Recently, Thabiti Anyabwile, pastor at Anacostia River Church, tweeted out a thread attempting to make his case for reparations for black Americans and why Christians should be in support of them. This is a topic that has seen an increase in discussion recently amongst Christians and deserves serious consideration. As Christians, we know that everything must be examined by the standards of justice given to us by Scripture. Reparations should not be given simply because they will help the poor or make us feel like America has atoned for its past. They should only be given if an objective examination of God’s law leads us to conclude that such a thing is right. Anything else will send us careening to disaster.
He begins by highlighting his concerns on the pushback against the idea.
I agree that this is a poor reason to reject the idea and ultimately ignores the concerns held by reparations advocates. The effects of slavery through Jim Crow, centuries of oppression, are staggering to the point of being inestimable.
He then continues with three questions to determine whether white people owe blacks reparations for what was robbed from them in the past.
To question 1, the answer is an unequivocal “Yes.” Incalculable injustices have been done to blacks in America, even before the country existed. This is without dispute. To question 2, again, the answer is “Yes, to the extent possible.” If someone has been wronged, they have every right to receive justice. Ultimately though, man’s justice is imperfect, and in many cases, a wrong cannot be completely righted. Although we may certainly have the desire, it is impossible for us to give justice to former slaves who have been dead for centuries. They and those who oppressed them cannot receive what man’s justice ought to give them. With this qualification in mind, I am in full agreement with Thabiti.
It is in question 3 that a problem occurs due to its underlying assumptions. Who is actually required to right the wrong and why? Thabiti is clearly stating that white people, on the basis of their ancestors’ sins, ought to pay reparations in order for the scales of justice to be brought back into balance, but does this have any biblical support? Through an examination of Ezekiel 18, we see that children cannot be called to account for their father’s sins, and thus, white people today cannot be called to account for those who came before them.
There Ezekiel writes, “If he fathers a son who is violent, a shedder of blood, who does any of these things…oppresses the poor and needy, commits robbery, does not restore the pledge, lifts up his eyes to the idols, commits abomination, lends at interest, and takes profit; shall he then live? He shall not live. He has done all these abominations; he shall surely die; his blood shall be upon himself” (Ezek. 18:10, 12-13). Those who support reparations and those who do not should be in agreement; if someone robs or oppresses another man, he should receive the justice that his crimes deserve. Those who support and engage in kidnapping and chattel slavery, discriminatory laws, and all other injustices that deface the image of God in man should receive a just punishment. But the following verses create a problem for those who would call the descendents of these men to pay for the crimes of their ancestors.
He continues, “Now suppose this man fathers a son who sees all the sins that his father has done; he sees, and does not do likewise;…he shall not die for his father’s iniquity; he shall surely live” (Ezek. 18:14, 17b). The meaning of this verse could not be clearer. You cannot hold wicked men’s descendants accountable for their fathers’ sins if they do not walk in them. Full stop. If a man’s great-great-great grandfather owned slaves, that man cannot be forced to make a payment to those slaves’ current descendents. Such a proposal is in direct contradiction with this verse.
Anticipating the objection of people like reparations advocates, Ezekiel posits, “Yet you say, ‘Why should not the son suffer for the iniquity of the father?’ When the son has done what is just and right, and has been careful to observe all my statutes, he shall surely live. The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father, nor the father suffer for the iniquity of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself” (Ezek. 18:19-20). Now, one might object, “But those slave owners got away with it! Justice was never served. All these injustices that have existed for centuries are the reason why ethnic disparities exist today. We must right the scales somehow!”
As Christians, we have to do better than this. Knowing that we serve a holy and just God, we know that ultimately, no one ever gets away with their sin. Men may escape the justice of man, but no one will ever escape the justice of God. Every unrepentant slave owner to every segregationist will receive what is due their sin by God, the giver of perfect and holy justice. Justice is never served by punishing these men’s descendents for the sins of those who came before them. Although we cannot right every wrong as we would like in this life, we can rest in the knowledge that no sin will go unpunished by God. Either those sins will be laid on Jesus Christ to the praise of his grace or they will be punished eternally in Hell to the praise of his justice.
Similarly, we may also rest in the fact that for all those who have suffered dehumanizing treatment because of their ethnicity, if they follow Christ, they too will receive their reward for faithfully enduring their suffering. Although they may not have received their due in this life, God will repay and reward every child of his for their faithfulness.
The Gospel of Jesus Christ sets black and white men free. Both are set free to follow him, free to no longer walk in the sins of their fathers, free to let go of the bitterness and hurts of the past, free to be united to each other and to Christ. In Christ, there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither black nor white, for we are all one in Christ (Gal. 3:28). The Gospel of Jesus Christ sets those who have the world’s goods free to give to those who do not, not out of a need to atone for the guilt of their fathers, but to show the love of Christ to those who do not have the blessings they do. The Gospel of Jesus Christ sets those who are less fortunate free to love and accept those who have more than they, not demanding that the debts of the past be repaid in this life, knowing that Christ has forgiven them of the even greater debt of their sin (Matt. 18:21-35). The Gospel of Jesus Christ sets black and white men free to love each other and live in radical Gospel unity, no longer dwelling on the sins and pains of their forefathers, but living out the Gospel that breaks down every barrier that divides.
Racial reparations does nothing but dwell on and rebuild the dividing wall of hostility that Christ destroyed through his death and resurrection (Eph. 2:14). It creates nothing but a gospel of guilt, shame, and works righteousness for black and white men alike. This is a gospel that cannot save, brings no peace, and destroys any hope for unity with each other in Jesus Christ. Racial reconciliation isn’t found in reparations or any other new idea the world comes up with but solely in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Anything else is another gospel entirely, which will keep those who cling to it in never-ending bondage.
Note: Those who are interested in exploring this topic further from a biblical perspective should examine the following resources:
- Slavery Reparations from the Just Thinking podcast
- A Tale of Two Slaves and Sins of the Father by YouTuber AD Robles