How should a Christian view apartheid?

Response

Apartheid is a system of segregation based on race, gender, or other factors in which the ruling faction dominates. It is most closely associated with the former political climate of the Republic of South Africa from 1948 to 1994, during which the minority white population controlled the government. Nelson Mandela played a key role in publicizing and ultimately dismantling apartheid in South Africa.

Although apartheid is primarily a political term, it manifests in other forms. In recent years, white supremacists have gained prominence in the United States and Europe. Fueled by hatred and misinformation, groups like the KKK and neo-Nazis are becoming increasingly vocal and alarming in their threats. Media coverage appears to legitimize their twisted ideology, attracting more disaffected Caucasians to their cause. While their concerns about crime, gangs, and the welfare system may be valid, their misplaced fervor targets race instead of addressing the underlying societal issues that contribute to individuals making poor choices. Skinheads blame an entire demographic because it is easier than confronting the complex root causes.

While racial prejudice has been a historical constant, apartheid escalates prejudice to institutionalized levels. In South Africa, white landowners in power enacted laws to prohibit the sale of land to black citizens and mandated racial segregation in living and working arrangements, ensuring that only white landowners could hold political positions. The words of Lord Acton in 1887 remain relevant in the context of South Africa’s apartheid: “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”

A Christian’s reaction to any form of racial prejudice should be one of rejection. Prejudice is inherent in our fallen human nature (Romans 3:23; Psalm 51:5). We all harbor biases to some extent, whether they are racial, gender-related, educational, or socio-economic. Elevating ourselves by belittling others may come naturally, but when we submit to Christ, He transforms our inner being «Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. », (2 Corinthians 5:17). What seems “normal” to us needs to be examined through the lens of the Holy Spirit’s conviction and seen as He sees it. Colossians 3:9–11 states, “Put off the old self with its practices and put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. Here there is no Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free, but Christ is all, and in all.”

There is no room for racial prejudice or apartheid-like mentality in the life of a believer in Christ. Racial distinctions should not be condemned or disregarded but embraced—especially within the community of God. There will be a diversity of skin tones and ethnicities encircling the throne of God one day, not because God tolerates it, but because He cherishes it (Revelation 7:9; Revelation 14:6). He has uniquely crafted each of us as He desired «For thou hast possessed my reins: Thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb. », (Psalm 139:13) and delights in the various ways we manifest His glory through our physical features, our inherited characteristics, and our cultural diversities. Galatians 3:28 affirms, “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” One of Jesus’ deepest desires was that we “be one” just as He and the Father are one «that they all may be one; as thou, Father, art inMe, and I in you, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that you have sent me.” (John 17:21). Apartheid destroys that unity; therefore, a Christian should detest it as God does.