Ethnocentrism According to the Christian Worldview

Kenya Smith

Professor Fletcher

GENE 100-06

November 14, 2014

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Ethnocentrism According to the Christian Worldview

Ethnocentrism or racism is a worldview that teaches that one ethnic group is superior to other

ethnic groups and that the values and culture of that ethnic group should be a blueprint for

society. During Biblical times, many Jews believed that God would send a Messiah to save them

and only them since God chose them as his people. They felt that Gentiles or "heathens" were

not worthy of being saved because they were not Jewish. Even today, many societies are

strangled by ethnocentrism, especially in America where many people consider the nation a

melting pot and a land of ethnic and racial diversity. In American history, there are many

incidents where ethnocentrism has oppressed people: slavery, the removal of American Indians,

cultural assimilation of immigrants and some natural born citizens, and Jim Crow laws. Though

we have laws that prohibit such ethnic favoritism, society has not yet healed from the hurts of the

American past and ethnocentrism is still prevalent. Some Christians feel that the primary way to

deal with ethnocentrism is to ignore it. However, ignoring ethnocentrism can lead to many dire

consequences such as poverty and violence. A Christian should view ethnocentrism as an

undermining idea that considers the following ideas: a partial, non-universal, biased God (or if a

person does not believe in God, they might see themselves as a god based on ethnicity and race),

a desire of domination of the world and society under one ethnic group, and the Gospel as a

limited theology for a particular group.

To this day, there are people who proclaim that they are God fearing Christians, but when

they encounter people of a different race, different skin color, or a different nationality, there

godly attitude becomes a gory attitude. According to the article, “Christian Worldview

Development”, Hans M. Weerstra, looks at the Matthew 7: 21-23 where Jesus told the multitude

of people at the Sermon on the Mount, that there will be people who might sound like Christians

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but will not spend their eternity in Heaven (4). For example, hate groups such as the infamous

Ku Klux Klan and the Neo-Nazis proclaim that they adopt the Christian faith, and they might do

some charitable things among themselves, but they pervert the truth by adding their ideologies

on racial superiority and racial division. In the second part of his article, Weerstra explains that

everybody holds his or her beliefs as either theoretical beliefs or operational beliefs. Theoretical

beliefs do not affect a person's values or behavior while operational beliefs can influence a

person's values or behavior ("Christian Worldview Development Part II" 54). In this case, a

person who practices ethnocentrism might consider himself or herself a Christian, but due to the

person's own unbiblical beliefs, the Christian doctrine does not influence all the spectrums of his

or her life, especially the social spectrum. Thus, they hold Christianity as a theoretical belief.

It was previously stated that there are some Christians believe that the best way to deal with

ethnocentrism is to ignore it simply. In addition, some even deny that ethnocentrism is not a big

deal anymore. However, ignoring ethnocentrism or even denying can be a dangerous response.

The list of consequences of ethnocentrism includes poverty, violence, immorality, low self-

esteem, self-hatred, the compulsion for acceptance, high death rates in certain ethnic groups, and

negative events in various spectrums of life, which can lead to a community being destroyed. It

is recognized that ethnocentrism is an issue that will never disappear until Christ returns, but

Christians must not leave this modern day issue unchallenged or give tolerance to prejudiced

behaviors and ideas. In addition, many people feel that other people should walk, talk, eat, and

dress like themselves due to their ethnicity. This form of ethnocentrism was an issue in Acts 15

where some Jews tried to convince the new Gentile believers that they must be circumcised in

order to be saved. However, later on, James tells the multitude in verses 13-21, that the Gentiles

did not have be circumcised to receive salvation, but they must abstain from idolatry, sexual

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immorality, things that are strangled, and eating blood. Acts 15 should show a Christian that it's

not the clothes, the hairstyle, the language, nor the skin color that determines if a person is saved

or not. Instead, the heart should be the basis for salvation because if a person receives Jesus in

his or her heart, then he or she is saved, period. Thus, Christians should not have the view that

the white way, the black way, or any ethnicity’s way is the right way, but Christ’s way is the

right way.

In order to make a firm stance against ethnocentrism, Christians must examine how God

views race and ethnicity. First, Christians must start at creation where Genesis 1:26-27 reads, “

Then God said, “Let us make man in Our image, according to Our own likeness; let him have

dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth

and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in His own image;

in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” This scripture shows

that all persons regardless of ethnicity, color, national origin, etc. are created in God's image.

Second, Christians must realize that due to the fall of man at the Garden of Eden, sin is prevalent

in every individual (except Jesus) regardless of the ethnicity. A verse that can comply with this

principle is Romans 3:23, which says, "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."

Third, Christians must view the Gospel of Jesus Christ as universal, which means that the Gospel

should be available to everyone. Many verses prove that God’s love and his plan for salvation

are universal. One verse is John 3:16 which says, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his

only begotten son that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." The

word "whoever" should have a place in each Christian's heart, because this shows that God loves

all of humanity regardless of skin color or national origin and plus God has sent Jesus to die on

the cross so that anyone who believes in the death and resurrection of Christ can have eternal

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life. This should also prompt a Christian to have the same godly love for others regardless of

ethnic differences for Jesus says, "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another;

as I have loved you, that you will also love one another. By this, all will know that you are my

disciples if you have love for one another" (John 13:34-35). To summarize, the view on

ethnocentrism should be based on Deuteronomy 10:17, which reads “For the Lord your God is

God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality nor

takes a bribe”.

To conclude, God loves all of humanity, and it’s sad to see how ethnocentrism has played

a negative role in America, and throughout the world. It has caused a lot of heartaches, lives to

be lost, and communities to be broken. As Christians, we understand that ethnocentrism is an

issue that will not go away until Christ returns, but we must not leave ethnocentrism

unchallenged.

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Work Cited

Hans M. Weerstra. “Christian Worldview Development.” International Journal of Frontier

Missions 14.1 (1997): 3-11.

Hans M. Weerstra. “Christian Worldview Development: Part II.” International Journal of

Frontier Missions 14.2 (1997): 51-62.

The Holy Bible: New King James Version. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Inc., 1982. Print.