Laws do not change people’s hearts. They can stop abuse. They can reward good and punish evil. But they will not change people’s perspectives of others.
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Consider Brown v. Board—the very kind of law that made Derek Bell and Richard Delgado begin theorizing. Integration should have helped develop racial equality in education, yet even after Brown v. Board, inequality along racial lines within academia continued.
As Christians, we know that simply putting a law in place won’t solve the issue causing injustice. Injustice is the result of something in people’s hearts—sin, self-centeredness, pride, rebellion.
This article is the twelfth of a series of articles addressing the question, “How should Christians process Critical Race Theory?”
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This is not to say laws cannot assist in bringing about restoration. After all, God giving governing authorities the sword in order to punish evil and reward good (Ro. 13:3-4) is a part of God’s design for justice.
Rather, this is to say that true equality will only come by human beings learning to view each other as equals. Furthermore, as a Christian, I believe the Judeo-Christian understanding of humans being made in the image of God (Gen. 1:26) is the most solid foundation for teaching others to view each other as equals.
Laws cannot in and of themselves convince us to view each other as equals.
A law mandating that schools make their enrollment available as much to black families, Latino families, or various Asian families assists in removing the barriers that create ethnic silos within our society. But a law mandating that a school must have a certain percentage of particular ethnicities can begin to limit the effectiveness of the school when it may be placed in a demographic area with a majority of one particular ethnicity.
A company who “diversifies” only after certain laws are put in place may not necessarily value diversity any more than they did before. To put someone from another background or ethnicity in such an environment could actually be mentally and emotionally damaging for them.
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Similarly, churches who have made it a goal to diversify haven’t always done so out of a true love for all peoples. Rather, they wanted the appearance of diversity. They often ended up merely platforming non-white people who managed to assimilate to white-ness.
The world doesn’t ONLY need more diversity. The world needs the right people in the right place. Yes, we need to make sure there is an equal opportunity for everyone to demonstrate how they are best fit for the role. But we do not need people forced into roles they are not truly the best fit for only because they have dark skin. This will inevitably cause another sort of trauma for American society.
Laws cannot guarantee true equality. Theology cannot even do it.
Viewing each other as equal image bearers of God is a work of the Holy Spirit. It’s part of the transformation process of dying to ourselves and becoming alive in Christ (Eph. 2:13-15).
Laws can help. Scripture gives us a theological basis for teaching about it. But ultimately, we have to pray for heart transformation as we model loving and submitting one to another ourselves (Eph. 5:2, 15-21).
Feel free to share your responses to this article in the comments below. Please be respectful to each other as you do. Grace and peace.
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