robin" posted
a quote by Dr. Robert P. Jones, founder of the Public Religion Research
Institute (PRRI). We begin with my response (below, somewhat
abbreviated), followed by Robin's Social Media Response, followed by my reply entitled, "John's Reply."
Thank you,“Robin," for the quote from Dr. Jones.
[CLICK on quote below to enlarge.] You've driven me to revisit my thinking
about where my focus should be between "individual sin" (and thus,
disciplining my own heart in the light of my being "clothed with
Christ") as opposed to focusing on social/cultural/institutional sin
(inherent "within white Christian DNA?").

From my study of Galatians
3: 22-29, I understand that I should be living as one who is not under law to
provide my righteousness; but instead, joined by spiritual baptism into Christ
in whom, there is neither Jew nor Gentile, slave nor free man, male nor
female... all believers are one in Christ, joint-heirs with His righteous DNA. As a result, my DNA ought to reflect true
"Christian DNA." And, Galatians 5: 13-15 describes the fruit that
ought to result from our union with Christ; namely, that we "love and
serve one another," and not "bite and devour one another."
Therefore, my focus should be on my own commitment to live by these principles;
and therefore, contribute to the coming of the kingdom of God on Earth for
which we ought to pray: "Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done,"
beginning in my heart and spreading outward through my love of God and love for my brethren within the church and for my neighbor, regardless of ethnic group, gender, etc. In other words, can we
agree that "social justice" must begin with "individual,
internal justice" based upon God’s righteousness which is nurtured in worship and service of our churches and then flows outward into our
social interactions within the secular world?
Robin’s Social Media Response
John, thanks for your comments here. We
agree on so much--God's grace, yes. In
my studies over the last thirty years, I've come to realize that the Gospel is
as much about working to liberate those who are oppressed by racist systems as
it is about working to liberate folks enchained in their sin. As Miroslav Volf has wisely pointed out, after
the early 20th century's schism between modernists and fundamentalists in the
church, both sides were left with "thin" gospels. Modernists overemphasized the earthly justice
part, but fundamentalism under which I grew up and was educated by at
Cedarville--overemphasized the spiritual part a la a heritage of
quasi-Manicheanism that asserted only that which was “spiritual” mattered. I have a far deeper, richer understanding of
the Scriptures now that I understand the hundreds of commands requiring us to
help the poor, the widows, the orphans, the strangers, a.k.a., immigrants, in our
midst. For example, Isaiah 1: 17
captures the commands from many other passages in Scripture:
Learn to do good.
Seek justice.
Help the oppressed.
Defend the cause of orphans.
Fight for the rights of widows.And this one
in Zechariah 7:10:
Do not oppress widows, orphans,
foreigners, and the poor.
And do not scheme against each other.
Our Lord Jesus
says it best:
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News
to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that
the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, and that the time of
the Lord’s favor has come. –Luke 4:18-19
I could keep
quoting verses here, John. Jesus is God who came to us in flesh and blood. The
physical matters to him. The plight of the poor and oppressed matter to him.
Sadly, as many historians, especially Christian
historians and political scientists like Jones and Jemar Tisby, have clearly
shown the American Church's complicity with white supremacy. I encourage you to read their work!
John's Reply
Dear Robin,
Thank you for responding to my post.
Please allow me to be more specific in addressing your concerns. First, if I accept Robert P. Jones’s
assertions as true, then I must deal with the possibility that I am a “white supremacist.” According to Dr. Jones’s logic:
A) I am a “white Christian;” and therefore,
B) I have “white Christian DNA” which
means that
C) I am susceptible if not
already infected by the “white supremacy ‘virus.’” Dr. Jones also suggests that, as a “white Christian,” and based on results of
the 2024 presidential election in which white Christians favored Donald Trump:
D) I may be more susceptible to the “white supremacy virus” than those
who voted for Kamala Harris. It follows
that Dr. Jones predicts that
E) I voted for Donald Trump
because, the “white supremacy virus” triggered my “white Christian DNA” and
caused me to vote in favor of the presidential candidate who would most likely prevent
“the loss of white Christian dominance amid a rapidly changing environment.”
[Please feel free to challenge my interpretation at any point.]
If I understand Dr. Jones’s claim in regard to white evangelical Christians, I
will admit there is some truth in his statement. Here is my testimony based upon each of the
above points:
A) I was born “white.” As a young
man, God’s Spirit through His Word convicted me about my sinful nature (i.e.
my sin-infected flesh, including my DNA).
Based upon my personal profession of faith in Jesus Christ’s atoning blood
which He shed on His Cross, I have been baptized into His death and raised a “new
creation” in Christ.
B) Based upon my profession of faith
in Christ, I confess that I have “Christian DNA” which I have “inherited” as
part of my new spiritual genealogy in Christ.
I am a “new creation” in which “the old things passed away; behold, new
things have come (2 Corinthians 5: 17).
However, as to the inference that I have “white Christian DNA,” I
disagree, at least in proclamation because there is no distinction in
either the life blood or the “color of the DNA” among human beings, least of
all among Christians. I have been
joined by spiritual baptism into Christ in whose Body, the Church, “there is neither
Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor
female; for [we] are all one in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3: 28),” and
joint-heirs, sharing in His “righteous DNA” (Romans 8: 17).
C) In regard to Dr. Jones’s claim
that l am susceptible if not already infected by the “white supremacy virus,” I
will admit to thinking and acting at times in ways that may resemble what he
considers “white supremacist” behavior. Therefore,
while I deny being a “white supremacist” in my proclamation, I will confess
my weakness in demonstration of the biblical truth of Galatians 3 in thought
and action. For example, having grown up
in rural America as part of a “white family” in a largely “white community,” I have
not experienced life in a “black family” in an urban community. These differences in ethnicity and cultural
exposure are undeniable and they have hampered my sensitivity, tactfulness, and
expression, but I do not believe they are intentional or caused by any sense of
racial superiority on my part. We ought
not to judge one another’s behavior as relates to either our ethnic diversity
or our cultural background.

D) I also disagree with Dr.
Jones’s inference that, because I voted for Donald Trump, I am more susceptible
to the “white supremacy virus” than those who voted for Kamala Harris. It seems to me that Dr. Jones’s practice of classifying
each individual created in God’s image as a member of a group is inconsistent
with his opposition to racism and racial profiling.
E) Finally, I wonder on what grounds
Dr. Jones can claim that I voted for Donald Trump because I am a “white
supremacist” who wants to prevent the loss of “white Christian dominance.” For reasons I have presented above, I do not
believe he is justified in making that claim.
In contrast to Dr. Jones’s attitude, we ought to remember that regardless of our views on politics and culture, God commands us in numerous passages to make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace (Ephesians 4: 3). Singling out groups and judging them as racist based what one assumes about another’s motives and actions does not reflect the Spirit of Christ who admonishes us to love one another, not judge one another.
I'll stop there, Robin, and invite you to “Comment” on this blog. I value your participation and hope to better understand and learn from your perspective. I also invite interested readers to comment as well. Meanwhile, I am following up with a "Part 2" in order to express my current thoughts on what I’ll call “biblical social justice.” [To read Part 2, click HERE.]
Related
Articles & Videos
Readers, subscribe (free) and receive your first
issue of our monthly Oikonomia e-mail package of additional
articles and videos related to this topic. Each issue includes other resources of interest in
science, faith, and culture. Just scroll to the top and, in the right
column, find Subscribe to Mailing List. Enter your e-mail address and first name to
subscribe FREE. To view past monthly issues and Subscribe free, just
go HERE.