Racism in a Biblical and Theological Perspective- The Origins of Racism

In many of the classes that I have taught in the past (especially those of a historical nature), one of the things that I focus on is "Como fue que comenzo el bochinche (how did the gossip begin)?" I think that in order for us to address any vital issue that affects human relationships, that it is necessary to put them in a historical perspective.  We ask questions of when, why, and how certain issues began.  We might even ask who were the "key players" in the origins of the issue.

In the next several essays, I will address the historical origins of racism.  The first of these historically-focused essays will be theological in nature, i.e. it will focus on a biblical-theological frame of reference. Some may object to this approach because they believe that biblical-theological history does not resonate with secular accounts of history in that it is culturally conditioned and biased.  They subscribe to the notion that there is a differentiation between "history" as such, on the one hand, and on the other, "interpreted history."  To these objections, I respond that all history is culturally conditioned and biased.  There is no such thing as "objective and pure history."  History is always written and told from the social standpoint of the person who is writing it. Every history is interpreted history, in that the meaning of it is assumed right from the beginning by the person who is narrating the events of the past.

A perfect example of what I am sayings is that when I was in seminary, the Church History professor had the audacity to say that in the Middle Ages there was nothing significant happening relative to Church history outside of Europe.  I pointedly asked the professor if nothing was going on, or if it was that Church history was written for the most part, from the ethno-centric standpoint of the European Church historians. He responded and said to me "I wouldn't put that crassly."  Well, crassly or not, I humbly and respectfully submit that historians write from an ethno-centric standpoint, even without realizing it, and in many cases, tend to arrogantly assume that they are rendering an objective and neutral history, devoid of bias and cultural presuppositions.  To this I say "absolutely not."

I submit that racism began with the Fall. In other words, I believe that when sin first entered the world, racism, classism, sexism, and all the other "isms" crept in.  Whether one believes that the biblical account of the Fall is a literal historical event, or a myth, or a legend, the point remains that from a theological standpoint, sin brought about a rupture in human relationships.  No only was there a disruption between God and humankind, but there was also a disruption between humans.  The man began to lord it over the woman, the rulers began to lord it over the ruled, social classes (castes, if you will) emerged, and eventually, people of lighter complexion of skin began to rule over people with darker complexion of skin.  We see examples of the latter in India, where for many centuries, people of darker skin were at the bottom of the social "barrel."

Some may argue that economics gave way to racism, while others argue that racism generated an economic system that resulted in the emergence of "lower" and "higher" social classes.  The argument is similar to the argument as to which came first between the chicken and the egg.  In this case, the writer says neither. What came first was sin, i.e humankind's decision to live independently of God and of God-given standards.

If we fail to take seriously that nature of sin, we miss the point as to "how the gossip began."  I invite and challenge you the reader to consider taking a theological approach to history. In this manner, the issue of the origins of social maladies like racism might take on a different meaning.  We will be, in that case, looking at history from the standpoint of God's history.  This is a golden opportunity to shift our lenses through which we view historical events.

In the Name of the Creator, and of the Liberator, and of the Sustainer. Amen.

Dr. Juan A.Ayala-Carmona