^^^
flunked HS Biology 101 and Sunday School.
A discussion on the definitions of race and ethnicity in the book Bloodlines by John Piper
www.sgcdayton.org
Piper acknowledges that the term
race is ambiguous and not very helpful. It has often been used in a negative way to demean other humans. This become especially true since the Darwinian revolution in the 1800s which was brought about by Darwin’s book titled, “
On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life.” Darwin was convinced that white races, especially Europeans, —were evolutionarily more advanced than the black races, thus establishing a racial hierarchy which only confirmed the ‘racist’ attitudes of his day. But, there seems to be a consensus today in
biblical,
scientific and
cultural perspectives that
race is a social construct and not based on biological reality....
...While these definitions may not be perfect, they do give us a framework to begin discussing racism. For the term
racism, Piper uses a definition developed by the Presbyterian Church in America which says, “Racism is an explicit or implicit belief or practice that qualitatively distinguishes or values one race over other races.” By using this definition of racism, Piper wants to focus in on the
heart and behavior of a racist person. A sinful heart that believes that one race is more valuable than another, and sinful behavior that acts in a way that values one race over another. While bringing attention to the personal dimension of racism, he does leave room for racism to also have a structural dimension that might be exhibited laws, policies that exclude based on race. More on that in the coming chapters.