In yesterday’s Broadside, I wrote about BLM attacking a Baptist church in Troy, NY. I said that I didn’t much insight about why BLM was protesting the church, but thought it might have to do with an AR-15 giveaway they were holding on that Monday night.

As I was doing more research, I found this article over on the “Activist Mommy” site. What they found was disheartening. It seems that Grace Baptist Church, lead by Pastor John Koletas, subscribes to a false and racist teaching about blacks.

I clicked through a few of the links provided in their article and I’m appalled. In one of his sermons, Koletas teaches that blacks are cursed based on a thoroughly debunked reading of Genesis 9:20-28.

It is the story of Noah who, sometime after the flood, planted a vineyard, got drunk on wine, and passed out naked and uncovered in his tent. His youngest son, Ham, sees his father laying there and tells his two brothers, Shem and Japheth. The two older boys put a garment over their shoulders and back into the tent to cover Noah up without viewing his nakedness.

When Noah sobers up and finds out what Ham has done, he curses Canaan, Ham’s son (v. 25).

“Cursed be Canaan!
    The lowest of slaves
    will he be to his brothers.”

There are a variety of opinions about how the curse manifested itself, but one of the most common—and most wicked—is that Canaan and his tribe were all turned black. But the text doesn’t support that interpretation at all.

In fact, most contemporary scholars will tell you that the curse had nothing to do with slavery or race or skin color, but was fulfilled when the land of Canaan was subdued by the Israelites several hundreds of years later. That’s because a close reading of the word translated as “slave” implies inferiority, not forced labor. The land of Canaan being subdued by the Israelites is a more natural interpretation that flows from and into the overall story arc of the scriptures.

Additionally, the rest of scripture makes clear that there is no difference when it comes to our standing before Christ.

This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus (Romans 3:22-24).

All of us have sinned: black, brown, white, red, yellow. There is no difference. We’re all under the curse. And we are all given righteousness through faith in Jesus.

There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:29).

Just as there is no difference in our standing before God before Christ, so there is no difference in our standing before God after Christ. All of the superficial distinctions that we make to set ourselves apart from each other are made irrelevant once Christ enters the picture.

All of that to say, Pastor John Koletas is simply wrong to preach a clearly racist message. I denounce, in the strongest terms possible, such teaching.

Having said so, I also denounce, in the strongest terms possible, the harassment, threats and disruption that the BLM agitators brought to the front entrance of the church. That, too, is wrong.

During this season of great division and unrest, the Church must, at a minimum, do no harm. At its best it brings the gospel to bear, offering a way to bridge the gap through the saving work of Jesus Christ, in whom all of our differences lose their significance.