Faith & Prejudice | Restoring OnenessSample

If you consult many Bible commentaries to understand this passage of scripture like me, you will find that they uniformly observe that this text depicts Peter as not standing for the true gospel when confronted with Jews who believed other laws like circumcision and abstaining from certain foods were necessary customs to keep. But, it’s difficult to reconcile Peter’s actions at Antioch with his actions at other times throughout scripture. Peter understood the gospel and stood boldly for it under other circumstances. In the book of Acts Chapter 2, it was his bold stance that caused three thousand to join the early Church in one day. So, how is it that someone who understood the truth of the gospel message could be led to abandon the truth out of fear of what the circumcised group of Jews would say about him fellowshipping with Gentiles?

I believe this passage of scripture is instructive to us today as we explore the role Christians must play in righting the wrongs of racial injustice... as well as the number one reason why they don't; the fear of a loss of power. What do I mean and how can I derive this from this passage? Nathan Rutstein once said that “prejudice is an emotional commitment to ignorance.” Prejudice is not about truth; it is about feelings. In Peter's case, he knew in his mind that the gospel made him free from the law, but his mind wasn’t the problem. His heart was. Prejudice is an emotional commitment to ignorance that sees facts and figures, but dismisses them because our heart is committed to ignorance like Ephesians 4:18, which says, "They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart.”

Before the delegation of circumcised Jews showed up, Peter was living with and eating with the Gentiles, but he became afraid when they showed up because the circumcised group was the group “in power.” They were the ones who were friends with the King. They were the ones who could invite him to dine at the King’s table. But if they saw him associating with Gentiles, he would lose “access” to that power because he would lose their approval. This is why the first step for confronting prejudice within our hearts is recognizing the human propensity to prefer power over righteousness. Peter did to the gentiles what so many Christians have done to people of color and immigrants and the poor for centuries; chose political power over moral authority.

In what ways have you reasoned away acting to right the wrongs of racial injustice based on how it could cost you power or relationships or approval of others?