Jesus loves the little children of the world

But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. ³⁵ And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. ³⁶ “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” ³⁷ And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. ³⁸ This is the great and first commandment. ³⁹ And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. ⁴⁰ On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”

Matthew 22:34-40

Jesus loves the little children
All the children of the world
Red and yellow, black and white
They are precious in his sight
Jesus loves the little children of the world

I remember the lyrics, and the tune, of that song from my childhood in Sunday School. The message is clear. God created we humans sort of like ice cream with lots of colors and flavors but all good. Of course, sin entered into the human experience and messed up the good part and created division.

These past few weeks of unrest in the United States and even in other countries following the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota, have prompted many of us to ask questions. Important questions. Questions about how we have gotten along, or rather haven’t gotten along, for many years.

As a naive young man, I thought that the Civil Rights Act of 1964 would have solved most of the racial problems in the United States. I was shocked when in 1968, I drove into a gas station in Shreveport, Louisiana, and discovered for the first time in my life signs that labeled water fountains for “colored” and “white” folks. Bathrooms, the same. Later, while living in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, I discovered the viability of the KKK. It was still alive and just as sick as it had ever been.

I remember the story of an older white man who was one of the leading voices at Bethany Baptist Church, where I had become Associate Pastor telling how the Lord had delivered him from a deeply, racially prejudiced heart. He was simply relaxing in an easy chair in his living room and looking out the window at the birdbath that had birds of several different colors, including black, enjoying the water. The Lord spoke to him and said, “If the birds can all get long in the same birdbath, why can’t you get along with people of a different color?” That simple message from God brought repentance and deliverance from a life of racial prejudice. It was Jesus in action. The Holy Spirit was conforming him to the image of Jesus, who loves the little children. That church, by the way, has several campuses around Baton Rouge now and has a substantial black population in it. And they all love Jesus together. That’s what the gospel of Jesus Christ will do.

I have found it hard to understand the conduct of many of the “protesters” we see on the TV screen each day now. Then I was reminded of an experience I had years ago when again, I had a hard time understanding how intelligent people could come to certain conclusions. I finally got some insight from Dr. Frances Schaeffer when I realized the impact of presuppositions. If two people observe the same set of facts, but each has a different set of presuppositions about the world they live in, their interpretation of the facts can be very different.

I believe that is happening today. Many of us Christians hold a Biblical worldview and so interpret what we see through that understanding of what is. However, many in our society do not hold to a Biblical worldview and come to vastly different conclusions, thus rioting, looting, burning institutions, and tearing down monuments/statues. To understand “why” this is happening, we must understand the worldview of those promoting and funding what is going on. To understand this, I have some new phrases in my vocabulary. Phrases like “Critical Race Theory,” and “intersectionality.” These are thoroughly unBiblical ideas and should not be embraced by any Christian. To get a quick understanding, take a look at this short video from Colson Center that explains what these terms mean. The video is not an in-depth analysis of Critical Theory, but a simple statement of its basics and how it differs from a Biblical view of the world. The key points are:

• Critical Theory offers a different view of humanity from Christianity.
• Critical Theory offers a different view of sin than Christianity.
• Critical Theory offers a different view of salvation than Christianity.

I am concerned that some churches are buying into Critical Theory instead of the Bible. Don’t fall victim to this dangerous doctrine of demons. Instead, move more deeply into God’s word and seek to love your neighbor as yourself, regardless of their color, sex, education level, socio-economic status, ability or disability, or any other differentiator. God loves all the little children. And all the little children deserve to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ, not some humanly devised message of human salvation that only destroys and has no real answers.

So, as a Christian, what should I do about all this?

• First, honestly get before the Lord and ask Him to show you if you have any prejudice in your heart toward people who are different than yourself. Not just black people, or white people, but Koreans, Chinese, Hispanic folks, or some other flavor of brown. Lord, do I have an ungodly lack of love for any people? If so, confess your sin, repent of your sin, and ask the Lord to teach you how to love better all of God’s image-bearers. That takes care of the heart issue.
• Secondly, ask God to show you if you may be behaving offensively toward others even though you have no evil intent in your heart. After some lengthy discussions with a very accomplished and intelligent 85-year-old black male friend of mine, I have come to realize that we can sometimes do things that are offensive even though we didn’t intend to. I don’t mean to heap guilt on anyone. Just ask God. He won’t lay a guilt trip on you, but he may show you how to love others a little better. If He doesn’t show you anything, then drop it. You are fine.
• If you have the opportunity, have an eye-opening conversation with a person not of your race about their experience as an American of their race. Do they experience prejudice? Do they care if you do? Don’t get into an argument. Be quick to listen and slow to speak as Paul instructs us. The point is to gain understanding and love your neighbor. Jesus emphatically told us that the next most important thing to loving God is to love your neighbor as yourself. That is the point of this kind of conversation.

Will this stop all of the rioting and looting and burning? No, at least not right away. But, in the long run, it is the best shot we have. Build loving relationships with others that include the gospel of Jesus Christ. Jesus has broken down the barriers, and those who follow him will drop those prejudices sooner or later, they can’t survive in Jesus’ presence forever. When you are confronted with prejudice among your friends, relatives, or co-workers, speak up and let it be known that discrimination is not to be tolerated. Yes, you may ruffle some feathers here and there, but isn’t that better than leaving things be the way they are? We are, after all, Ambassadors of Christ and are called to speak for him.

Jesus loves the little children
All the children of the world
Red and yellow, black and white
They are precious in his sight
Jesus loves the little children of the world