| Copyright 2005-2008 Dr. Jad Khalaf, Ph.D. All Rights Reserved |
| "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." II Timothy 2:15 |
| Racism in the Church BY DR. JAD JAMAL KHALAF Racism is a very big issue in our society. Peace among one another, on the other hand, is not so easily obtained because of issues that cause dissension. As the pastor of the church, defending Ben is not easy to do because of the different opinions and facts that have been presented. I would look at each issue and separate facts from opinion. First of all, African-Americans are human beings. They have feelings just like white people do. There are good blacks and there are bad blacks. The color of a person’s skin should not affect the quality that can be found in that person. Whites, besides the skin color, are no different than blacks. There are whites who are good just as well as there are whites who are bad. Having ministered to both colors, I would have to say that God loves both groups of people. In fact, God made the black and white people. If you dislike a certain race, then you are disliking what God made. As a Christian, hate for others should not exist. In present day America, though, Christians dislike certain groups of people. God said to love Him first and to love others secondly. Treat another person the way that you would want to be treated. High unemployment figures are high among blacks. Then again, what race does not have a fairly high unemployment figure. Laziness does not exist just among blacks, whites, or any other race. Many blacks chose to live a life that consists of laziness and refusing to work. I do not neglect that. On the other hand, many white people are lazy. Discrimination does exist in the job market. Does that mean that every employer is prejudice? Of course not. If a black person is able to get a job, then they should work. You cannot neglect the fact that our government has a part to play in choosing to work or not. The leaders that we as Americans choose to lead our country makes decisions that affect people of all races. For example, a person could make more off of welfare and doing nothing than they could make working at McDonald’s. Whose fault is that to blame? The leaders? The President? No, but Americans who choose to vote for those who take stances against helping the working black person or even working white person. In finding a job, the person best qualified for the position should be the one that should be hired for the position. Everyone, regardless of race, should have an equal opportunity to get an education so that they can get a job. Minorities should not be hired because of the color of their skin. Minorities should be hired based on their ability to ful-fill the job. The NFL is made up of mainly black athletes. You watch them and think that they are good at what they are doing. If they can do good on the football field then they can do just as well in the work place. Now if a person is not able to work, then they should be able to collect welfare and unemployment checks. There are some dear, sweet black people who cannot work due to illness or something else hindering them. These types of people should not be punished for what others do. In your pharmacy store, you probably come across those that get medicine because they need it. If you did not accept medicare or medicade, then you would not give them the medicine for free. In the same sense, if people did not get unemployment checks then they would not be able to come into your store and shop. The Bible says that we should love our enemies. It seems like you need to pray and allow God to change your attitude towards others of different races. You would not let someone starve or go without clothes just because they look different than you do? I pray that you would help them. I share this with you with an attitude of love. Christ loved us so much that He went to the cross for the sins of the world. God is no respecter of persons and neither should we be a respecter of persons. Ben might be new to the community but he seems to understand what God’s Word teaches about loving others. Please do not misunderstand me. I am a believer that there should be peace among believers. I also believe that you can have your own opinion if you choose to. Let me remind you that the Bible is not the opinion of mankind but the Word of God. I believe that everyone needs to pray, including myself, and ask God to take away the racism that exist in each person. |
| Dr. Jad Khalaf |