Only someone in an isolation chamber could imagine that this world is not fallen. Even the most fact-resistant naturalist (who cannot begin to explain why there is something rather than nothing) concedes that the evolutionary process in which he places so much faith is mysterious and imperfect. Of course the Christian faith has an explanation for the terrible things we do ourselves and to each other: the fall. Mysteriously, in Adam we all transgressed God’s holy law. That transgression brought with in an endless catalogue of miseries. God graciously restrains the consequences of the fall so that we do not all experience all the misery entailed by the fall but there is still enough to go around. Racism is one of those miseries. It is a stupid sin whereby people of one ethnic background imagine that they are superior to those of another ethnic background merely because of differing ethnicity. This sin affects and afflicts Christians. One of the questions Christians are discussing presently is how we ought to respond do it. One of the proposed responses is to categorize the sin of racism as a denial of the gospel.
My pastor, Chris Gordon, is host of Abounding Grace Radio and recently we sat down to discuss these issues, how the church should respond to the sin of racism, what God’s holy law has to say about it, and how the gospel is good news in this situation.
AGR airs daily on KARI in the Pacific Northwest (4:30 PM), in San Diego on KPRZ (1:30 PM and 4:00 PM), in KRDU in Fresno (4:00 PM), KPDQ in Portland (1:30 PM and 4:00 PM), GraceRadio 107.9FM in Modesto (7:00 AM and 7:00 PM), and weekly on CJFW in Terrace, B.C. Canada (7:30 PM Sundays), and 8:00 AM and 9:00 PM (Sundays) on CFIS 93.1 FM (Prince George, B.C.). AGR also airs on KVOH out of Zambia into the larger African continent.
Here is part 1:
Here is part 2:
Note: this audio was originally released in 2017 by Abounding Grace Radio.
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R. Scott Clark
R.Scott Clark is the President of the Heidelberg Reformation Association, the author and editor of, and contributor to several books and the author of many articles. He has taught church history and historical theology since 1997 at Westminster Seminary California. He has also taught at Wheaton College, Reformed Theological Seminary, and Concordia University. He has hosted the Heidelblog since 2007.
More by R. Scott Clark ›
Will not the Holy Spirit employ the ordinary means of preaching the word to send out congregants to love God, neighbour and eneny that we may see to the expansion of God’s kingdom? (Matt 12:28). Should the minister of the gospel exhort his congregants to distinguish themselves in the office they are employed and endeavour to orientate (orient) society to Christ? Should it be seen as a biblical enterprise to have the civil magistrate be a God fearing man with a heart to expiate the statute book removing godless laws such as unjust taxes, and legitimised murder?