Race, Cross, and the Christian

It was November 2005, and I was in Alice Springs on the invitation of the Bible Society speaking event

to raise awareness for its ministry to remote areas of Australia

and the importance of all people having the Bible, the Word of God, in their own language.

And so I was to speak at this event on the Friday night in an aircraft hangar

with a Bible Society plane behind me and then at a local church on the Sunday morning.

And so a friend of mine came along for the trip.

We'd spent the Saturday after the Friday night exploring different parts around Alice Springs.

And in the evening, we walked down from a hotel into town and then had some dinner or whatever,

and then decided to walk back.

And it was dark as we were walking back, and they were walking along this pathway

on the edge of a dry riverbank, which most of them are, I assume, around there.

And to our left, as we were walking along in the moonlight, we could make out there was a group of Aboriginals

sitting in the riverbank drinking.

And up ahead of us, along the path to the right, we could hear in this sort of slummy kind of area

a lot of yelling and stuff going on up there.

Let me just pause there for a moment in terms of that picture.

I think it's fair to say that we were kind of nervous at that point.

We were in an area that we'd never been in before.

We weren't sure exactly where we were walking.

We knew where the hotel was, and we knew we were heading towards the hotel,

but we didn't know what was here between here and there.

And I suspect we would have been nervous regardless of who was there,

and if it was a bunch of teenagers or something like that,

drinking in there, a big group of them and a big group over there.

But as I said last week, I grew up with a fair amount of prejudice towards Aboriginals.

It came from the rhetoric of my white, rural Australian culture.

It came from my own experiences in both school and at work.

You could say that my friend's experience, the guy who was with me, was more acute than mine.

He spent a good part of his childhood years in Walgett, a fairly troubled place in terms of race relationships.

And so in this moment, on that Saturday night in Alice Springs,

both of our prejudices, which were lying down fairly deep, I suspect, came to the surface.

We'd both been in similar situations in the past.

And so as we walked on this pathway, I said quietly to him,

do you see the group down there on the left of the riverbank?

He said he did.

And at that moment, over to the right where the noise was coming from,

a group of about 20 Aboriginals came out from that area

and it would appear that they were heading straight towards the group

that were down there in the riverbank.

And he said to me, do you see the group up there to the right?

I said I do.

And it was becoming obvious to us that our trajectory would mean

that we were going to basically run straight into this group

as it walked over to the group down here in the riverbank.

We were both silent as we walked.

You could say our hearts were racing with nerves

and our minds were thinking about an escape plan.

In fact, we talked about an escape plan.

If something goes wrong, what are we going to do?

Which way are we going to go?

And where are we going to head?

We were hoping not to run into this middle of these 20 Aboriginals

heading across on this dark path.

And we were hoping that they weren't going to notice the two white guys,

the only two white guys around walking down this pathway.

And it was probably about that moment that our fears were in fact realized.

They in fact did notice us.

And as we approached and literally as we thought we were going to have to stop

as the Aboriginal group came across in front of us,

the leader of that group of Aboriginals, an elderly lady,

put her hands up like this as she got to the edge of the path.

And I wasn't sure what she was doing,

but what I realized what she was doing at that moment

was she was stopping the group from walking over the top of us.

And they all obliged.

They all stopped.

And as we walked past,

she said,

good evening, gentlemen.

We turned and said good evening and kept walking.

And we kept walking in silence

for another 20, 30 paces or something like that.

And my friend said to me,

how bad do I feel?

And I said, yep.

Let me tell you a really simple moment.

Back in 2005,

God used that moment to expose something of the sinner racial prejudice

that was in my heart.

It didn't escape me at all

that I was speaking about the necessity of the Word of God

going to all people, even to remote Aboriginal communities.

That's why they flew me there in the first place.

And I had a prejudice in my heart towards the people

that were meant to be receiving that ministry.

There was a disconnect between what I knew to be right and good

and part of God's purposes and my heart.

I was treated in that moment,

in the darkness, on that path,

with more dignity

than I treated them with my head and my heart.

It should not have been.

There was an article in the Australian newspaper on Friday

that blames current racism in Australia

on our former Prime Minister, John Howard.

Apart from that,

the article did say some interesting things about our culture.

It says,

the situation with Indigenous Australians is a particular one

because they were here long before the rest of us.

Many countries, including some Asian neighbours,

have similar dynamics at play with Indigenous minorities.

A mixture of guilt,

impatience at an apparent unwillingness to assimilate,

and prejudice.

But we occupy the extreme end in Australia.

All those gaping statistical discrepancies in health outcomes,

life expectancy, suicide, incarceration rates,

general indicators of misery,

and corresponding mainstream attitudes.

It's more complex,

a lot more complex,

than simply believing that if mainstream Australia

would stop being racist,

then everything would be fine.

But,

there is a lot of racism embedded in the Australian psyche.

Racism lurks in communities around the planet,

but it's true what the visitors say.

Australia is relatively comfortable expressing it.

Visitors of this country sometimes report

a jarring preponderance of casual, everyday racism.

For instance, British American comedian John Oliver

found Australia a sensational place,

albeit one of the most comfortably racist places I've ever been to.

They've really settled into their intolerance

like an old resentful slipper.

And so,

my point in this series

is that the Christian faith

has got something very significant to contribute

to

seeing the end of racism

and ethnocentricity in our culture.

Although,

as I said last week,

because of the failure

of the institutional church in the past,

we may not be heard.

That's one thing.

The other reason

that this series is for us

is because this church

is a diverse church.

And racism,

while it might not be explicit,

would most certainly be implicit.

I think we're bought into

some of the culture

that we have been marinating in.

In Australia.

But I do believe

that because of the gospel,

that we could be an example

and pace setter

for our community.

Now,

the significant contribution

of the Christian faith

begins with what I started with last week,

Genesis 1.27.

God created man in his own image.

In the image of God,

he created them.

Male and female,

he created them.

And the point is,

as I said last week,

all human beings

are of one origin

by divine design.

And the implication

is the extreme dignity

of your human beings.

We are one blood.

And it's interesting,

genetics agrees with that.

Genetics says that

it doesn't matter

where you come from

in the world,

in terms of the human race,

even with all,

you know,

we might look different,

sound different,

all that sort of stuff.

Genetically,

we are almost identical.

There's a few differences,

but the differences are so minor.

Which is why,

if I ever need

a new kidney or a liver,

I could just get one

from my family,

or I could get one

from the other side of the world.

I could get one

from out of Mongolia,

get one from Africa.

I mean,

there's any number of places.

I mean,

one of you could give me one.

So if I ever need one,

I'll,

you know,

line up

and we'll see

whose kidney I'll grab,

you know.

The Christian view of creation

does,

however,

stand in contrast

to the atheistic evolutionary theory

that is broadly accepted

as fact

in our secular society.

Charles Darwin's

origin of species

gave rise

to the separation

and classification

of plant and animal species.

Really helpful stuff,

classifying plant

and animal species.

So great contribution.

However,

this flowed over

into the categorizing

of the human race

into a hierarchy

arranged according

to evolutionary advancement.

That's where it became unhelpful.

Stephen Jay Gould,

who died in 2002,

he was no friend

of Christianity whatsoever.

In fact,

as an evolutionary biologist himself,

he significantly opposed creationism

in a very popular way.

And so it's really interesting

that he himself wrote

biologically,

sorry,

biological arguments

for racism

may have been common

before 1850.

Note that.

He's saying

that,

you know,

they probably existed,

a biological argument

existed

before Darwin

wrote his

origin of species,

but they increased

by orders

of magnitude

following the acceptance

of evolutionary theory.

He's saying

evolutionary theory

has made a significant

contribution

to racism.

racism.

And that's where

I think the problem is.

It's difficult

to deliver

on an equality

of all people

such as the secular society

wants

when

you explain

the difference

in terms of,

well, that group there

is just not as

advanced

as that other group

over there.

They're just not

evolved yet.

Now,

the Bible knows

nothing of a

hierarchy

of races

as evolutionary

theory does.

And yet,

having said that,

the institutional church,

which is meant

to be built

on the Bible,

has a terrible

track record

of racism

in such a way

that you wouldn't

think that Christianity

has got an answer

or a contribution

to make

to this issue.

The prominent

atheist

and evolutionary

biologist

Richard Dawkins

writes in his book

in The God Delusion,

The God of the Old Testament

is arguably

the most unpleasant

character in all

of fiction,

jealous and proud

of it,

a petty,

unjust,

unforgiving control freak,

a vindictive,

bloodthirsty,

ethnic cleanser,

a misogynist,

homophobic,

racist,

genocidal,

pestilential,

capriciously malevolent

bully.

Now,

the interesting thing is

Dawkins doesn't

believe in that God.

He's got no problem.

He doesn't care.

He doesn't believe

in that God.

His problem

is people like you

and me

who say

that we believe

in the God

of this Bible.

And he says

that there have been

awful atrocities

committed

by those

who believe

in the God

of this Bible

and so therefore

reject the whole thing.

Now,

I want to say

he's right

on one level.

There have been

awful atrocities

committed

by people

who say

that they believe

in the God

of this Bible.

There's some

terrible racism

that's occurred

because some people

over history

have thought

that the Bible

endorses it.

And one of the most

serious and damaging

interpretations

of the Bible

in this whole issue

of race

is in Genesis 9.

It's verses 18

to 27.

It's the end

of Genesis 9.

Noah and his family

have settled down

after the flood.

Noah plants

a vineyard,

discovers wine,

drinks too much

of it,

and ends up

lying naked

in his tent

after a big

night on the booze.

Something like

a university

border kind of

Friday night out

kind of thing.

And his son

Ham

sees his father's

nakedness,

goes,

runs off

to his two brothers,

tells them,

you know,

makes his father

look like an idiot.

The two brothers

instead

grab a cloth,

they walk

backwards into

the tent

and they lay it

over their dad

without even

looking at him.

And when Noah

wakes up

and finds

what his

youngest son

has done,

he pronounces

a curse

on Canaan

who was

Ham's

youngest son.

Genesis 9.

Cursed be Canaan,

the lowest of slaves

will he be

to his brothers.

He also said,

blessed be the Lord,

the God of Shem.

May Canaan

be the slave

of Shem.

May God

extend the territory

of Japheth.

May Japheth

live in the

tents of Shem

and may Canaan

be his slave.

Now,

throughout the last

20 centuries

or so,

numerous

Christian

and Jewish

and Muslim

writers

have connected

that passage,

the curse

of Ham,

with black

Africans.

the text

became

the standard

text

in defense

of slavery

in England,

in the southern

states of America

and for apartheid

in South Africa.

That is,

what they did

was they

translated

through a bit

of dodgy footwork

that Ham

means

black

or burnt.

and therefore,

they made the

conclusion that

this curse

was applicable

for all black

people

and especially

black Africans

because there's some

connection there,

lineage,

line.

they also

concluded that

Japheth

represented

because somehow

he kind of went

elsewhere,

like probably

closer to Europe

and he represented

white people

and therefore,

God commands

the slavery

of black people

by white people

and that explains

nearly 20

centuries of history

of that.

Now,

I'm not going to go

into the details

except to say

you've got to do

some pretty

fancy footwork

with the text

to come

to that

conclusion

but I want

to humbly say

some really

good people

have come

to that

conclusion.

Generally,

not for the

last 50 or 60

years.

I want to

suggest

it's wrong.

There's all sorts

of articles

you can read

about it

but I want to

suggest it's

wrong.

I'm glad

in the end

that we've

got the Bible,

we've got

God's perspective

on the history

of humanity.

The Bible

does not

relate all

of our

racial and

ethnic

differences

in terms

of lower

life forms.

It doesn't

blame the

fact that

God has

got personal

favourites.

He's a God

of favouritism.

It doesn't

blame racism

on John

Howard.

It puts

it squarely

in sin.

That's our

rejection of

God is where

the Bible

puts it.

So on that

night in Alice

Springs in

2005 when

John Howard

actually happened

to be our

Prime Minister

at that

time,

he was

not the

reason that

I acted

the way I

did or

thought the

way I

did.

My

prejudice,

my sinful

heart was

the problem.

My proud

sinful heart

was the

problem.

But the

Bible doesn't

just identify

sin as the

core problem,

the great

thing is that

it also

reveals the

solution to

racial pride

and

ethnocentrism.

So the

Bible sees

the fracturing

of all

relationships

due to

the rejection

of God

in Genesis

3.

Adam and

Eve are

creating God's

image to

display his

majesty and

when they

reject God

all relationships

are smashed.

We see that

right from there

in Genesis

3.

Relationship

with God

is smashed,

between man

and woman

is smashed,

between people

and the rest

of the

created order

is smashed,

everything

is inverted.

And before

sin,

Adam and

Eve were

naked,

they felt

no shame,

there was

intimacy,

there was

acceptance,

there was

no barrier

between them

at all.

As soon as

they reject

God,

they had to

be clothed,

a barrier

went up.

For the

moment they

rejected God,

the unity

of the human

race in the

image of God

became mirrored

by the unity

of the human

race,

in sin.

Romans 1

is Paul's

version of

the fall of

humanity

and he

makes it

clear there

that the

whole of

humankind,

every one

of us,

is contaminated

by sin.

And it's an

ugly picture

of sinful

behavior.

They became

filled with,

this is all

of us,

they became

filled with

every kind

of wickedness

and evil

and greed

and depravity.

They are

full of envy

and murder

and strife

and deceit

and malice.

They are

gossips

and slanderers

and God

haters and

insular

and arrogant

and boastful.

They invent

ways of doing

evil.

They disobey

their parents.

They are

senseless and

faithless and

heartless and

ruthless.

Although they

know God's

righteous decrees

that those

who do such

things deserve

death,

they not only

continue to do

those very

things,

but also

approve of

those who

practice them.

sin.

And our

unity in

sin is

explicit in

Romans 3.23,

all have

sinned and

fall short

of the

glory of

God.

So we're

made for

the majesty

of God

and yet

because of

sin we

all fall

short of

the majesty

of God.

Now some

of us might

lean towards

thinking that

we become a

sinner when

we first

sin.

But the

Bible's

picture is

that we

first sin

because we

are already

sinners.

One of the

Bible's most

important passages

on this issue

is Romans 5

Romans 5:12–19

verses 12

to 19.

It explains

there that

Adam's sin

right at the

beginning brought

the entire

human race that

flows from him

both sinful

natures and

God's judgment

and condemnation.

everyone who

comes from

Adam is

connected to

his sin.

We are born

into this

world with

sinful natures

that are traced

right back to

Adam's sin.

And so Romans

Romans 5:12

5 verse 12

sin came into

the world through

one man and

death through

sin and so

death spread to

all men because

all sin.

sin.

So we are

born with

inner lives

that are

directed towards

ourselves and

what we want

and not

directed towards

God and

certainly not

directed towards

anyone else.

sin.

Because we have

inner lives

bent away from

God in sin

when we are

old enough and

we know the

difference between

right and wrong

we act in

sinful ways.

sin.

We sin because

we are already

sinners.

Now possibly

and I say

possibly a

helpful way to

look at it

might be to

ask the

question of

whether a

tree produces

apples because

it is an apple

tree or does

the tree become

an apple tree when

it first produces

an apple?

Given the look

on your face I am

not sure that is

particularly helpful.

You see the

reality is an

apple tree can

grow for many

many years

before it

produces any

fruit at all

and when it

does finally

produce an

apple you

would say that

it is producing

fruit in

accordance to

its nature

and if the

apple tree that

you bought

when it finally

produced a

lemon you

would say

I have got a

lemon tree.

I bought an

apple tree but

I have been

sold a

lemon tree.

That is what

you would say.

It is producing

fruit in

accordance to

its nature.

Psalm 51

Psalms 51:5

verse 5 says

surely I was

sinful at birth

sinful from the

time my mother

conceived me.

We are sinners

by nature who

show themselves to

be sinners by

choice.

Everyone who is

a parent knows

this to be true

by experience as

well.

I do not

I have never

had to teach

my children

bad behaviour.

Never had to

do that.

I didn't teach

my children to

say no.

I didn't teach

them to disobey

me.

I didn't teach

them to throw

their food on

the floor.

I didn't teach

them to pinch

one another or

to poke one

another or to

take their tongue

out of one

another or spit

at one another.

I didn't teach

them to throw

themselves on

the floor and

scream and kick

in a supermarket.

No parent

teaches their

child to do

that.

Never wants to

teach their

child to do

that.

I didn't teach

them those

things.

But they got

it from me.

In the same

way I got

those things

from my

parents.

I like my

parents before

me have spent

my time trying

to correct

those things

which come

naturally.

There is

solidarity in

being created

in the image

of God for

the glory of

God and

solidarity in

all of us who

fall short of

God's glory

through sin.

And we see

this solidarity

in sin and

its consequences

played out in

racial terms in

Genesis 10 and

11.

So if you've

got your

Bibles go to

there.

Genesis 10

11.

The so-called

table of

nations in

Genesis 10

reveals one

central point.

It stresses

the common

origins of

all people.

That's its

main point.

Common origins

of all people.

And the

relationship

between Genesis

10 and

11 is also

quite significant.

The generational

account which

begins at

chapter 10

verse 1

continues right

through until

chapter 11

verse 9.

which means

the Tower of

Babel account

in 11 and

the Table of

Nations in

chapter 10

go together as

one unit.

The Tower of

Babel story

explains how

and why

people have

been spread

out and

filled the

earth with

different

languages.

It reveals

that the

division into

different groups,

different people

groups,

different languages

is a

consequence of

human sin.

verse 4

says,

come,

let us

build

ourselves

a city

with a

tower that

reaches to

the heavens.

That's where

God is,

reaches to

the heavens,

so that

we may

make a

name for

ourselves

and not

be scattered

over the

whole face

of the

earth.

So

humanity

comes

together

to try

and overturn

God's

judgment

in

Genesis

3,

try to

overturn

God's

decision

at that

point.

They

work here

to try

and depose

God

and God's

judgment on

them was

to forever

hinder

them working

together.

He

scatters

them and

confuses

their language

as an

act of

judgment.

And so

taken together,

Genesis 10-11

reveals both

our unity

as one

blood under

God's

blessing,

but also

our diversity

into many

languages of

groups under

God's

judgment.

The problem

is the

human heart

that wants

to reject

God.

And it

seems that

we won't

work together

on anything

unless it

is to

reject God.

God's

sin.

The good

news is

that God

comes up

with a

remedy for

our sin

and our

division

and our

confusion.

The Bible

doesn't just

tell us

why we

have racism

and ethnic

pride,

it gives us

the solution

to it as

well.

Genesis 10

and 11

sets the

stage for

Genesis 12.

And this

is the

turning point

in the

whole Bible.

Genesis 12

is the

hinge,

it's a

turning point.

This is

where the

good news

comes.

The promise

to Abraham.

The Lord

said to

Abraham,

this is

verse 1,

leave your

country,

your people

and your

father's

household

and go

to the

land I

will show

you.

I will

make you

into a

great nation

and I

will bless

you and

I will

make your

name great

and you

will be a

blessing.

I will

bless those

who bless

you and

whoever curses

you I

will curse

and all

peoples

on earth

will be

blessed

through

you.

So God

judges

in chapter

11,

scatters,

confuses

and then

in chapter

12,

the beginning

of the plan

of redemption.

God's

call to

Abraham here

in chapter

12 is a

direct response

to the

disastrous

situation we

have of

human beings

in Genesis

3 to

11.

This is

the

introduction

to God's

spectacular

redemptive

plan,

a plan

that ultimately

culminates

in the

person of

Jesus.

It starts

with Abraham,

it culminates

in Jesus

and God

focuses on

Abraham

here not

to be

exclusive,

it's not

because he's

kind of

thought,

well,

you know,

Abraham's

the best

of the

bad bunch,

I'll pick

Abraham and

I'll just

shower

favoritism

upon him.

but he

wants to

use this

individual

and his

descendants

to bless

and to

deliver

and to

redeem

the entire

world.

That means

God's solution

to our

sin

reaches

its goal

only,

only

when it

includes

all the

families

of the

earth.

That in

itself

is a

reason for

mission.

the

purpose of

God

choosing

Israel

was to

witness to

the

universal

power and

love of

God for

all people.

And that's

against

Richard Dawkins'

view that

the God

of the

Old Testament

is racist.

You see,

even in the

Old Testament,

God's plan

was for

all the

nations.

Psalm 67,

the nations

will benefit

from the

Abrahamic

blessing

to Israel.

the nations

will come

to worship

the living

God.

In Psalm

22,

86,

102,

138,

145,

Isaiah 2,

12,

42,

45,

the nations

will be

included

within

Israel

as the

extended

people of

God.

And as

such,

they'll be

registered

in God's

city in

Psalm 86.

They'll be

blessed with

God's

salvation in

Isaiah 19.

They'll be

accepted into

God's house

in Isaiah 56.

They'll be

called by

God's name

in Amos 9.

And they'll be

joined with

God's people

in Zechariah 2.

And a heap

of other

passages

smattered

right through.

The God

of the Old

Testament is

not a

racist.

He doesn't

have his

favorites.

The choosing

of Israel

was not

for

ethnocentric

purposes,

but for

universal

redemption.

But

Israel

grabbed

hold of

it and

thought,

we'll just

hang on to

that for

ourselves.

They

failed

consistently

for living

out God's

purpose in

calling them.

They took

the role of

being racially

and morally

superior to

the nations

about.

They

consistently

forgot the

reason why

God chose

them, and

it was the

case right

through until

Jesus'

time.

But with

the coming

of Jesus,

a radically

new way of

defining the

people of

God arrived,

namely,

by faith

in him.

You see,

faith in

Jesus

trumps

ethnocentricity,

which is

why, as a

church, our

mission statement

is to treasure

Jesus.

above

everything

else.

Jesus,

faith in

Jesus trumps

ethnocentricity.

Over and

over again in

the gospel,

you see this

happening.

The story of

the Good

Samaritan,

the foreigner

is the

hero of

faith.

He's the

hero of

compassion.

The healing

of the ten

lepers, and

only one of

the lepers

returns in

Luke 17,

and what is

he?

He's a

Samaritan.

The foreigner

shines with

humble gratitude.

The healing

of the

Syrophoenician

daughter in

Mark 7.

The worshipping

of the wise

men for the

east at the

birth of

Jesus, most

likely from

Persia or

Arabia or

something like

that in

Matthew 2.

And finally,

in Luke 4,

there's a heap of

other passages you

go to, but

Luke 4, in

this passage,

Jesus tells

the story,

two stories.

One story is

taken from

1 Kings 17.

Now, remember

the reading, as

Jimmy read it out

to us a moment

ago.

Jesus stands up

in the temple.

He reads out a

text from the

scroll of Isaiah

61 and says to

the crowd that's

gathered there in

the temple,

guys, this is

fulfilled in your

hearing.

So Jesus, in that

moment, declares,

I am the long

awaited Messiah.

Newsline,

headline, local

boy, declares

himself to

Messiah.

Woohoo!

And that is

blasphemous.

And the whole

crowd in the

temple are going,

he's a good

guy.

He's a great

speaker.

Great, he's

popped in.

Yeah, local

boy, we're quite

proud of him.

And they all

spoke well of

him.

And Jesus

comes back and

said, yeah, but

prophets have no

honor in their

hometown.

They're like,

this one does.

Well, I just

want to tell you

two more stories.

He tells a story

taken from 1

Kings 17.

It's a story

about God

passing over the

ethnic

Jews to

bring a

miraculous

blessing to

a foreign

Gentiles from

the land of

Phoenicia.

And the

second story

is for 2

Kings 5.

Again, the

point is, of

all the

people that

God might

have chosen to

heal of

leprosy, he

chooses a

foreign king

from Syria.

And then

they didn't

speak so

well of

Jesus.

It was

at that

point, it

says, that

they were

furious with

him.

And they

attempted to

kill him.

Ethnic pride

runs deep.

And the

point that

Jesus was

making is

that the

kingdom that

he's bringing

is ethnically

different than

what they were

thinking.

Jesus is

the end of

ethnocentrism

and racial

pride.

He says he

has come to

redeem a

people from

every ethnic

group, not

just from

one or a

few.

God's plan of

redemption, which

started with a

promise to

Abraham, finds

its fulfillment

in the person

of Jesus and

especially in

the death of

Jesus.

Galatians 3

says this,

Christ redeemed

us from the

curse of the

law by

becoming a

curse for

us.

For it is

written,

cursed is

everyone who

is hung on

a tree.

That is, he

redeemed us

by his

death on the

cross.

And then it

says, he

redeemed us

in order that

the blessing

given to

Abraham

might come

to the

Gentiles

through Christ

Jesus.

with

Abraham, God

set in

motion a

plan of

redemption

that overturns

every curse

for everyone

who receives

the blessing

of Abraham.

And that

blessing,

according to

Galatians 3,

is the

forgiveness of

sins and

acceptance of

God that

comes through

Jesus Christ,

the descendant

of Abraham.

You see,

God's

redemptive

plan has

always been

to save and

bless people

from all the

peoples of

the earth.

All of us

who are

united in

sin might

be united

in Christ

as his

people.

So,

friends,

racial prejudice

runs deep in

a sinful

heart.

And I

discovered that

night in Alice

Springs that

I was just

like the

residents of

Nazareth.

God's

love.

My

chosen

place as

a child

of God

by grace

had not

produced

humility

and compassion

for all

people.

And

ironically,

it meant

that I

was not

aligned with

God's

purpose

for all

people,

even

though that's

what I was

there to

preach about.

I

needed Jesus

to change

my heart.

You see,

my problem

is not

biology,

my problem

is not

evolution,

it's not

other people's

interpretation of

the Bible,

and it's

certainly not

John Howard.

it is the

sin and

the prejudice

in my

heart.

That's the

problem.

I need a

new heart

to see all

people made

in the image

of God,

all people

united in

sin,

and all

people in

need of

God's great

plan of

redemption

through Jesus

Christ.

That was

the Saturday

night.

Significant

steps went

forward the

next morning

when I

preached at

a local

church in

Alice.

As I

stood in

the pulpit,

I saw

something that

I had never

noticed in a

church before.

It's not

because it

wasn't evident

in any other

church,

it's because

my own

prejudice was

just so

clear and

focused in

my mind.

I saw

all the

white people

sitting in

the front.

I saw

all the

white people

taking the

rolls up

the front.

I saw

the

aboriginal

people

sitting at

the back

scattered on

the floor

and on a

few chairs

at the

back.

I noticed

for the

first time

that the

greeting and

the passing

of the

peace and

meeting as

we did

just a

moment ago,

you could

virtually divide

the room in