Finding Racial and Counter-Cultural Harmony
Family Radio’s Community Bridge interviewed Dr. Carol Swain on this topic. Dr. Swain was a University professor for 28 years,
she came to Christ in her forties and therefore is thoroughly acquainted with the ways of secular society.
The interview is based on her new book, Counter-Cultural Living: What Jesus Has To Say About Life, Marriage, Race, Gender and Materialism.
The following points precede the MP3 interview.
SERMON HIGHLIGHTS [bracketed statements are mine]:
- The purpose of the interview is to discuss how it is that counter-cultural respect might be achieved via a biblical manner
- Counter-culture defined: in the 1960s, the most obvious examples of counter-cultural living were the ‘hippies.’ Today, those trying to follow Christ are likely seen by most as living counter-cultural lives, as they are outside the cultural mainstream
- CRT defined: it is a critical theory that is rooted in Marxism and Post Modernism.
- Post-Modernism, a philosophy taught in the university that propounds there is no objective truth; that everything is relative (the source of culture relativism)
- Post-Modernism holds that there is no superior culture, or superior truth (no absolute truth) [such as God claims in His word]
- Critical Legal Theory argues that the ‘law’ is not just: for example, the civil rights legislation passed in the 1960s was created by a system founded on racism
- CRT divides people into two classes: oppressor and oppressed; White people are oppressors and minority groups, the oppressed
- CRT is also rooted in conflict theory, via which it is not possible to achieve racial reconciliation and healing (one chapter of Dr. Swain’s book addresses the above)
- Each chapter of Dr. Swain’s book opens with a question, such as, What is life? What does God say about race and ethnicity? What does God say about marriage?
- From the topic, What is life? God created human beings in His own image; therefore, a down syndrome child or an elderly person with dementia have value at every stage of development
- From the topic, What is Marriage? God performed the first marriage and it was a sacred union and institution. If a man and a woman follow God’s commands, then their marriage is most likely to succeed. In this chapter, Dr. Swain shares her own experience with marriage, having had two divorces as an unbeliever….
- From the topic, What is Race/Ethnicity? God created all nations from one man and chose where they should dwell [see Acts 17]; therefore, every human being is part of God’s creation and is to be treated with equal dignity….
- The early church was counter-cultural, they were raised up in a culture that had slavery, same-sex relationships, materialism…. The Israelites, when they were in exile, were in a situation similar to what our culture is becoming, yet God instructed them to build homes, plant crops and to pray for their nation and leaders for good – we to must do such in this culture
- In a book she wrote in 2011, Be The People, Dr. Swain stated that 78% of Americans claim to be Christians, yet they are electing ungodly leaders who promoted such things as abortion….
- Her generation believed, for example, that a person could be either male or female….
- She sited a verse from 1 Corinthians 1:18 For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 1Co 1:19 For it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.” 1Co 1:20 Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? [see verses 18-31 for better understanding]
- Today, we have people who even self-identify as animals
- We have leaders who want to protect everyone’s rights but those of the Christian
- Christians are being persecuted because of their beliefs – Jesus stated that His followers would be persecuted
- In her new book, from the topic, Racial Harmony – God created one race, the human race. If we follow the example of biblical justice and what the Bible says about race, then we would not be caught up in these divisions
- [In two recent posts on the Southern Baptist Churches and leadership, it was clear that some of the SBC churches are departing from scripture and following social norms such as CRT / intersectionality; therein, it was recommended that true Christians should exit such churches for biblical churches; but if one does not know the Bible, he cannot discern a heretical church from a biblical one….]
- Per the Bible, any group of people can be guilty of racism [racism is not based on skin color but on thoughts and behaviors that direct hatred towards others]
- Christians and the church should be leading the way in racial reconciliation [via love, the love of Christ shed abroad by His Spirit in us]
- However, some churches are relying on secular means to achieve racial reconciliation, examples given [again, the SBC churches noted above, are an example of relying on unbiblical, ungodly means from mainstream society]
- Discipleship, simply defined, is when we look to another (pastor, peer, media person…) for guidance
- Believers who want to follow Christ, must look to scripture as their standard and guide
- For many Christians, the acceptance of their culture is more important that acceptance by God [subsequently, they are more focused on knowing and conforming to social norms than to God’s standards]
- In our culture, [we who grew up under the umbrella of Christianity, born before 1970 or so] have new and unusual things to deal with such as transgenderism and loss of free speech; [persecution is also ramping up] as some may experience jail for doing things they have always practiced but that have now become illegal
- Christ called His followers to endure, to bear their crosses – He told them they would be hated for His name’s sake
- 1Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.
- If we make a mistake, sin, then we are under the blood of Christ and can be forgiven and begin again; we might also pray about those we harmed…
- She made a reference to Luke 18:13 But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’
Luke 18:14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” - We need to discover what it is that we believe; we need to trust God and not others or other things [such as unbiblical CRT; unbiblical teachers; our old idols such as materialism….]
- When one commits to Christ, he will receive guidance and enablement [the above indicates that prayer and Bible reading are part of receiving God’s grace]
- Carol’s book is part of a 12-part series, she is the only non-theologian who was commissioned
Carol Swain, partial bio from Wikipedia:
Carol Miller Swain was born on March 7, 1954, in Bedford, Virginia, one of twelve children.[1][2][3][4] Her father dropped out of school in the third grade and her mother dropped out in high school.[1] Her stepfather used to physically abuse her mother, Dorothy Henderson, who is disabled due to polio.[5] Swain grew up in poverty, living in a shack without running water, and sharing two beds with her eleven siblings.[1] The second of twelve children, she did not have shoes and thus missed school whenever it snowed.[1] She did not finish high school, dropping out in ninth grade.[1][5] She moved to Roanoke with her family in the 1960s and appealed to a judge to be transferred to a foster home, which was denied. Swain instead lived with her grandmother in a trailer park.[1]
After she divorced in 1975, Swain earned a GED and worked as a cashier at McDonald’s, a door-to-door salesperson, and an assistant in a retirement facility.[1] She later earned an associate degree from Virginia Western Community College.[3][4] She went on to earn a magna cum laude B.A. in criminal justice from Roanoke College and a master’s degree in political science from Virginia Tech.[3][4] While an undergraduate at Roanoke College, she organized a scholarship fund for black students that by 2002 had an endowment of $350,000.[1] She finished a Ph.D. in political science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1989.[1][3][4] In 2000, she earned a Master of Legal Studies from Yale Law School.[3][4]
Study Recommendations:
*Refer to the Category, CRT/CT to see other posts wherein Dr. Swain spoke on CRT-related matters via video
*The following link is to Family Radio’s Community Bridge for other topics that might interest you. It is for those of the Eastern US; if it doesn’t work for you, go to Familyradio.org and select, Podcasts, Community Bridge.
Featured Image: From Bethepeoplenews.com