A Christian's Reflection on Racial Discrimination
- Feb 24
- 6 min read
Updated: Apr 29
This blog is a Christian's reflection on Racial Discriminations accompanied by many photos taken by him during a recent mission trip to Thailand.
Remember that?
It was the year of 2020, the moment when the Black Lives Matter Movement erupted in America over the murder of George Floyd. It spread all over social media like a wildfire.
I was not a believing Christian at that point of time, yet I knew in my heart and in my conscience that what had happened to George Floyd was tragic.
But if someone were to ask me in that moment.
"Why was the murder of George Floyd an injustice?"
"Because it just is!" I may have spluttered back indignantly.
Yet, I would have no logical answer to that question that wasn't based on emotion or feeling.
I think the main message that I want to express in this blog is the real reason why ethnic discrimination angers us: the truth of why it pricks our hearts and conscience.
Here is the reason:
The reality of the Imago Dei gives all human beings inherent value that surpasses ethnic differences.
The Imago Dei is a Latin term meaning "Image of God" and is derived from Bible passages like Genesis 1:27. The passage explains that when God created the earth, universe and everything in it, this was how He created mankind:
So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.
Whether we realize it or not, most of western society and human rights ideologies start from the above foundation: that humans are inherently valuable because God created us in His image, and He (GOD) is extraordinarily valuable.
To quote popular historian Tom Holland, the author of "The Air We Breathe":
"Moderns may yawn at the idea, but ancients would choke on it. Male and female equality in God's image? Equal reigning over God's world? Unheard of!"
And in regards to racial differences between human beings, the Bible consistently teaches that God does not show favouritism based on outward appearances.
Scriptures such as Revelation 7:9 paint a picture of people from every tribe and nation in heaven:
After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands.
God's character is revealed in the below scripture as well (Acts 10:34):
Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right.
But what about...?
Let's address the elephant in the room. One of the common critiques about Christianity is that it has a history of unjust colonialism. Where the Europeans supposedly brought Christianity to the rest of the world, they also brought diseases, slavery and other human rights violations.
And no doubt, in some cases, that may be undeniably true.
How are we to reconcile these two realities together? How can human rights have come from Jesus's teachings, yet the Church that He started has a historical record of human rights violations?
My answers to that question may not be 100% satisfying to those who feel wounded by what the church has done poorly in the past.
but I'll give it my best shot anyway.
In my defence of Christian history, I'll start off with asking this question: are human rights violations are unique to the Church?
The answer is no.
And why is that important to note?
It is important, because long before colonialism ever landed on the shores of some of these countries that claim oppression by the British Empire - slavery, political murders, harsh labour and tortures were already commonplace.
This undermines the skewed narrative often taught in schools - that the nations were living in some sort of perfect utopian-like society before the British Empire attacked them.
(Not quite like the opening to the Avatar, the Last Airbender, for those of you who get my reference.)
For example, in ancient China, systems of forced labor and harsh punishments under the Qin dynasty were well documented, long before the British Christians ever stepped foot on the land.
In some parts of Africa, forms of slavery predated European arrival; historians such as Paul E. Lovejoy in Transformations in Slavery document internal and regional slave systems in Ancient African states like the Mali Empire and the Kingdom of Dahomey.
In conclusion, as the Bible correctly points out, the root issue is not colonialism, nor is it Christianity - the problem is the inherent wickedness in the human heart that has been present since we were removed from a right relationship with God, post the Fall (John 3:19):
And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.
And, according to the Bible, is the church exempt from the wickedness of the heart that infects all of mankind?
Well - the answer is complicated.
Jesus and His disciples predicted that the Christian church would be under attack by spiritually dark forces (Matthew 16:18):
And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
And, as noted by the earliest disciples of Jesus, one of those spiritual attacks would include temptations for the church to do evil (James 1:13-17):
Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.
Christians wage a daily war with what is called the war between "the flesh" and "the Spirit".
The flesh is a term used by the Apostle Paul to describe the evil nature that exists within our fallen human bodies, and "the Spirit" is a term to describe "The Holy Spirit" (the third person of the Trinity) that God deposits into believers when they come to faith. See Romans 7:17 to 8:17.
This would make sense why Church history is so messy, with both good and bad coming out of it. We have been fighting a spiritual war and have won some battles, but also lost some along the way.
How are things now?
Though if it is any consolation, when it comes to the spread of Christianity,
What I do know is that things have changed in the Church since then.
And I was privileged to experience that firsthand in Thailand. During our mission trip, we worked with the local Thai churches to share the Christian message with the villagers. All of the affairs were conducted in a culturally respectful and peaceful way.
We prayed for the sick, gave resources to the people (such as bags of rice) and we preached Jesus Christ with local Christian Thai translators. What we saw was Thai Christian Pastors, working with Singaporean Missionaries, to bring the Good News of Jesus to the Thai people.
The Hidden Truth...
Here's another fact that you probably were not taught in school:
Christianity is no longer just a western religion... nor was it ever truly.
The fact is, Christianity is an ancient faith, birthed in the Middle East, that spread to the West, and is now spreading all throughout Asia without violence or coercion.
The Gospel in it's purest form never affected the non-Western cultural identity.
A very special memory that brought tears to my eyes as a Singaporean Chinese Christian, was seeing all of my country men wear the red traditional clothing, worshipping our God together on Chinese New Year at Church.
During this traditional season as well, we do the Yusheng with Bible passages, and write Bible verses on the back of our Ang Pao's as we give each other financial blessings.
In conclusion...
I hope this blog explained the value of the Imago Dei and cleared up some huge misconceptions when it comes to the relationship between the Gospel, ethnicity, culture and equality of human rights.
And this is consistent to what the early Church believed about themselves:
Galatians 3:28
There is no Jew or Greek, slave or free, male and female; since you are all one in Christ Jesus.
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