Newsweek unwittingly stumbles onto a Biblical reality with a question published on a recent cover. That Biblical reality is our sin nature, racism being but 1 aspect of that nature. To wit, perhaps a more valid question would have been, is your baby sinful? That would have covered the entire gamut of societal ills. But, of course, it would have also opened a can of worms that the editors of Newsweek would have probably just as sooned stay hidden away. Better to deal with the sin of others than to admit that the can you just opened contains worms that nuzzle at your own breasts. Nevertheless, the heart of man is the issue; it always has been, and it always will be. It is at the root of sins such as greed, in which it is in vogue to condemn, and at the root of those sins it is no longer popular to condemn at all. Sadly, however, the refusal to accept this reality will continue to confound those whose hopes it is to build a racist-free society. For one, with racism defined as "a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities..."[Webster], the architects only succeed in accomplishing the opposite of their intentions by laying a foundation based on racism. For a foundation based on the assertion that racism is a problem with only a certain race, as opposed to a sin common to mankind, is indeed a racist foundation.
The reality is however, to end racism in a society, that society must first realize that racism can no more be ended than murder, theft, lying, and adultery. Even though, as with other sins, it can be abated by legislation that applies equally to all, there is nothing like a renewed mind; and a changed heart to bring about true change. But such change does not come from force from without, but emanates from a new heart from within. Unfortunately, God, the architect of real change, has been evicted from modern culture, and with Him a true understanding of the condition of man's heart; and any hopes of racism, as we know it, becoming history. As we now stand, we can expect racism to remain an integral part of America's social fabric for a long time; and this despite the skin colors of those in power; or the best efforts of those intent on eradicating this, their pet sin, even if it kills us.
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