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Brothers, Sever the Root of Racism | John Piper · Reformed Thinking

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Welcome you curious mind to the Deep Dive.
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We're your guides for getting well, truly well informed
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without feeling overwhelmed by it all.
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We sift through the sources, articles, research, maybe your
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own notes, and pull out those key insights, the surprising
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bits, and those moments that just click.
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Today we're really digging into some significant source
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material, stuff that challenges how we might think about racial
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harmony. We're calling this deep dive
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Reformed thinking. That's right, because the
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sources come from a specific theological viewpoint.
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They argue that racial reconciliation isn't, you know,
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just a social nice to have. It's absolutely central to
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Christian belief, to what Christ actually did.
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Yeah, they bring this theological lens to history, to
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things happening now, urging a rethink on how churches can
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actively pursue unity. We'll look at how Christ's
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sacrifice is the anchor for this.
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And we'll examine some key biblical passages, ones that
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layout God's plan for racial diversity among his people.
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Plus, we have some really compelling insights from Martin
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Luther King Junior's letter from Birmingham Jail.
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It gives such vital context and honestly, a call to action that
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still hits home today. So our aim today is really to
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understand why these sources present racial unity as so
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foundational. What does it actually mean for
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believers, for churches? And crucially, what does it
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cost? OK, let's get into it.
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All right, so to start, the sources hit us with a pretty
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striking idea. They say racial prejudice,
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Mistreatment, it's not just a social problem.
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Much more fundamental than. That they call it a blood of
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Jesus issue and a glory of God issue.
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Those are heavy terms. They really are.
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The core idea seems to be that racial prejudice connects
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directly to Christ's work on the cross.
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So if you only see it as social, you're kind of missing the
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bigger picture. A much bigger picture, yeah.
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The sources state point blank that racial harmony cost
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something immense. The death of Jesus Christ.
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And that's why they use those phrases.
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Blood of Jesus, glory of God. So when they say blood of Jesus
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issue, what does that practically mean?
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How does that, you know, lift it beyond just a debate about
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society? Well, it makes it non
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negotiable, doesn't it? If something is a blood of Jesus
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issue, it means Jesus paid the ultimate price for it, his life.
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It's saying racial reconciliation is so core to
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God's plan, so central to his heart, that Christ's death was
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aimed at achieving it. It's not just a good idea, it's
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a divine imperative bought with his blood.
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So it's woven into the very fabric of the gospel message.
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Exactly. That's how it gets elevated,
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becomes fundamental to the meaning of the cross.
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And the sources say Christ's death was actually, by design,
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meant to reconcile alienated people groups.
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By design, that's intentional language.
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Very. They talk about the divide
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between Jews and Gentiles in the Bible, describing it as huge and
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complex and deep. And they suggest it's
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comparable, really to the racial divides we see today.
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That's a powerful comparison. We read Jew and Gentile, but
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it's hard to really grasp how deep that division went back
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then. What was involved?
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How did Christ's death bridge something that massive?
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Oh, it was massive. Not just a minor disagreement.
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It was religious, cultural, even racial in a sense.
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Jews had centuries of covenant history, specific laws, dietary
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rules, cleanliness codes, a distinct lineage.
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Gentiles were the outsiders, unclean without God, as Paul
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puts it. OK, so real separation.
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Deep separation, enmity. And the sources explained this
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reconciliation happened through Christ's blood, His flesh, and
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His cross. Ephesians 2 is key here.
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Verse 13 says We who once were far off have been brought near
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by the blood of Christ. Brought near by his blood.
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And verse 15 talks about him abolishing the dividing wall,
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the hostility in his flesh. Then verse 16 says he reconciled
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both groups to God through the cross.
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So his death literally tore down the walls that kept them apart.
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Yes, exactly. The whole point that sources
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argue was that God did this at the cost of his son's life,
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precisely to create one new people in Christ who are
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reconciled to each other across racial lines.
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One new people not just saved individuals, but a new
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community. Right.
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A new humanity unified. Christ died, they say, to remove
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the really deep seated stuff from our hearts.
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Things like enmity and anger and disgust and jealousy and self
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pity and fear and envy and hatred and malice and
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indifference. All of it.
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And the sources are incredibly clear.
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The very design of the Atonement is racial diversity in the
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company of the redeemed. The design of the atonement
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itself, yes. Which makes racial harmony not
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just, you know, good manners, but tied directly to Christ's
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suffering that makes it a glory of God issue because it's aiming
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for this ultimate picture of all satisfying God centered Christ
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exulting experience of many colored worship.
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Many colored worship that's a striking image.
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So this shifts it, doesn't it? It's not just something we
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should try to do, no. It's rooted in who God is and
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what Christ has already done. OK, that really does change the
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whole framework. So if this is the divine design
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where the sources point us in the Bible to really ground this
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idea, which passages are most central?
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They focus primarily on two key places, Ephesians Chapter 2,
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which we've touched on in Revelation chapter 5, and for
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good reason. They show both the how and the
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why, the mechanics and the ultimate vision.
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All right, let's dig into Ephesians 2 first, specifically
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verses 11 to 22. The sources use this to talk
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about reconciling these alienated groups.
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How does Paul lay that out? Well, Paul starts by reminding
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the Gentiles of their past. He doesn't mince words.
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He describes their deep alienation.
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They were separated from Christ, alienated from the Commonwealth
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of Israel, having no hope without God in the world.
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Pretty bleak picture. Extremely Imagine these two
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groups, Jews and Gentiles, living perhaps nearby, but
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separated by centuries of history, laws, suspicion,
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cultural practices, bloodlines, a huge wall between them.
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And the source is called this divide.
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Huge and complex and deep. They even say it was as big or
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bigger than any divide that we face today between black and
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white or red and white or Asian and African American.
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This wasn't just social awkwardness.
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It was deeply ingrained religious and cultural
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separation. OK, so that sets the stage.
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Then Christ enters. This is where the change
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happens. This is the pivot.
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The sources stress again that Jesus Christ died by design
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specifically to bridge this gap. His death through his blood
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flesh cross it abolished in his flesh.
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The enmity tore down the dividing wall.
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And why? What was the goal of tearing it
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down? To create something new, to make
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one new people or one new man out of the two, that phrase is
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key. It means believers, no matter
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their background, their ethnicity, their former status,
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are now reconciled to each other in Christ.
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They become fellow citizens, part of God's household.
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So this one new man isn't just like inner peace for
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individuals, it's actual relational unity between groups.
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Yes, absolutely. The whole point of this
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reconciliation, the sources argue, is for this new people to
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be so free from enmity and so united in truth and peace that
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God himself is there for our joy and for his glory forever.
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Wow. So God's presence is linked to
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this unity. It seems so.
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And Christ's death, they repeat, removed those inner hostilities
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from believers hearts. The conclusion they draw is
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pretty powerful. More and deeper and sweeter.
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Ethnic diversity and unity in our worship and life actually
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displays and magnifies the cross of Christ better.
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So our unity shows the power of the cross.
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That's the idea. The diversity itself becomes a
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testament to what Christ achieved.
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It's hard to even imagine how radical that must have sounded
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in the 1st century. People defined by their
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separation suddenly told they are one new man.
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That's world changing. And this isn't just about back
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then, is it? This points forward.
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It absolutely does, and that's where Revelation 5 comes in.
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If Ephesians 2 shows the work Christ did, Revelation 5 gives
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us this glorious glimpse of the result, the ultimate purpose.
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Verses 9 and 10 specifically talk about Christ purchasing
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racial diversity for God's glory.
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OK, Revelation 5. What picture does that paint for
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us? What connects it so directly?
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Well, you have this incredible scene in heaven.
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A new song is being sung to the Lamb Christ, who is slain and is
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now risen. And what are they singing about?
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What's the song? They're praising him because he
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purchased for God with your blood men from every tribe and
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tongue and people and nation. It's this picture of global
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multi ethnic redemption and worship.
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Every tribe, tribe, tongue, people, and nation all purchased
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by his blood. Exactly.
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The sources really hammer this point.
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The price of God securing ethnic diversity in the priesthood and
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the Kingdom is the death of his Son.
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There's that cost again, tying right back to the blood of Jesus
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issue. Precisely, and this shows
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unequivocally, they argue that the design of the Atonement is
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racial diversity in the company, the redeemed.
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It's not an accident, not a side effect.
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It's a plan. Woven into the very purpose of
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the cross. Yes, and notice who this
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diversity was purchased for. For God.
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That makes it again a glory of God issue.
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The ultimate goal, the sources say, is that all satisfying God
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centered Christ's exulting experience of many colored
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worship. So Christ's death had this dual
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aim. Reconcile us vertically to God
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and horizontally to each other across all these lines, all to
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magnify God. That's the synthesis the sources
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present reconciliation up and reconciliation across for the
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glory of God. So this many colored worship in
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Revelation, it's not just pie in the sky when we die, is it?
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How does that heavenly vision connect to what churches should
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be doing, you know, practically today?
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Well, it provides the ultimate Why doesn't it?
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If that's where history is headed, if that's the eternal
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reality, we're redeemed for worshipping together with people
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from every conceivable background, shouldn't our
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churches now start looking a little more like that?
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It sets a trajectory. Exactly.
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I mean, striving for unity and diversity isn't just about
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social harmony or political correctness.
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It's about aligning ourselves with God's revealed ultimate
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purpose. It's about bringing a little bit
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of heaven down to earth right here, right now.
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It challenges us to actually seek out and celebrate the
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diversity that Christ paid such a high price for.
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Right to move beyond our comfort zones.
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OK, that vision is incredibly motivating.
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But as you said, the sources don't just stay in the clouds.
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They get very real about the problem of racism.
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They don't shy away from its harshness, past and present.
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No, they don't. They're quite stark, actually.
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They stay at the basically, wherever you are, people are
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tinged by racism. It's pervasive.
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And they give some specific historical examples to under
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score this isn't just theoretical.
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What kind of events do they bring up?
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They mentioned some really painful specific moments, the
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1920 Duluth lynchings for example, a mob of 10,000 white
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people dragging 3 black men from jail, lynching them in public.
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And they point out this was only 81 years before the source was
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written. 81 years. That's within living memory for
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some, not ancient history. Not at all.
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Then they point to San Agustin, Florida, in 1963, police beating
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nonviolent protesters, jailing them and then standing by while
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the Klan bombed black homes and fired shotguns into nightclubs.
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Just stood by, yeah. And then much more recently, the
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horrifying murder of James Byrd Junior in Jasper, TX in 1998.
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Beaten, chained to a truck, dragged for miles until he was
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decapitated. It's almost unbelievable.
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It is, and the sources make the point many things have changed,
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but some deep things haven't changed.
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They also specifically mentioned the unique pain in relations
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between angry Americans and African Americans because of
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quote 300 years of painful heritage.
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These aren't just abstract historical facts.
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They're brutal realities and highlighting the recency, like
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in 1998, that really challenges the idea some people might have
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that, you know, racism is basically over.
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It's all in the past. It completely dismantles that
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notion. The James Byrd Junior murder
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happening so recently shows the underlying hatred isn't gone.
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It might hide, but it can still surface in these horrific ways.
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It forces us to look deeper. And the sources use an analogy
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for that deep reality, don't they?
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The iceberg. Yes, that's a key image they
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use. These terrible events are like
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the blood red tip of a deep, partially subconscious iceberg
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in American culture. The tip of the iceberg?
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What does that analogy help us grasp about racism today,
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especially for people who maybe don't feel directly affected?
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It tells us that the overt violent acts are just the
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visible part beneath the surface.
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There's this massive hidden bulk of attitudes, biases,
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assumptions, systemic issues, things that are often unseen or
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unacknowledged, especially by those in the majority culture.
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So it affects everyone, even if they don't realize it.
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That's what the sources argue. They say it affects everyone,
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but few in the majority culture feel it or admit it.
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They even quote a common sentiment.
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Whiteness is not an issue for us, we say, so why should
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blackness be an issue? And how do they respond to that?
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They call it naive at best. They observed that many white
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Christians never even think about the issue and clarify this
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isn't a sign of peace, but of obliviousness.
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Just because you don't see the conflict doesn't mean there
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isn't a problem. Obliviousness.
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That's a strong word. It is, and it leaves them to say
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there's a real need now to combat this rising spirit of
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indifference, alienation and hostility.
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It's not just about stopping violence.
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It's about waking up to the hidden parts of the iceberg.
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Confronting the indifference. OK, and central to confronting
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this in the sources we're looking at is the voice of
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Martin Luther King Junior, specifically his letter from
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Birmingham Jail, written in 1963 from jail.
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It really explains why just waiting for justice wasn't an
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option. Can you set the scene for that
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letter? King wrote it on April 16th,
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1963. He's responding directly to 8
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white clergymen, Christian and Jewish leaders who had publicly
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criticized his demonstrations in Birmingham as unwise and
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untimely. They basically told him to be
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patient, to wait. Wait.
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And King's response? From the jail cell, he just
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passionately lays out why African Americans couldn't wait
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any longer. Use these incredibly vivid,
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painful examples, what he calls the stinging darts of
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segregation. What are some of those examples
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the sources highlight? They're quite powerful.
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They really are. He talks about seeing mobs lynch
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your parents, drown your siblings, knowing that hate
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filled police curse, kick, even kill black people with impunity,
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seeing the vast majority of your people trapped in poverty.
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Things that were happening right then.
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Yes, and then the deeply personal cuts.
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Having to explain to your 6 year old daughter why she can't go to
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the public amusement park because it's closed to colored
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children. Seeing tears well up in her
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eyes. Man, that's devastating.
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It is he talks about the humiliation of driving long
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distances and having to sleep in your car because no motel will
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accept you, the constant sting of signs saying white and
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colored, being called *** or boy no matter your age, never
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getting the respected title of Mr. or misses.
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It's just relentless dehumanization.
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Relentless, he describes this building up of inner fears,
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outer resentments, and ultimately A degenerating sense
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of nobodiness. Feeling like you don't count?
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That anecdote about Fun town? It makes a whole systemic issue
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just hit you on a personal level.
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You can see why waiting wasn't possible.
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Exactly. He concludes that section by
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saying there comes a time when the cup of endurance runs over
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and men are no longer willing to be plunged into the abyss of
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despair. It wasn't patience, it was
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survival. His examples make the abstract
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reality of segregation painfully concrete.
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And one of the most brilliant parts of that letter, which our
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sources highlight, is how King deals with being called an
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extremist. He doesn't just deny it, he
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reframes it. He does.
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It's masterful, really. He essentially says the question
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isn't if we will be extremists, but what kind of extremists we
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will be. Will we be extremists for hate
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or extremists for love? For the preservation of
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injustice or the extension of justice.
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So you have to choose your extremism.
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That's his point. And then he give these powerful
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examples of what he calls extremists for virtue.
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He starts with Jesus and extremists for love, telling
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people to love their enemies. Then the prophet Amos and
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extremists for justice crying out, let justice roll down like
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waters. The apostle Paul, an extremist
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for the gospel, who said, I bear in my body the marks of the Lord
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Jesus. He's putting the fight for civil
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rights in the lineage of prophets and apostles.
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Absolutely. And he doesn't stop there.
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He brings in figures from history, figures Revere by many.
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Martin Luther Central to Reformed thought.
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Standing firm. Here I stand.
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I cannot do otherwise, so help me.
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God and extremist for conscience.
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John Bunyan choosing jail over compromising his conscience.
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I will stay in jail to the end of my days before I make a
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butchery of my conscience. Abraham Lincoln extremist for
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national unity against slavery. This nation cannot survive half
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slave and half free. Even Jefferson.
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Even Thomas Jefferson, extremist for equality.
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We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are
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created equal. By listing these figures, King
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challenges his critics. Are these men not also
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extremists? And were they wrong?
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It completely flips the script on who gets labeled extreme.
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It makes you think about what principles you'd be willing to
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be extreme for. Now, the sources we're using
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from John Piper, they acknowledge King had flaws but
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still uphold his message on justice.
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How do they balance that? Yeah, Piper acknowledges King's
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personal failings, even calling some behavior inexcusable.
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But he argues we should still celebrate the truth and vision
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in King's fight for racial justice.
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He compares it to how we view figures like Washington or
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Jefferson. Great leaders with significant
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flaws, Flaws often softened by time.
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So separate the message from the messenger's imperfections.
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Essentially, yes. Discern the value and
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righteousness of the public. Stand for justice.
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The prophetic voice on that issue, even while acknowledging
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the person, was, like all humans, flawed.
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We can learn from the moral clarity of his work without
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endorsing every part of his life.
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OK, that makes sense. So King redefines extremism,
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challenges individuals, but he also had a specific challenge
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for the church, didn't he? Using that metaphor, our sources
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pick up is the church a thermometer or a thermostat?
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Yes, such a powerful metaphor for the Church's role in
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society, especially regarding justice issues.
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Explain the difference he was drawing thermometer versus
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thermostat. OK, so a thermometer, Church,
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King said, just registers the racial attitudes and actions of
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the world. It passively reflects the
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temperature of the culture around it.
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It might note the prevailing opinions, the social norms, but
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doesn't try to change them. It just records what's
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happening. Right.
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But a thermostat church? That's completely different.
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It actively works to set the temperature.
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It raises the warmth of commitment to racial
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understanding and love and demonstrable harmony.
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It influences and aims to change the Moors of society.
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So active versus passive influencing versus reflecting.
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Exactly, It's about being a force for change based on its
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core beliefs rather than just blending in.
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And what about the early church? According to King and the
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sources? Which one was it?
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Oh, definitely a thermostat. The sources state the early
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church transformed the Moors of society.
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Think about it, bringing Jew and Gentile together in one body,
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elevating slaves and women in ways unheard of then.
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That wasn't reflecting Roman society.
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That was actively changing it based on the Gospel.
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A counter cultural force. Precisely.
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So what happens if the church stops being a thermostat?
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What are the stakes if it just becomes a thermometer reflecting
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society's views on race? King's warning was severe, he
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said. If the church didn't recapture
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that transforming spirit, it would lose its authenticity,
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forfeit with the loyalty of millions, and be dismissed as an
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irrelevant social club. Basically, it would lose its
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unique voice and purpose. Irrelevant.
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Social club, that's harsh. It is, and our sources echo that
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sense of urgency, even saying that the judgement of God is
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upon the church today as never before.
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If it fails here, it's not just about public perception.
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It's about faithfulness to God's calling.
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So if a church just mirrors society's attitudes on race, it
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risks losing its credibility. It's very reason for being.
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That seems to be the argument, yes.
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Is trustworthiness is on the line?
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OK, so if a church wants to be a thermostat, not just a
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thermometer, what practical steps to the sources suggest how
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does a community actually move from reflecting to shaping?
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They offer several concrete things.
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First, it starts with a conscious decision.
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Churches need to embrace the supremacy of God's love to take
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new steps personally and corporately toward racial
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reconciliation. This needs to be visible both in
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the community and within the Church itself.
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So intentional steps, not just hoping it happens.
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Right. And it has to be a stance taken
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against the rising spirit of indifference, alienation and
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hostility. It's an active choice.
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And where does that work begin? It has to start deep.
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It requires confronting racism at its root, that deep,
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partially subconscious level within people's hearts.
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The sources specifically urge pastors to begin this work in
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their own heart. Starting with theatership.
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Yes, through reading and some serious biblical meditation on
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the meaning of race and God's will for His church.
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It has to be grounded transformation.
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Then, crucially, using the Word of God.
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The sources emphasize that the Word has the authority and power
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to change people, so pastors need to preach it and teach it
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and live it. Specifically using passages like
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Ephesians 2 and Revelation 5 to shape the congregations
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understanding and desire for unity.
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So it's not just motivational speaking, it's rooted in
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Scripture. Absolutely.
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And the goal is again to display and magnify the cross of Christ
21:36
better by more and deeper and sweeter ethnic diversity and
21:40
unity. The unity itself becomes a form
21:43
of worship and witness. OK.
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Anything else? Yes, they also suggest pastors
21:47
should work to enlarge King's dream or move beyond just
21:50
judgment by character, which is vital into this full blown
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biblical vision from Revelation 5 where people from every race
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in every language and every tribe united in Jesus Christ
22:00
with a passion for the supremacy of God.
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A God centered vision for unity. Exactly, and they add a crucial
22:05
check. This grand vision gets tested by
22:08
how the church treats ethnic groups closest to home.
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It has to be local, not just theoretical.
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That's practical. They mentioned an example,
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right? John Piper's Church.
22:16
Yes, Bethlehem Baptist Church has mentioned they apparently
22:19
created a formal vision statement that explicitly
22:22
included racial reconciliation as a core initiative.
22:25
Drawing on these biblical themes, it shows it can be done,
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weaving it into the church's actual strategy and identity.
22:32
So it moves from being a sermon topic to being part of the
22:35
church's DNA for someone listening.
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What's maybe one concrete thing a person or a church could do
22:41
this week to start shifting from thermometer to thermostat?
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Well, for an individual, maybe it's taking that advice given to
22:48
pastors. Spend serious time meditating on
22:50
Ephesians 2 or Revelation 5, asking God what it means for
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you. For a church, maybe it's
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intentionally starting a conversation, perhaps in a small
22:59
group, about what being a thermostat on race would look
23:01
like in their specific context. Or even just evaluating.
23:04
Do our current actions reflect the culture or challenge it
23:07
towards God's design? Small steps, but intentional
23:10
ones. OK, finally, the sources circle
23:12
back to the cost, this pursuit of many colored worship, of true
23:16
racial harmony. It's not presented as easy.
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Not at all. They're very upfront about the
23:19
difficulty. They basically ask, given the
23:22
incredible price God paid the Father giving the Son the Son
23:25
one giving his life, should we really expect that pursuing this
23:28
kind of unity will cost us nothing or that it will be easy?
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It's a rhetorical question with a clear answer.
23:35
No, if it cost God everything, He will surely cost us something
23:39
too. And what does that cost look
23:41
like for believers, for churches today, according to these
23:44
sources? They say to join God in pursuing
23:47
racial diversity and racial harmony will be costly.
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So costly that many will try it for a while and then give up and
23:53
walk away to easier things. People might give up.
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Yes, because it's described as a fierce battle.
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A battle against the devil himself, who hates the glory of
24:02
God and despises the aims of the cross.
24:05
Anything that displays the unifying power of the cross will
24:08
face opposition. So it's not just inconvenience,
24:10
it's spiritual opposition. That's the implication, and
24:13
practically, they suggest it might mean pastors risking their
24:15
jobs for speaking out on these issues.
24:18
For individuals, the cost could look like discomfort, facing
24:20
pushback, maybe losing some relationships, challenging your
24:24
own biases, giving up preferences.
24:26
Real sacrifice might be involved.
24:28
Yes, for a church it could mean changing long held traditions,
24:31
reallocating funds, maybe even facing internal conflict if some
24:35
resist the changes needed for genuine unity.
24:38
It's a call to take up our cross in a sense, to follow Christ in
24:42
this. That's a serious call.
24:44
If it's that hard, that costly, potentially leading people to
24:48
give up, what keeps you going? What encouragement did the
24:51
sources offer for staying the course on what they call a very
24:54
long path? They acknowledge it as long.
24:57
They call it a mighty long journey, referencing an old
25:00
African American prayer chant. It's a mighty long journey, but
25:04
I'm on my way. I'm on my way.
25:06
There's perseverance in that. There is.
25:08
It admits the length and difficulty, but affirms the
25:10
commitment to keep moving. What keeps you going, According
25:13
to the sources, Is the goal showcasing God's glory, showing
25:16
the worth of Christ to a watching world.
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It's about pursuing as much of it now as we can.
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That Revelation 5 vision of unified, diverse worship.
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So the ultimate vision of fuels the present struggle.
25:28
Exactly. The call is to keep at it, read
25:31
and study and pray and preach and take the risks necessary to
25:34
sever the root of racism. It's active perseverance, fueled
25:38
by the knowledge that this is God's plan, bought by Christ's
25:41
blood and aimed at his eternal glory.
25:44
That makes the journey, however long and hard, ultimately
25:47
worthwhile. So let's wrap this up for you,
25:49
our listener. We've really dug into how these
25:51
sources frame racial harmony, not just socially, but as a
25:55
blood of Jesus and glory of God issue.
25:57
Yeah, deeply rooted in Christ's atonement, vividly pictured in
26:00
places like Ephesians 2 and Revelation 5.
26:02
We also face the tough realities of ongoing racism, heard MLK
26:06
Junior's powerful refusal to wait and his challenging idea
26:09
about being an extremist for love.
26:11
And we grappled with that call for the church to be a
26:13
thermostat, actively shaping society towards God's design,
26:17
rather than just reflecting it. And we heard clearly that this
26:20
work is costly. It's a battle, but it's
26:22
presented as absolutely vital for showing the world what the
26:24
cross achieved and what God is doing.
26:27
Right. This deep dive really shows that
26:29
from this theological perspective, racial
26:31
reconciliation isn't some side project.
26:33
It's central to God's entire redemptive story, paid for by
26:36
Christ, aiming for God's ultimate glory.
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Which leads us to a final thought for you to Mull over.
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If the cross was designed, as these sources argue, to create
26:46
this many colored worship for God's glory, what's 1 specific
26:49
step you could take, maybe even this week to align your own life
26:52
or maybe your community just a little bit more with that divine
26:55
design? Until next time, keep seeking to
26:57
be well informed and May God guide your thinking on these
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vital matters.