A Brief Lesson for Parents to Teach Children about Race
A Brief Lesson for Parents to Teach Children about Race
Written by David Seibel | 10.2.2019
It is currently in vogue to talk about race. Although I am not interested in being one of the cool kids, I am keenly interested in promoting flourishing and teaching children well. Thus, here are three starting points for parents on how to teach children well about diversity. There are several resources listed here and here. This ‘lesson’ has a beginning, middle, and endpoint.
God’s vision is for all colors to love one another truly, as equals.
God’s vision is for all colors to love one another truly, as equals.
The Beginning
There is only one race. When you are mowing the lawn, your first line in the grass must be straight. If you begin poorly, the entire yard will be crooked and lack the fresh-cut beauty you desire.
In the same way, you need to get the beginning right in your thinking on race. The Bible tells us that God created every family from the loving relationship of the first family, Adam and Eve, and made humans in his image. According to Scripture, every human comes from this same family (Acts 17:26). The Bible shows us that there is ultimately only one race: the human race. Therefore, God’s vision is for all colors to love one another truly, as equals. The Bible rejects the idea of a special race of people who sit above other skin colors.
Some people believe a lie about race that says that some types of people are better than others. Instead of accepting this lie, God wants us to honor every skin color.
Some people believe a lie about race that says that some types of people are better than others. Instead of accepting this lie, God wants us to honor every skin color.
The Middle
Evolution promotes racism. Racism is the belief that some ethnicities are superior to others. These feelings of superiority when differences arise are a result of the fall in Genesis 3 and are subtly promoted by certain views of humanity, namely evolution.
Some people believe a lie about race that says that some types of people are better than others. Instead of accepting this lie, God wants us to honor every skin color. This imaginary concept of race was developed to separate humans based on color. Unlike God’s intention to have a beautiful variety within his creation, this idea of race lifts one skin color on the backs of other colors.
These racial categories make some people feel better than others, giving them a sense of superiority.
Darwin wrote in 1859, The Origin of Species: By Means Of Natural Selection: Or, The Preservation Of Favored Races In The Struggle For Life. Although this may seem unrelated and unnecessarily confrontational, learning, by contrast, can be helpful for young minds.
The issue with evolution is that it preloads the sinful heart to see differences as weaknesses that need to be selected out. Every part of American culture has an evolutionary bent. This is probably why Americans don’t like to go to sleep and struggle to let minorities have opportunities in some scenarios.
Humans did not evolve, but rather God designed them with the potential for ethnic expansion, and the mechanism for variation was packaged within the human genetic reservoir.
Every color was made to be loved and cherished because God created all things good.
Every color was made to be loved and cherished because God created all things good.
The End
God is transforming our vision. Color- blindness won’t make racism go away, which is why we need to talk about where racism comes from and how it hurts people. God wants to give us new eyes to see all the colors of humanity without fear or anger. Every color was made to be loved and cherished because God created all things good.
Consider John’s vision in Revelation.
After this, I saw a large crowd with more people than could be counted. They were from every race, tribe, nation, and language, and they stood before the throne and before the Lamb. They wore white robes and held palm branches in their hands, as they shouted,
“Our God, who sits
upon the throne,
has the power
to save his people,
and so does the Lamb.”
The angels who stood around the throne knelt in front of it with their faces to the ground. The elders and the four living creatures knelt there with them. Then they all worshiped God and said,
“Amen! Praise, glory, wisdom,
thanks, honor, power,
and strength belong to our God
forever and ever! Amen!”
As Head of School at Coram Deo Academy, Dave Seibel aims to cultivate a generation of scholar-disciples who are passionate about learning. He is husband to Brooke and father of four future Coram Deo students. He is a graduate of Wabash College, Marian University and in final Master of Divinity course at Southern Seminary.
As Head of School at Coram Deo Academy, Dave Seibel aims to cultivate a generation of scholar-disciples who are passionate about learning. He is husband to Brooke and father of four future Coram Deo students. He is a graduate of Wabash College, Marian University and in final Master of Divinity course at Southern Seminary.
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