Contend, by Philip Revell: What Do Hitler And Darwin Have In Common?

“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”
Gal 3:28-29 (ESV)

“My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory.”
James 2:1-2 (ESV)

Racial prejudice has been a huge deal throughout human history.  From Nero to Hitler, from the Roman hatred of Barbarians to segregation that has taken place recently in South Africa, we see that humanity has not “grown out” of racism.  On the contrary, history has repeated itself.  Even in the New Testament, we see clear examples of Jews despising Samaritans (Jn 4:9), and as the gospel was spread to the Gentiles, there is clearly jealousy and a sense of elitism demonstrated by Jewish Christians against Gentile believers.  This is seen in Acts 15:1-11, when some of the Jews said Gentiles could not be saved unless they were circumcised and kept the law.  Paul and Barnabas fought intensely with them, contending that Jews and Gentiles alike are only saved by grace through faith, and not by keeping the Jewish law.

So the other night, while waiting for LOST to come on, I found a documentary on the History Channel about white supremacy and Neo-Nazism.  Throughout the show they interviewed several people who were involved in various groups which promoted the advancement of white power—some claimed to be simply informing and persuading people, but violence was clearly intertwined with many of the groups.  Many of the people were specifically targeting Hispanics, using the immigration issue as a launching pad for hatred.  I remember one man specifically who said that whites were the ones who built this country, and that all other races were polluting what America was founded upon.  The whole thing was intriguing, but even more, it was disgusting.  On the other side of the documentary, there were various secular sociologists interviewed who talked about how America needed to move past racism and overcome prejudice.

First things first.  It is only by the grace of God that we can resist the temptation to belittle others or have prejudices against others.  There is no “overcoming prejudice” apart from this. We should recognize and rejoice at the progress that has been made concerning racial equality.  But we should give glory to God because of it—because it is only His common grace that allows sinful humanity to recognize racial equality.  As sojourners, we should thank God for a church that locks arms with churches of different cultures and ethnicities for the spread of the gospel.

Here’s the odd thing about our culture’s disgust with racism.  We live in a country that largely heralds Darwinian evolution while simultaneously upholding human rights.  The problem is that the two cannot hold together consistently.  What I mean is that if someone holds to Darwinian evolution, they have no right or reason to fight for racial equality.  Let me clarify—as believers, we should fight for racial equality in our country.  BUT, racial equality is inconsistent with Darwinian evolution.  Natural selection recognizes that only the strong survive, and killing off competition is the natural order of things.  Here’s a quote from Darwin’s Origin of Species:

From these several considerations I think it inevitably follows, that as a new species in
the course of time are formed through natural selection, others will become rarer and
rarer, and finally extinct.  The forms which stand in closest competition with those
undergoing modification and improvement will naturally suffer most. (142)

If this is so, Hitler’s pursuit of a superior race was entirely appropriate.  The killing off of so-called “inferior races” is just the result of nature, and quickens the arrival of a super-human race.  If Darwinian evolution is true, Darwinians have no justification for pursuing equal rights, world peace, or giving aid to the less fortunate.  Rather, it’s all “part of the plan”.  In a God-less society, there just isn’t room for justice, equality, or morality.  On the contrary, in a God-fearing culture, all of these issues are confronted, and we don’t have to wonder about how to treat our neighbor.  Because of Christ’s death and resurrection, we can have peace with God and pursue peace with our fellow man, recognizing all humans are created equally in the image of God.

Of course, not many Darwinians are actively promoting prejudice and racial elitism.  But aren’t they contradicting themselves in the way they live?

It just doesn’t work.

Praise God the Gospel does.