SPECIAL NOTE TO PARENTS: As your child’s parent, you know what’s best for your child. You know when your child is old enough to comprehend different topics and when discussing certain things is warranted. Every child is different, and that will vary from family to family and from topic to topic. For that reason, we did not put a recommended age on this topic. Instead, we trust that as your child’s parent, you will recognize when it’s appropriate to sit down and have this discussion with your child(ren). This is simply a guide to help you, if and when you choose to have this discussion about race with your child(ren). In today’s world, there are so many skewed ideas about mankind and various races and ethnicities. For that reason, this tool was released to help you address this topic through the lens of God’s inspired Word.
OPENER
Do you know what race and ethnicity is?
Prompts if no response: Explain that God created all of mankind to be different. God likes variety. It would be boring if we all looked the same. We are all God’s children, created in the image of God and with the same potential. Our skin color, hair color, eye color accents, cultural differences add to how special God made humanity.
Supporting Scripture
Leading up to the Flood, Noah had three sons—Shem, Ham and Japheth. From those three sons and their wives came all the different races on the earth (Genesis 10).
Discussion Question 1:
Are you aware that some people in this world, which is influenced by Satan, think that some races are better than others? Why do you think that is?
Prompts if no response: Evolution’s wrong idea of humans coming from apes.Charles Darwin’s theory that some races are closer to apes than others. Historical examples of one race conquering other races. Etc.
Supporting Scriptures
Satan has deceived the whole world to think contrary to God’s way
Revelation 12:9
, which includes prideful thinking. That kind of thinking originated with Satan
Isaiah 14:12-15
.
Discussion Question 2:
What are some things the Bible teaches us about race and ethnicity?
Prompts if no response: All humans came from the same ancestors—Adam and Eve (and then Noah’s family after the Flood). God wants all human beings of every race and ethnicity to be brothers and sisters in His family and coming Kingdom. The genealogy of Jesus Christ included several different races or ethnicities (Moabite, Canaanite, Hebrew). God shows no partiality when it comes to race, ethnicity, etc.
Supporting Scripture
No one is greater than another because of a physical trait. God “has made from one blood every nation”
Acts 17:26
.
Discussion Question 3:
God mentions the sin of pride as an abomination several times in the Bible, and partiality is also mentioned several times as being a sin. What can these sins look like with race?
Prompts if no response: Saying other races are naturally lazier/dirtier/poorer/dumber than our race, setting things up so our race gets more than other races, pretending differences don’t exist in races, etc.
Supporting Scriptures
God does not respect one person over another. This includes how we look and our backgrounds
Romans 2:11
. Paul confronted Peter and other Jewish Christians when they were refusing to have anything to do with gentiles
Galatians 2:11-13
.
Hypothetical 1:
What would you think or say back if you heard this: “[Some other race] people are dumb/lazy/dirty/criminals/ugly/some other horrible thing?”
Prompts if no response: I have friends at church of that race, and they aren’t that way. I haven’t met every single person of that race, and neither have you. Would you like it if someone took a bad stereotype of where you grew up or what you look like and used that to define you? Etc.
Supporting Scripture
God wants us to think as He does. God looks at the heart—the character of a person—rather than the person’s outward appearance
1 Samuel 16:7
.
Hypothetical 2:
What would you answer back if you were told: “Racism is the reason for all the world’s problems.”
Prompts if no response: Racism is a sin, but it isn’t the only sin. The world’s problems are also caused by greed, idolatry, immorality, etc.
Supporting Scriptures
God’s law is holy, just and good
Romans 7:12
. Keeping God’s law produces good fruit; it is for our good
Deuteronomy 10:13
. Sin—breaking God’s law
1 John 3:4
—is the cause of the world’s problems.
James 4:1-3
points out the cause for wars and fights, and racism is not mentioned. Racism is a symptom, not a cause.
CLOSER
What can we do to avoid showing pride and partiality about ethnicity or race?
Prompts if no response: Remember that God loves everyone. Look at people’s character.
Supporting Scripture
Since we know we are not to show partiality, we should always be looking out for the interests of others
Philippians 2:3-4
.
SCRIPTURES FOR MORE STUDY OR REFERENCE
Colossians 3:5-15; Proverbs 16:5; James 2:1-13
Further Your Study
Revelation 12:9
So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
12 How you are fallen from heaven,
O Lucifer,[fn] son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground,
You who weakened the nations!
13 For you have said in your heart:
‘I will ascend into heaven,
I will exalt my throne above the stars of God;
I will also sit on the mount of the congregation
On the farthest sides of the north;
14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds,
I will be like the Most High.’
15 Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol,
To the lowest depths of the Pit.
And He has made from one blood[fn] every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings,
11 Now when Peter had come to Antioch, I withstood him to his face, because he was to be blamed;
12 for before certain men came from James, he would eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing those who were of the circumcision.
13 And the rest of the Jews also played the hypocrite with him, so that even Barnabas was carried away with their hypocrisy.
But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORDlooks at the heart.
