1. Ethnocentrism According to the Christian Worldview
Kenya Smith
Professor Fletcher
GENE 100-06
November 14, 2014

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Ethnocentrism According to the Christian Worldview
Ethnocentrism or racism is a worldview that teaches that one ethnic group is superior to other
ethnic groups and that the values and culture of that ethnic group should be a blueprint for
society. During Biblical times, many Jews believed that God would send a Messiah to save them
and only them since God chose them as his people. They felt that Gentiles or "heathens" were
not worthy of being saved because they were not Jewish. Even today, many societies are
strangled by ethnocentrism, especially in America where many people consider the nation a
melting pot and a land of ethnic and racial diversity. In American history, there are many
incidents where ethnocentrism has oppressed people: slavery, the removal of American Indians,
cultural assimilation of immigrants and some natural born citizens, and Jim Crow laws. Though
we have laws that prohibit such ethnic favoritism, society has not yet healed from the hurts of the
American past and ethnocentrism is still prevalent. Some Christians feel that the primary way to
deal with ethnocentrism is to ignore it. However, ignoring ethnocentrism can lead to many dire
consequences such as poverty and violence. A Christian should view ethnocentrism as an
undermining idea that considers the following ideas: a partial, non-universal, biased God (or if a
person does not believe in God, they might see themselves as a god based on ethnicity and race),
a desire of domination of the world and society under one ethnic group, and the Gospel as a
limited theology for a particular group.
To this day, there are people who proclaim that they are God fearing Christians, but when
they encounter people of a different race, different skin color, or a different nationality, there
godly attitude becomes a gory attitude. According to the article, “Christian Worldview
Development”, Hans M. Weerstra, looks at the Matthew 7: 21-23 where Jesus told the multitude
of people at the Sermon on the Mount, that there will be people who might sound like Christians

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but will not spend their eternity in Heaven (4). For example, hate groups such as the infamous
Ku Klux Klan and the Neo-Nazis proclaim that they adopt the Christian faith, and they might do
some charitable things among themselves, but they pervert the truth by adding their ideologies
on racial superiority and racial division. In the second part of his article, Weerstra explains that
everybody holds his or her beliefs as either theoretical beliefs or operational beliefs. Theoretical
beliefs do not affect a person's values or behavior while operational beliefs can influence a
person's values or behavior ("Christian Worldview Development Part II" 54). In this case, a
person who practices ethnocentrism might consider himself or herself a Christian, but due to the
person's own unbiblical beliefs, the Christian doctrine does not influence all the spectrums of his
or her life, especially the social spectrum. Thus, they hold Christianity as a theoretical belief.
It was previously stated that there are some Christians believe that the best way to deal with
ethnocentrism is to ignore it simply. In addition, some even deny that ethnocentrism is not a big
deal anymore. However, ignoring ethnocentrism or even denying can be a dangerous response.
The list of consequences of ethnocentrism includes poverty, violence, immorality, low self-
esteem, self-hatred, the compulsion for acceptance, high death rates in certain ethnic groups, and
negative events in various spectrums of life, which can lead to a community being destroyed. It
is recognized that ethnocentrism is an issue that will never disappear until Christ returns, but
Christians must not leave this modern day issue unchallenged or give tolerance to prejudiced
behaviors and ideas. In addition, many people feel that other people should walk, talk, eat, and
dress like themselves due to their ethnicity. This form of ethnocentrism was an issue in Acts 15
where some Jews tried to convince the new Gentile believers that they must be circumcised in
order to be saved. However, later on, James tells the multitude in verses 13-21, that the Gentiles
did not have be circumcised to receive salvation, but they must abstain from idolatry, sexual

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immorality, things that are strangled, and eating blood. Acts 15 should show a Christian that it's
not the clothes, the hairstyle, the language, nor the skin color that determines if a person is saved
or not. Instead, the heart should be the basis for salvation because if a person receives Jesus in
his or her heart, then he or she is saved, period. Thus, Christians should not have the view that
the white way, the black way, or any ethnicity’s way is the right way, but Christ’s way is the
right way.
In order to make a firm stance against ethnocentrism, Christians must examine how God
views race and ethnicity. First, Christians must start at creation where Genesis 1:26-27 reads, “
Then God said, “Let us make man in Our image, according to Our own likeness; let him have
dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth
and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in His own image;
in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” This scripture shows
that all persons regardless of ethnicity, color, national origin, etc. are created in God's image.
Second, Christians must realize that due to the fall of man at the Garden of Eden, sin is prevalent
in every individual (except Jesus) regardless of the ethnicity. A verse that can comply with this
principle is Romans 3:23, which says, "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."
Third, Christians must view the Gospel of Jesus Christ as universal, which means that the Gospel
should be available to everyone. Many verses prove that God’s love and his plan for salvation
are universal. One verse is John 3:16 which says, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his
only begotten son that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." The
word "whoever" should have a place in each Christian's heart, because this shows that God loves
all of humanity regardless of skin color or national origin and plus God has sent Jesus to die on
the cross so that anyone who believes in the death and resurrection of Christ can have eternal

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life. This should also prompt a Christian to have the same godly love for others regardless of
ethnic differences for Jesus says, "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another;
as I have loved you, that you will also love one another. By this, all will know that you are my
disciples if you have love for one another" (John 13:34-35). To summarize, the view on
ethnocentrism should be based on Deuteronomy 10:17, which reads “For the Lord your God is
God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality nor
takes a bribe”.
To conclude, God loves all of humanity, and it’s sad to see how ethnocentrism has played
a negative role in America, and throughout the world. It has caused a lot of heartaches, lives to
be lost, and communities to be broken. As Christians, we understand that ethnocentrism is an
issue that will not go away until Christ returns, but we must not leave ethnocentrism
unchallenged.

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Work Cited
Hans M. Weerstra. “Christian Worldview Development.” International Journal of Frontier
Missions 14.1 (1997): 3-11.
Hans M. Weerstra. “Christian Worldview Development: Part II.” International Journal of
Frontier Missions 14.2 (1997): 51-62.
The Holy Bible: New King James Version. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Inc., 1982. Print.