Does God believe in racial hierarchy and consider one race superior than the others? The answer to this question, according to world-renowned evangelist Billy Graham, is no.
"No, this is not what the Bible teaches. In fact, the Bible teaches exactly the opposite, because it tells us that God created every race equally in His image, and He loves every race equally. The Bible says, 'From one man he made all the nations. ... We are God's offspring' (Acts 17:26, 29)," Graham writes on the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association website.
God was rumoured to have put a curse on Ham, one of Noah's three sons, whose descendants migrated to Africa. But Graham says nothing could be further from the truth, since God was only warning about the future of one of Ham's sons, Canaan, who became the founder of some of the peoples in the ancient Middle East.
Graham says it's wrong for people to use the Bible to justify racism, since any form of it is wrong in God's eyes. "And it should be wrong in our hearts and minds as well. God's love is not restricted to one group or one race—and neither should ours," the evangelist says. "When Jesus went to the cross, He gave His life for people from all races and all backgrounds. And some day in Heaven we'll join with all those for whom Christ died, 'from every tribe and language and people and nation' (Revelation 5:9)."
Graham hopes racists will not succeed in stopping people from loving Christ. He reminded people that God loves everyone, and the most important step anyone can ever take is to respond to His love by committing to Jesus Christ.
