Throughout Christian history, people have made great use, and sometimes great abuse, of the Holy Bible to seek to explain the diversity of human beings.

Obviously, in various ways, people are different from one another, and sometimes those differences are obvious – like skin tone. For years, people have used those skin tone differences to create otherwise completely arbitrary differences.

I am of the opinion that there is actually only one “race” of humans – that is the human race. I wish we could understand it that way.
I think it is best to think of any genotype or phenotype differences understood differently.   Usually that is what we think of as “race”.   However, I feel like the differences between people that create most problems today are about ethnic or cultural diversity, not strictly color (or race) differences.

Notice how quickly people will reject another person who has the same skin tone but different political views or backgrounds.

Rather than digging into a ton of materials, I will not be citing other authors here.  That is only partially laziness and the knowledge of what an internet search on the “theology of race” tends to draw as results (wow).

One, I want o offer up my own views and be right or wrong here on my own merits. So, this is MY theology on race.

Two, I wanted to challenge the different biblical opinions that I have been taught or shown throughout my Christian life by checking them via scripture and reason rather than other theologians; I typically study other’s views and think that is important, but on this topic, I wanted to engage alone.

I know and have learned over the years that I have many unintentional racist and prejudiced views. Though I certainly had some overt bigotry as a young man,  I repented of those views long ago; since then, I have had a chance to slowly learn, through international travel (and getting to be the minority at times), mission work with and for all kinds of ethnic groups, and intimate conversations with friends who were part of minority groups and willing to educate me about my own views… and the power of the Holy Spirit to reveal pride and sin.

Anyway, I pray that the Church, and my church in particular would continue to grow up in this. We have been tossed around like in the waves… accepting absurd views because we were told to accept them; accepting what people say the Bible says because we were told to accept them.

Ok, so on to the scriptural perspectives:

Here are some theories about the “Genesis” of Racial/Ethnic Diversity I have seen:

1. Cain

I was told early on that the first black man was Cain. I have no idea where I heard this nonsensical “theory”, but here it is nevertheless:

Gen 4:15-16
^“Then the Lord said to him, “Not so! If anyone kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold.” And the Lord put a mark on Cain, lest any who found him should attack him. ¹⁶ Then Cain went away from the presence of the Lord and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden.”

What was this mark?

I was told that God made Cain black and this was his mark.
Of course, this is absurd. If you think Cain was even an early human, much less the third one ever, then we now know that if there were an historical Adam and Eve, they would probably have been pretty dark skinned and from North Africa or some part of the Fertile Crescent. Anglo is really not a very valid theory for them, despite the old Sunday School pictures of them.

However, even if you don’t buy in to any evidence outside of the Bible, remember that with the biblical story of Noah, only one “race” would have survived the flood – so what would this have to do with modern race? All of Cain’s progeny would have died out. If Cain were initiation of the black “race” – why would there be any black people alive today.

Like I said, no matter how you look at that one, it is nonsensical.
Next, Shem, Ham & Japheth…