The Fruits of Prejudice
Holger W. Neubauer

Acts 21 and 22 records an important series of events that manifest a key issue regarding the study of prejudice. This prejudice was directed toward a people and consequently hindered the spread of the Gospel. We would do well to consider these events carefully and then review our own generation and our own hearts.

Paul is now in the city of Jerusalem having brought with him the generous contributions of predominantly Gentile churches to the needy saints at Jerusalem. As the brethren were received gladly (Acts 21:17), it marked the first time for an openly practiced fellowship between the Jewish and Gentile churches. This event helped bring the brotherhood together and root out the racial distinctions between Jew and Gentile.

At the same time there were unconverted Jews that would simply not believe that God had made a way for the Gentiles to be saved. Because of a rumor that Paul had brought an Ephesian Gentile into the temple, Paul was apprehended by an angry mob of Jews and taken out to be beaten and killed. When the Roman authorities heard of the commotion, they sent centurions, soldiers and a chief captain to the scene to determine just what the apostle had done. The captain was surprised that Paul could speak Greek, supposing he had been an Egyptian troublemaker. The captain then gave Paul permission to speak to the frenzied mob that had attempted to take his life. Paul stilled the crowd by beckoning them with his hand and then speaking in the Hebrew tongue (Acts 21:40). Paul then recounted his conversion including his own baptism for the remission of sins (Acts 22:16). Paul’s powerful defense was quietly listened to until he declared that God had sent him to the Gentiles (Acts 22:21). It was at that point that the Jewish crowd cried, "Away with such a fellow from the earth: for it is not fit that he should live" (Acts 22:22). The prejudice of these nationalistic Jews toward the Gentiles could not allow them to believe that mercies of God were now to be extended to these who had been aliens of the commonwealth of Israel. The hatred between these nations had blinded them from the truth that God’s plan was to bring all nations of the earth into one body of baptized believers (I Cor. 12:13). Prejudice was the enemy of evangelism on this occasion. Prejudice kept some from obeying the Gospel and enjoying the blessings of God.

Still today prejudice toward people can be recognized by the perpetuation of "black churches" and "white churches" all across our brotherhood. Can anyone imagine the Jews and the Gentiles of the first century establishing separate congregations in the same city only blocks away upon the basis of race and culture? Inspiration says, "For He is our peace, who hath made both one and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us" (Eph. 2:16). Though Christ broke down the barrier that separated the races, there are those who continue to try to keep the wall built. While still an undergraduate student at Tennessee Bible College, a good friend and fellow student was being considered at a nearby congregation as their regular preacher. The fellow student was black and the congregation he was trying out at was a "white" congregation. Most of the brethren were very happy with the preaching they had heard and determined to give the fellow student the work. The next Lord’s day a family that attended sporadically lined the back pew and stood up before Bible study, shouting, "We won’t worship with this nigger." The men of the congregation then decided not to hire my friend. The family that spouted out this abject racial prejudice should not only not have been listened to, but should have been admonished to repent. I’m afraid similar instances have happened all around our brotherhood.

Racial prejudice is deeply rooted in many parts of our country. At the turn of the century the Gospel Advocate discussed in its query section the scripturalness of allowing a young black woman to worship with the Bellwood church of Christ near Lebanon, Tennessee. The young woman had been invited to services by E. A. Elam.

All prejudice, racial and otherwise, should be rooted out of our brotherhood so that we can root it out of this world.

Editorial
Malcolm L. Hill

I know of no greater enemy that one can have than prejudice within his heart. It has been the total ruin of some men and has robbed them of what otherwise could have been a very successful life.

The fruits of prejudice are not good. Prejudice has caused some to refuse to correct error. It has caused some to hate others. It has caused men to try to ruin others. In some cases it has ruined the innocent and good. Prejudice is so powerful with some that it has caused the effectiveness of good men to be reduced to almost zero. It has caused misery and destruction. It has caused wars, it has separated families, it has murdered the innocent and it has salved the conscience of the guilty. It has so calloused some that they have no feelings left.

When it comes to religion, there is no greater enemy in the world than that of prejudice. Prejudice will cause children to follow mother and father before they will follow Jesus Christ. Prejudice will cause preachers to preach lies and do what they can to get rid of those with whom they disagree. It causes men to misrepresent the Bible and the good men that preach the Bible. Prejudice will cause people to look at a plain statement in the Bible and reject it or say it is not so.

Prejudice was not born yesterday. It is very old. Christ had to deal with it (Matt. 13:10-15). All the apostles of Christ had to deal with it. All the people since the days of Christ and the apostles have had to deal with it. It is a disease of the soul that refuses to go away.

Prejudice causes men to say, "I am satisfied with my religion." It causes men to say, "That is just the way you see it." It causes people to follow the multitude instead of the Bible. Prejudice causes people to twist the Bible and make it mean what it does not mean. Pride and prejudice seem to go together at times.

Prejudice causes the black to hate the white and the white to hate the black. It will not let the best man for the job have it. Prejudice causes men to lie. It causes some to hate the Bible and the church of the Bible. It is truly one of the worst enemies of the Truth!

How can we get rid of it? By praying much. By refusing it a place in our hearts. By letting the Bible be our guide regardless of the cost or of what we might have believed in days gone by. If we will love the Truth, then out will go prejudice. If we will determine to love all that is good and just, then we can overcome prejudice. We must not get into petty things if we would be men free of prejudice.

Prejudice will cause men to die in their sins. Prejudice will encourage men to remain in their false doctrine. Prejudice will cause men to reject the blood of Jesus Christ. Prejudice will cause men to place uninspired books above the Bible and before the Bible. Prejudice will cause a man to refuse that which would make him whole. How terrible it is. How rotten it is. How devilish it is. We must live as free from it as we humanly can. Will you do so?

Prejudice Toward Important Bible Doctrine
Glenn B. Ramsey

Definition of Terms

For the purposes of this article the terms are defined as follows: (I) Prejudice: "preconceived judgment or opinion or leaning averse to religious teachings without just grounds or before sufficient knowledge;" (2) Important: "those doctrines that relate to salvation of souls;" (3) Bible Doctrine: "teachings of the Bible, whether explicit or implicit."

Religious Prejudice Existed in Jesus’ Day, and It Exists Today

In Jesus’ day such prejudice existed. He said, "For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them" (Matt. 13:15). These people were prejudiced by their own choice. Today some people decide that they will not believe anything, regardless of the evidence, that is contrary to what their parents, their preachers, their children, or others whom they like, believe. Such people are like the man who said, "Don't confuse me with the facts, my mind is already made up!"

Some are prejudiced against Bible Truth because they want to remain in their sins and want to feel comfortable in them. A "religious" (?) person who is living in adultery, or a person who likes to drink intoxicants, or a person who likes to gamble, etc., will seek out people who espouse "theories" that offer him comfort while he continues in these sins. He then will adopt these heresies and will close his mind (become prejudiced) against what the Bible actually teaches.

The majority of the religious world is prejudiced when it comes to the Bible subject of salvation. Most believe that "sincerity" alone is sufficient. These same ones may believe that "faith alone" is all that is required for salvation. They all will agree to the error "that baptism does NOT save!" This is believed in spite of the fact that the Bible says "baptism doth also now save us" (I Pet. 3:21), and that we must "repent and be baptized for the remission of sins" (Acts 2:38).

Just about any person in a modern denomination will argue (from a prejudiced heart) that the church has nothing to do with salvation. He will argue that one can be saved in one church as well as in another. He will most often argue that one can be saved even if not a member of any church! This prejudiced conclusion exists in spite of clear Bible teaching to the contrary. Paul said that Jesus is the "savior of the body" (Eph. 5:23). In Ephesians 1:22-23, Paul shows that the body is the church. In Acts 2:47 the Bible clearly states that the Lord adds the saved to the church (the spiritual body of Christ).

Since all have sinned (Rom. 3:23), all need salvation! No one can continue in sin and expect God’s grace to abound to cover that sin (see Rom. 6:1-2). Anyone who does not believe what the Bible says about the plan of salvation cannot obey it, and anyone who does not obey the plan of salvation of God’s Book cannot be saved (Heb. 5:8-9).

Anyone who chooses to "live in sin" while coddling his conscience with a false, prejudiced view of his sin, is condemned by his sin. On Judgment Day all men will see the folly of prejudice, even if they were ignorant of their being prejudiced. Jesus said, "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven: but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity" (Matt. 7:21-23).

Prejudice of any kind will cheapen one’s life. In all phases of our existence it is the Truth that delivers one. This is certainly true in regard to Bible doctrine. "Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed: And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (John 8:31-32).

What Causes Prejudice?
Kerry Duke

Prejudice is actually a form of dishonesty. It is prejudging or judging before and in spite of evidence. It is a refusal to consider any evidence that is contrary to one’s cherished belief. Paul charged Timothy to "observe these things without preferring one before another, doing nothing by partiality" (I Tim. 5:21). The words "without preferring one before another" mean "without prejudice" (NKJV). The word in the original means "an opinion formed before the facts are known, prejudgment, prejudice."¹ Forming an opinion before the facts are known is foolish. Solomon said, "He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and shame unto him" (Prov. 8:13). Prejudice, though, is not mere ignorance. A person who ignorantly reaches the wrong conclusion but changes his mind once he finds the facts is not a prejudiced person. Prejudice is willful rejection of the facts and is therefore a form of dishonesty. It is an attitude of stubborn resistance to facts both before and after they are discovered.

Pride is a common cause of prejudice. When a person believes he is better than others, he has his mind made up about other people before he meets them. The Jewish leaders in Jerusalem, for instance, were prejudiced against people from Galilee. When the soldiers returned from their mission to capture Jesus, they said, "Never man spake like this man" (John 7:46). But the Pharisees answered, "Are ye also deceived? Have any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed on him? But this people who knoweth not the law are cursed" (vv. 47-49). Though he was one of this number, Nicodemus was just and fair about the matter. He asked, "Doth our law judge any man before it hear him, and know what he doeth?" (v. 51). But the Pharisees had already made up their minds. They responded, "Search, and look: for out of Galilee ariseth no prophet" (v. 52). They had not considered the evidence for Jesus’ deity. They only knew that He was from Galilee, and that was enough for them. Nathanael had the same prejudice before he met Jesus. He asked Philip, "Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth?" (John 1:46). He had not met Jesus, but he already had an opinion of Him based on His place of upbringing. The Jewish leaders likewise marvelled in the temple as Jesus taught the people: "How knoweth this man letters, having never learned?" (John 7:15). A Galilaean who was educated in the Scriptures confounded them because they thought only those trained in the rabbinical schools of Judea could have such knowledge. They prided themselves in being teachers of the law and could not accept that this Galilaean was a scholar. Moreover, their pride, like the pride of many today, would not allow them to remove their prejudice even after they had been exposed to the facts. Nothing Jesus could say or do would change their prejudice (John 9:1-41;12:37-41).

Prejudice often occurs because people are hasty in forming beliefs and opinions, especially when they look at only one example, cause, or appearance of a situation. For instance, it is true that some suffering is caused by sin. But to jump from this one cause to the conclusion that all suffering is caused by the suffering individual’s sin is wrong and outrageous. This was the mistake of Job’s three friends. Job was a good man; in fact, God said that there was "none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil" (Job 1:8). But when Job suffered the loss of his possession, his ten children, and his health, his three friends accused him of wickedness. As Eliphaz said, "Remember, I pray thee, who ever perished, being innocent? or where were the righteous cut off? Even as I have seen, they that plow iniquity, and sow wickedness, reap the same" (Job 4:7-8). God later rebuked him and the other two for their bias (Job 42:7). They held the prejudiced view that since some people suffered because of their sins, therefore all people suffer only because of their sins. They, like many today, tried to apply what is true in some cases to all cases of suffering. A similar preconception occurred in Joshua 22. After the wars with the Canaanites, the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh crossed the Jordan to dwell in the land Moses promised them (Num. 32). When they reached their land, they built an altar as a memorial for generations to come. When the Israelites heard of this, they quickly mounted forces to attack them. These Israelites hastily concluded that the altar was for sacrifice, which would have been a violation of God’s will. But they were wrong.

Many approach the Scriptures with such prejudice that they refuse truth essential to their salvation. Like Naaman (II Kings 5:10-14), they have preconceived notions about what God expects. When their ideas run contrary to what God actually says, they become distraught. Some even teach a prejudicial view toward interpretation. Hugo of St. Victor once said, "Learn first what you should believe, and then go to the Bible to find it there"!² Though some today are not this bold, they nevertheless have the same sentiment. When they actually stand face to face with the Truth, they are not honest or humble enough to admit it. But we can renounce our prejudices if we choose to do so. If we examine ourselves honestly and meekly receive the Word, we can keep our biases from causing us to lose our souls.

Endnotes
¹Joseph Henry Thayer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1977), p. 540.
²Louis Berkhof, Principles of Biblical Interpretation (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1950), p. 23.

Staying Free of Prejudice
David Hill

I suppose that there is no one (human being) who can take on such a subject as this and write with complete experience, because being a member of the human race seems to predispose one to some prejudice. I have known people who appeared to be non-prejudiced, yet get on a family issue (their family) and prejudice appeared. With preachers sometimes, it is apparent when a pal of theirs is involved in an issue or controversy. The preacher may in fact preach in an unbiased, non-prejudicial way with regard to members of the congregation, but talk about the error of his buddy and prejudice appears. The term prejudge means to "judge or condemn before proper inquiry" (Desk Reference-The New American Webster Dictionary, p. 359). According to Webster prejudice is "an opinion, often unfavorable, formed without adequate reasons; bias." Jesus condemned prejudice by saying "judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment" (John 7:24). If the Lord condemned it, then His church should work extra hard to stay free of it.

To stay free of prejudice one must of necessity guard against respect of persons. That is to say that one’s position in the community cannot be regarded as to the standard of right and wrong. By example let us consider a prominent businessman who is a member of the Lord’s church and chooses to drink alcoholic beverages. He may be the best contributor in the congregation and considered an all-American guy in the community, but he is guilty of public sin which does great harm to the Lord’s church. This individual, no matter how popular, does not set the standard by which to live. God has set the standard, and our job is to obey (Gal. 5:21; Luke 21:34, Prov. 23:31). So, what is a preacher of the Gospel to do? "Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season. . ." (II Tim. 4:2). James by inspiration warned, "My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord with respect of persons," (James 2:1). Therefore, the Gospel of Christ must be preached and as the common saying goes "let the chips fall where they may." Of course our prayer would be that such a person would repent of sin, but if they will not, then so be it. Too often the above situation is overlooked and preachers refuse to preach on the sin, elders will not act on what they know to be the case, and the Lord’s church suffers by the actions of one. God’s judgment will not be with respect of persons (Col. 3:25).

Prejudice cannot be allowed in one’s family. I’m of the opinion that this is part of the problem in Eli’s house (I Sam. 2-4). Eli did not look upon the wickedness of his sons as such a bad thing. Why such a conclusion? He did nothing about them, and let them serve as priests, corrupting anyone they could. As a result they died and so did Eli. Why? Because God is not prejudiced. His judgment is not determined by one’s flesh and blood family. Will a preacher preach against marriage divorce, and remarriage when his own son or daughter is guilty of sin in this area? He should (Matt. 19:9), but many times a preacher will not do so due to a family situation÷prejudice.

One that will hear bits and pieces of a matter and make a snap judgement could find himself guilty of prejudice. When a problem arises in the church, do you only listen to the report of your friends or would you hear the whole story (both sides)? A Christian will hear both sides, because the outcome is much too serious for an individual to play around. Salvation is at stake and sometimes unity is on the line. The Proverb says, "He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and a shame unto him" (Prov. 18:13).

Sometimes prejudice seems right, but that certainly does not make it right. The Proverb writer observed, "There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death" (Prov. 16:25). Jeremiah recognized the way of man with this comment, "O Lord I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps" (Jer. 10:23).

The way for one to stay free of prejudice is for an individual to let God Almighty direct his steps. Even then temptations will come, but with a heart full of God’s Word and a life given to prayer, victory will be ours!

Prejudice in the Time of Jesus
Dan Jones

There is no attitude known to and exhibited by human beings that is more despicable than prejudice. All that it takes to convince us of the truth of this statement is to have prejudice directed toward us in some fashion. Honesty demands that we acknowledge the horrendous nature of prejudice, in spite of the fact that most, if not all of us have been guilty of it at some time(s) and in some way(s). An objective assessment of our lives will reveal not only those occasions when we have witnessed prejudice on the part of others, but also those times when we, to our shame, demonstrated a prejudicial attitude.

The only person ever to walk this earth who was totally free of prejudice was the Savior Himself. This sin, like all others, found absolutely no place in the life of the pure, spotless Son of God (Heb. 4:15; II Cor. 5:21; I Pet, 2:22-23). Jesus dealt with all men in fairness and without partiality or prejudice. Yet, the Lord often saw the prejudice of others. On many occasions He was the target of those who were blinded to truth and reality by prejudice. The Lord also taught many lessons designed to instruct us and guide us away from this awful practice and its fruits.

Jesus encountered prejudice from those who should have realized that He was the fulfillment of all those Old Testament promises and prophecies of the Messiah. John tells us, "He came unto his own, and his own received him not" (John 1:11). Why was He not received be these? Because they had decided, without sufficient evidence to warrant such a conclusion, that the Messiah would be a physical, earthly king and deliverer, releasing them from the tyranny of Roman rule. When the Lord did not fit the mold they had cast for Him, He was summarily rejected.

Jesus faced opposition from those who were unwilling to accept the fact that He was the Son of God. Many witnessed firsthand the Lord’s perfect manner of life, His masterful teaching and His wondrous miracles, yet prejudice would not allow them to confess His true identity. He was dismissed by many as being just "the carpenter’s son" (Matt. 13:53-58). On one occasion the Jews said, "How long dost thou make us to doubt? If thou be the Christ, tell us plainly" (John 10:24). When Jesus answered truthfully they wanted to stone Him, claiming that He was guilty of blasphemy (John 10:25-33). His miracles were attributed to the power of Satan (Matt. 12:22-29; Mark 3:22-30). This kind of prejudice was also involved when the Lord was unjustly condemned to death (Matt. 26:63-68; 27:15-26).

Jesus fought prejudice in both His teaching and in His practice. He ate with publicans and sinners and told why He did so (Matt. 9:10-13). He went home with Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1-10). He talked to the Samaritan woman at the well (John 4). The parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37) deals a death blow to racial prejudice. In this parable Jesus tells of two Jews (a priest and a Levite) who refused to show kindness and extend help to a fellow Jew while the "hero" of the story was a Samaritan, a race of people who were despised by the Jews generally simply because they were Samaritans! The Lord does not look favorably upon human relations that are governed by prejudice. Matthew 7:1-5 is a passage that has been greatly distorted and misinterpreted with regard to the matter of judging. The Lord does not forbid the making of all judgments; He condemns unwarranted, hypocritical judgments. He is actually teaching that we should judge prudently, righteously and fairly (see John 7:24), that is, without prejudice.

With characteristic precision Jesus sums up the true nature and consequences of prejudice as it relates to salvation in Matthew 13:13-15: "Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive: For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them." When one makes up his mind without sufficient evidence he blinds his own eyes, closes his own ears and hardens his own heart so that the reception of Truth and subsequent conversion and salvation become impossible. How horrible it would be to spend eternity in the unrelenting torment and non-abating agony of hell because of a refusal to face facts and see things as they really are.

Yes, the Lord faced prejudice of various kinds during His personal ministry. Knowing that it would always be a plague to mankind He left behind the teaching and instruction we need to fight it successfully and victoriously. May God grant us the wisdom to be humble enough to seek and submit to His eternal Truth so that we may truly enjoy "the promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come" (I Tim. 4:8).

Can Prejudice Be Overcome?
Ronald D. Gilbert

"And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on the face of the earth" (Acts 17:26). Men are men! God loves them all (John 3:16). Prejudice exists in many forms. Racial prejudice exists all over the world. Wars are being fought around the world because of prejudice people. I grew up in a rural southern area predominately white, where racial prejudice could be seen on many sides. A few years ago while working on a campaign in the Virgin Islands I experienced racial prejudice firsthand. I was trying to talk with a black Moslem and invite him to a Gospel Meeting. He told the young black Christian who was with me that he refused to talk with white people! This man refused to look at me and speak to me because of the color of my skin.

Can anything be done to overcome prejudice in the world and in the church? Yes, people can be taught. The Bible teaches Jews and Gentiles are equal in God’s sight (Eph. 2:14). People need to be taught that God sees all men as men and He shows no favor on any race of people. We should see all people as candidates for the Gospel. We are to take the Gospel to all nations (Matt. 28:19). The Gospel was to begin at Jerusalem but not stop there (Luke 24:47). Eyes of compassion will cause us to see all men as God intends us to see them. The racial problem may never be solved in the world but it should never exist in the church.

Not all prejudice is of a racial nature. Some are prejudice toward the Truth. Many in the denominational world are prejudice toward the Lord’s church. They proclaim "one church is as good as another" until they find out you are a member of the church of Christ. Then suddenly they change and one is not as good as another. Many times liberals demonstrate a prejudice spirit. They are very tolerant of those in denominationalism. They often fellowship them in joint activities. Most liberals are very intolerant of faithful Gospel preachers. They avoid them and have no time for them.

No particular race today has any inside favor with God. God loves all nations. Christ died to make all men free from sin. God has but one plan of salvation. God expects Christians to love and respect each other. In Acts 10 and 11 we read of the first Gentiles who obeyed the Gospel. The wall of prejudice finally came down. "Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness is accepted with him. The word which God sent unto the children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ: (he is Lord of all:)" (Acts 10:34-36). People will do better when they are taught the truth on being prejudiced.