Where will you be in 100 years?
You may think, “Well, I’ll be dead”.
But is that true? If you are in Christ, you will be more alive than ever before.
When you confess your faith in Jesus Christ, you are born again (Jn 3:3-7). You become a new creation (2 Cor 5:17), an heir of God and co-heir with Christ (Rom 8:17). By the power of the Holy Spirit, you are given a new nature and are transformed into Christ’s image with an ever-increasing glory (2 Cor 3:18; Rom 8:29).
In Christ, you are made glorious and are promised a future glory. The resurrection of Christ proves that you will have a glorious-resurrected body. Christ promises to transform your lowly body (weakened by sin) and give you a glorious body like His own (Phil 3:21-21).
In Christ, you are also adopted into a new family-a new body: the church, which is the body of Christ (1st Cor 12:12-27). This body is composed of believers from every tribe, tongue, and nation throughout time and space. Before His ascension, Jesus commanded His disciples to make disciples of every nation (Matt 28:19), to preach the gospel to every creature (Mk 16:15), and be His witnesses to the end of the earth (Acts 1:8).
This would not be an easy task. During His teaching ministry Christ promised His disciples persecution. Christians should expect the world’s hatred; to be rejected by their communities, even their own families (Jn 15:18-27, Lk 12:53).
Christ was rejected by His family, and He taught us to expect the same. For this reason, Christians regard one another not according to flesh and blood, but by our relationship with Christ (2 Cor 5:16) In Christ we are all made sons of God through faith. In Christ there is neither Jew nor Greek, slave or free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus (Gal 3:27-29).
By God’s grace, Christians belong to a new family which supersedes all boundaries of flesh and blood. A new glorious body that will worship God for all eternity. We are given glimpses of this future glory in the book of Revelation:
9 After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” (Revelation 7:9-10)
Christians must live in light of this future glory.
This is your future if you are in Christ: worshiping the Lamb of God with a glorious-resurrected body within a body gathered from all nations throughout eternity. This perspective must shape the church and its worship.
A Grievous Concern
This past week, my beloved denomination, the Presbyterian Church in America made the news again. This time because a PCA church decided to host a segregated event for “Black Worshipers” to “cap off” their month-long celebration of Black History Month.[1]
Now, I have no problem with celebrating Black History Month. I believe it’s important for Americans to celebrate African American history and their contributions to society. This month, at home, my wife and I taught our children about Martin Luther King, the Emancipation Proclamation, and Frederick Douglass.
My concern is with churches hosting segregated events based on race. As an ordained Teaching Elder in the PCA, I strongly disagree with this practice, and quite frankly, I have been appalled not only by the news of this event, but by its support coming from brothers within my denomination.
In this post, I contend that race-based segregation, however well-intentioned, should have no place in Christ’s church. I firmly believe that there is no biblical, rational, or moral grounds for hosting such events.
A Biblical Example
In Galatians 2, the Bible records for us an incident between the “Apostle to the Jews”, Peter, and the “Apostle to the Gentiles”, Paul. Coincidentally, this event took place at a dinner in Antioch, the central hub of ancient Christianity.
The Apostle Peter was divinely instructed to show no partiality between Jews and Gentiles. The gospel of peace through Jesus Christ was to be proclaimed to all people (Acts 10). Both Jews and Gentiles were called out of their respective communities and into the body of Christ. The Jewish ceremonial laws of the Old Testament were fulfilled in Christ (Heb 8:13, 10:1-18, see also Col 2:16-17). Christ tore down the dividing wall of hostility and both communities were to treat each other as brothers.
Every Christian, regardless of race or ethnicity, is made a fellow citizen, saint, and member of God’s household (Eph 2:11-22).
This was, of course, a radical change for Jewish Christians living in the 1st century. So much so that even Peter, the “rock” of the early church, struggled with hypocrisy. Paul tells us that when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned (v11). When influential Jews came from Jerusalem to dine at Antioch, Peter separated himself from his gentile brothers. He knew that in Christ there was no longer any division between them, but for fear of the Jews, he segregated himself.
By doing so, he subtly communicated to his gentile brothers that there remained irreconcilable differences between them. He fell back into old habits, and even Barnabas was led astray by his hypocrisy (v13). Such is the case when Christian ministers fail to live according to the truth.
Paul confronted Peter publicly because his conduct was not in step with the truth of the gospel. By Peter’s conduct, many were being led astray. Both the Jews and Gentiles in Antioch began to reinforce the walls of separation which Christ tore down. They fell into old habits, treating one another with suspicion and division.
The same is true for the church today. When the church excludes people based on class, race, or ethnicity, they are not keeping in step with the gospel. The mission of the church is to proclaim the gospel, and the gospel is for all people, regardless. Remember, in Christ your future will be worshiping the Lamb with one united body, composed of believers from every nation.
Race, Racism, and Antiracism
What is race? Race is a social construct based on melanin levels within a person’s biology.[2] Culture is the way people-groups live, think, and express themselves.[3] Ethnicity is a shared identity based on common cultural traits-like language, tradition, and ancestry.[4]
The Bible teaches that every tribe, every nation, every ethnicity, traces its lineage back to one man. From one man God created all the nations (Acts 17:26). As cliché as it sounds, there is only one race: the human race.
This shouldn’t be controversial in 2025, but it is. Even scientists affirm the biblical reality that there is only one human race.[5] The traditional idea of there being several distinct races populating the earth is simply false. There is significant variation in melanin levels within cluster of races around the world.
For this reason, Christian’s need to be aware of the difference between race and culture. Race is not determinative of a person’s ethnicity or culture. Different environments create different cultures and ethnicities.
For example, white people living in Missouri speak, live, and express themselves differently from white people living in England. White South Africans have more in common with black South Africans than African Americans living in the United States. Some may scoff at that, but it’s true. When we conflate race with ethnicity and culture, we run the risk of reinforcing stereotypes and making false assumptions.
Here’s a few gross examples: African Americans are good at basketball, Caucasians can’t dance, and Hispanics love spicy food.
Pretty gross, right? Now think about how often you hear conflations like these:
· To be a black or brown person in western society is to belong to an oppressed class.[6]
o Black and brown people are minorities and consequently disadvantaged from birth.
o Black and brown people are victims of racism but incapable of being racists.
o Black and brown people are victims of whiteness/white violence/systemic oppression from birth.
o Black and brown people need to be propped up to be successful in Western society.
o Black and brown people experience discrimination and objectification regularly.
o Black and brown people need safe spaces, apart from white people, to be free from marginalization, white judgment, and the freedom to express themselves[7]
o Black and brown people must be sheltered from institutional racism within the white dominated institutions in which they serve.
o Black and brown people live in a world dominated by whiteness, which they must repudiate and overcome to discover their true selves.
o Black and brown people are born into a world that hates them, objectifies them, and seeks to oppress them.
· To be a white or white-adjacent person in Western society is to belong to an oppressive class.[8]
o White or white-adjacent people are inherently racist.
o White or white-adjacent people are privileged and genetically advantaged to succeed in western society.
o White or white adjacent people either knowingly or unknowingly contribute to systemic racism by their participation in society.
o White or white adjacent people are beneficiaries of historic structural power.
o White or white adjacent people cannot experience racism.
o White or white adjacent people must acknowledge their privilege(s) and seek to create a more equitable existence for disadvantaged minorities.
o White or white adjacent people prove themselves to be racist when they question any of these conflations.
Is it true that every black and brown person is born disadvantaged, and every white or white adjacent person is born advantaged? No, that’s bearing false witness.
Is it true that all white people inherently racist? No, another lie.
These conflations are hallmarks of the modern Antiracist movement.[9] Antiracism teaches that racism isn’t simply individual discrimination, but the air we breathe. According to Antiracist authors literally everything is racist. Racism is baked into the systems and institutions of everyday society. Antiracism teaches that racism is an inescapable and undeniable reality. Everyone is a racist according to Antiracism, it’s just a matter of degrees. If you deny that, or ask too many questions, you confirm your racism. It’s a Kafka trap.
Consider how author Ibram X Kendi, author of How To Be An Antiracist, defines racism: “Racism is a combination of racist policies and racist ideas that create and maintain racial inequality.”
Did you catch that? Kendi uses a circular definition to define racism. His answer, I believe, perfectly encapsulates the absurdity of Antiracism. Antiracist authors like Kendi and Robin Diangelo paint with the broadest of brushes, conflating race, ethnicity, and culture, make sweeping generalizations, and infantilizing minorities.[10]
The Antiracist movement thrives on exaggerating our differences, minimizing personal responsibility, maximizing societal sins, identifying race privileges, shaming so-called majority cultures, highlighting racial micro-aggressions, protesting alleged inequity, lobbying for reform, and calling for the dismantling of whiteness and western society.[11]
Here’s the definition of racism I was taught in public school in the 90’s (when the world felt a little saner): Racism is believing that people are superior, or inferior based on their skin color.
Does racism exist? Yes. Racism exists in every corner of the globe.
Have black people, historically, been victims of discrimination, oppression, and injustice? Yes, that’s undeniable.
Right now, in America, is there a deliberate, system-wide effort to discriminate and dehumanize black people because they are black? I do not believe so. Claims of systemic racism are vague, nebulous, and speculative at best. That’s what makes Antiracism so insidious: it is a premise that cannot be argued. There is no evidence that modern American society is actively seeking to dehumanize black people. There simply isn’t.
Christians need to recognize the lies of the current cultural zeitgeist. This is especially important for the church, which is often exploited by bad actors calling for Christian compassion.
Question 145 of the WLC teaches us that the sins forbidden in the Ninth Commandment are all prejudicing the truth, the good name of our neighbors…especially in public judicature, giving false evidence…passing unjust sentence(s), calling evil good, and good evil; forgery, concealing the truth…speaking untruth, lying, slandering…misconstruing intentions, words, and actions…(and) evil suspicion.[12]
No Sanctifying Segregation
I sincerely believe that 15 years ago no church in America would tolerate hosting segregated race spaces. What has changed? The church is being influenced by the world, instead of the other way around.
Arguments for “Black Spaces” consist of standard Antiracist rhetoric: Black people are silenced/marginalized/oppressed and need safe spaces to connect with other black people (apart from whites). Black people need space to freely express themselves without being objectified, talked over, or judged. Black people need space to amplify their ideas, leadership, and healing without constantly seeking to justify themselves in a world dominated by whiteness.
Brothers in sisters in Christ, there is no sanctifying race-based segregation. Our worship should always be determined by our future glory. Segregation causes unnecessary strife and division within the body of Christ. Segregation breeds resentment, fosters guilt, enables fragility, exaggerates differences, and communicates division within the body of Christ.
The tragic irony of PCA churches hosting race-based events is that they do so because of a commitment to diversity. Let me be clear, if you value diversity, you won’t host church events based on race. Pure and simple. I would also argue that if your church isn’t already a “safe place” for black people to connect with other black people, your church may need to be examined by its presbytery.
The PCA responded to Segregation a long time ago. In 2004, General Assembly adopted the Pastoral Letter on Racism.[13] This letter condemned all forms of racism as a sin, since all humans are made in God’s image (Gen 1:27). The letter also specifically called out “Social exclusion on the basis of race, ethnicity, or economic status” as sinful and urged the church to reject practices that divide rather than unite Christ’s body. In 2016, the PCA reaffirmed its commitment to condemning racism and repenting of historical sins, which included segregation during the Civil Rights era and opposing interracial marriage.[14]
The Church Eternal
In 100 years’ time, everyone reading this will either be dead in their sins or alive in Christ. If you are in Christ, you will be united to His body, the church, worshipping the Lamb. You will be clothed in Christ’s righteousness, and to your left and right you will imager-bearers of every skin tone, every culture, all nations.
In the new heaven and new earth, there will be no divisions based on race, ethnicity, or skin color. All will be one in Christ Jesus. May the church today live in light of eternity.
A Brief Response to a Predictable Objection:
So what about men’s, women’s and children’s events in the church? Doesn’t the church already “segregate” for those events?
This objection reminds me of the numerous category errors1 given during the Revoice debates. Race is a sociological construct. Sex is a biological construct. There are major differences between men and women, boys and girls. There are no major biological differences between black and white people. Human beings are 99.9% genetically identical, regardless of race.2 To believe differently, is in fact, racist.
For example, if you were to go to the emergency room for treatment, your race would have nothing to do with your care. However, your sex would great determine the care you would receive. The same is true with bathrooms, locker rooms, etc. Churches host men’s events because men are different from women. Women are different from men. Physiologically, children are quite different from adults.
[1] https://www.dailywire.com/news/california-church-hosts-segregated-event-for-black-worshippers-to-celebrate-black-history-month
[2] https://www.britannica.com/topic/race-human
[3] https://www.britannica.com/topic/culture
[4] https://www.apa.org/topics/race-ethnicity
[5] https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10223560/
[6] https://connect.springerpub.com/content/book/978-0-8261-7817-6/chapter/ch01
[7] https://arrow-journal.org/why-people-of-color-need-spaces-without-white-people/
[8] https://libguides.udayton.edu/c.php?g=925349&p=8717776
[9] https://www.bu.edu/csc/edref-2/antiracism/
[10] https://quillette.com/2018/08/05/the-infantilization-of-black-america1/
See also “Woke Racism” by John McWhorter.
[11] https://libguides.library.cpp.edu/c.php?g=1047593&p=7636457
[12] http://thewestminsterstandards.com/wlc-145-what-are-the-sins-forbidden-in-the-ninth-commandment/
[13] https://www.pcahistory.org/topical/race/2004_pastoral_letter_on_racism.pdf
[14] https://www.christianitytoday.com/2016/06/pca-apologizes-for-new-and-old-racism/
https://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Category_mistake
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7240856/
Hi, Charles. Thanks for your post.
I'm completely speculating here, but I wonder if some of our brothers experience a form of peer pressure from outside entities to demonstrate their solidarity with the larger antiracism movement. I think those of us who rub elbows with people who are far, far right recognize that kind of expectation placed upon preachers and teachers. They, too, expect "solidarity"!