Why Racial Justice Is Part of the Gospel Message
Adam Griffin, pastor of Eastside Community Church in Dallas, says the American church is currently split on the issue of racism. While most everyone would agree racism is bad, there’s a difference on whether racism is a current, ongoing problem or not.
He says, “There are several camps. One thinks it’s not an issue at all, that this is something that has nothing to do with the gospel, and we’ve resolved everything we have to when it comes to race like it’s not even a problem anymore. Another group of people thinks it is a problem that absolutely needs to be addressed, but it really distracts from the main work of the church. That it distracts from the gospel work that we’re supposed to be about. That we should really just focus on other things and not about racial issues. But [another group asks] what if focusing on racial issues is a gospel issue? What if that’s exactly what the church should be doing?”
Based on the video, Griffin falls into that last category. He points out that because humans were made in the image of God, every human is entitled to dignity, and attacks on the value or worth of another human are “an affront to God Himself.” He says several covenants throughout the Bible point out that the kingdom of heaven is meant to be multiethnic and multicultural. He also says the barrier that prevented some people from having relationship with God based on ethnicity was torn down when the temple curtain ripped into two—and that message of racial unity is part of the gospel message.
Do you agree with Griffin that pursuing racial justice must be part of the gospel? Watch the video and then let us know in the comments.
