Gracism: The Art of InclusionSample

From Racism To Gracism

I define racism as speaking, acting, or thinking negatively about someone solely based on their color, class, or culture. A common definition for grace is the unmerited favor of God on humankind. When one merges the definition of racism, which is negative, with the definition of grace, which is positive, a new term emerges—gracism, defined as the positive extension of favor to others regardless of and sometimes because of their color, class, or culture.

Some people might think that if we just ignore distinctions of race, then issues of racism will just go away. The Scriptures however, point to a different approach as the Lord extends favor to those on the margins who have been mistreated.

Consider how God made the effort to visit Hagar in a special way in Genesis 16. Hagar was a woman who was an ethnic minority, was from a social underclass, and was being held as a servant by Abram and Sarai. Hagar became a victim of Abram and Sarai’s lack of faith, because they didn’t believe God’s promise that they would have a child. Sarai suggested that Abram have sex with Hagar to produce a child with Hagar as a surrogate mother. Later after being impregnated by Abram, Hagar was mistreated by Sarai, cast aside, and as a single mother, she fled into the desert to escape her intolerable situation.

As a divine gracist, God included Hagar in his network of care by proactively listening to her and ministering to her directly from heaven. God entered into a relationship with Hagar—a relationship that not only blessed Hagar but blessed God himself as Hagar bestowed upon the Lord a new name: El Roi, “the God who sees me.”

God hears and sees those who are marginalized and misused. Even when others don’t notice you, God notices you. When others don’t see you, God sees you. In those moments when it feels like no one is listening to you, God hears you and is paying attention.

The one who hears, sees, and extends gracious acts of love to those the world has treated poorly is a gracist. The question is, are you a gracist?

Can you think of a time God extended his grace to you in the midst of your own “desert” experience?

Ask the Lord to reveal to you a “Hagar” in your own life who you can extend positive favor toward in the name of Jesus.