Ethnic Enmities
I read a brief news item today about the slow ballot counting in Kenya providing a reason or excuse for violence between Luo and Kikuyu tribes. It got me thinking about the depth and intractable nature of ethnic rivalry and enmity.
After decades of suppression under communism, ethnic “nationalist” movements immediately re-appeared in Europe and the former Soviet Union as soon as Soviet communism lost its grip. Czechs v. Slovaks, Romanians v. Hungarians, Serbs v. Croats v. Albanians, Russians v. Chechens to name a few. In Nepal, Malaysia, India, Pakistan, Iraq and all of Africa, ethnic rivalries and enmities abound. Right here in Canada, immigrant groups coalesce despite having left their various lands, supposedly freely seeking a change.
I started to consider a Biblical perspective. The first thing I though of was Cain and Abel. Sibling rivalry and jealousy becomes white-hot resulting in hatred and murder. And “favouritism” or perception thereof by a parent or heavenly Father seems one of the biggest triggers. (Besides those two, think of Ishmael and Isaac, Jacob and Esau, Joseph and his brothers, Eliab and David, etc.)
After the flood and the incident with Ham seeing Noah’s nakedness, Noah blessed Shem and Japeth and pronounced slavery for Ham’s son Canaan and his descendants. Did that “curse” stick? It certainly seems until now that Semites and Japhethites rule over African descendants of Ham.
Then in Genesis 11 there is the story of the Lord confusing the languages and “the Lord scattered them over the face of the whole earth.” (verse 9) In the beginning, God had told Adam and Eve to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it. At Babel, the people seemed to be determined to stay together, but God scattered them. In Genesis 11:4 the people express that they are specifically building so as not to be scattered, and God expresses concern about where that may lead, so he scatters them. Did he do that because in their sinful state their unity would allow them to accomplish more wickedness? Or was he just enforcing his original mandate for mankind? Or??
So what about now? Are ethnic and racial differences and rivalries “of God?” It seems that in Christ, the walls of partition between Jew and Gentile are removed, that his “favouritism” toward Israel is replaced by an inclusiveness. How far does that go? Clearly we see in the Bible, God using every situation, even the wicked ones, to accomplish his purposes. Does God use ethnic rivalries today? What should be our place (if any) as believers in combating ethnic and racial divisions? In the church? In our own society? In the world? What commands, instruction and/or guidance do we find in scripture about this?
After decades of suppression under communism, ethnic “nationalist” movements immediately re-appeared in Europe and the former Soviet Union as soon as Soviet communism lost its grip. Czechs v. Slovaks, Romanians v. Hungarians, Serbs v. Croats v. Albanians, Russians v. Chechens to name a few. In Nepal, Malaysia, India, Pakistan, Iraq and all of Africa, ethnic rivalries and enmities abound. Right here in Canada, immigrant groups coalesce despite having left their various lands, supposedly freely seeking a change.
I started to consider a Biblical perspective. The first thing I though of was Cain and Abel. Sibling rivalry and jealousy becomes white-hot resulting in hatred and murder. And “favouritism” or perception thereof by a parent or heavenly Father seems one of the biggest triggers. (Besides those two, think of Ishmael and Isaac, Jacob and Esau, Joseph and his brothers, Eliab and David, etc.)
After the flood and the incident with Ham seeing Noah’s nakedness, Noah blessed Shem and Japeth and pronounced slavery for Ham’s son Canaan and his descendants. Did that “curse” stick? It certainly seems until now that Semites and Japhethites rule over African descendants of Ham.
Then in Genesis 11 there is the story of the Lord confusing the languages and “the Lord scattered them over the face of the whole earth.” (verse 9) In the beginning, God had told Adam and Eve to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it. At Babel, the people seemed to be determined to stay together, but God scattered them. In Genesis 11:4 the people express that they are specifically building so as not to be scattered, and God expresses concern about where that may lead, so he scatters them. Did he do that because in their sinful state their unity would allow them to accomplish more wickedness? Or was he just enforcing his original mandate for mankind? Or??
So what about now? Are ethnic and racial differences and rivalries “of God?” It seems that in Christ, the walls of partition between Jew and Gentile are removed, that his “favouritism” toward Israel is replaced by an inclusiveness. How far does that go? Clearly we see in the Bible, God using every situation, even the wicked ones, to accomplish his purposes. Does God use ethnic rivalries today? What should be our place (if any) as believers in combating ethnic and racial divisions? In the church? In our own society? In the world? What commands, instruction and/or guidance do we find in scripture about this?
posted by lornewel at
11:43 a.m.
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home