[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"\u002Farticles\u002Fthe-cultural-nod":3,"\u002Farticles\u002Fthe-cultural-nod-surround":69},{"id":4,"title":5,"author":6,"bibleBooks":8,"body":13,"columnName":51,"date":52,"description":19,"extension":53,"image":54,"meta":55,"minRead":56,"navigation":57,"path":58,"postType":59,"publication":60,"publicationUrl":54,"seo":61,"stem":62,"topics":63,"__hash__":68},"blog\u002Farticles\u002Fthe-cultural-nod.md","The Cultural Nod",{"name":7},"Dave Faust",[9,10,11,12],"Acts","Matthew","John","Revelation",{"type":14,"value":15,"toc":47},"minimark",[16,20,23,26,29,32,35,38,41,44],[17,18,19],"p",{},"An African-American friend recently introduced me to a new phrase: \"the cultural nod.\"",[17,21,22],{},"I wasn't sure what he meant, so he explained. \"One example is when you're shopping in a grocery store where the majority of people are from a different race than yours. When you notice someone else who is culturally like you—even someone you've never met before—you exchange a little glance or nod. It's just an unspoken way of acknowledging each other.\"",[17,24,25],{},"It bothers me that the church gives little more than a cultural nod to racial reconciliation. I don't care about political correctness, but I care intensely about biblical truth; and the Bible says, \"God does not show favoritism, but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right\" (Acts 10:34-35). The apostle Peter, who spoke those words, had some hard lessons to learn about his own prejudices.",[17,27,28],{},"So do I, despite the fact that I have an inter-racial family. My adopted daughter Melinda was born in a different country, so her darker skin and jet-black hair cause some observers to do a double-take when she walks arm-in-arm with her blonde, fair-skinned mother and me.",[17,30,31],{},"When Melinda was just learning to read, she and Candy were riding in the car when they passed a billboard that pictured children from different ethnic groups along with a sign that said, \"Stop Racism.\" Melinda looked at the billboard and asked innocently, \"Mom, what's rack-i-sim\"? She didn't even know how to pronounce the word, let alone comprehend the wicked concept of judging others by their skin color.",[17,33,34],{},"Racism is a blemish on the body of Christ. It's not a skin problem, it's a sin problem. It's a sin no matter who practices it—whites toward blacks, blacks toward whites, Latinos toward Asians, or any other person or group. It's wrong because it violates God's command, \"Love your neighbor.\" It's wrong because it weakens the church's witness. It's wrong because it violates Jesus' instruction not to harbor hatred in our hearts or treat others with contempt (Matthew 5:22).",[17,36,37],{},"The book of Genesis eliminates racism as an option for Christians. We're not evolutionary accidents. We're all created in God's image and descended from the same biological parents, Adam and Eve. God created one race—the human race. John 3:16 says \"God so loved the world\"—not just the Jewish world, the Caucasian world, or the American world.",[17,39,40],{},"That's why we can't remain passive and disengaged on this issue. Ethnic diversity is a reality in the world we're called to serve in Jesus' name. Personally, I don't want to miss out on the pleasures of fellowship with people from other cultures. In multi-ethnic churches I've enjoyed every kind of food imaginable, from Chinese to Italian, from kosher hot dogs to good old American meatloaf. It's a recipe for international heartburn—and a lot of joy. My heart rejoices when those who have been divided by culture discover that they are united in Christ.",[17,42,43],{},"John glimpsed a great multitude in heaven praising God around the throne \"from every nation, tribe, people and language\" (Revelation 7:9). What a fantastic worship experience it will be when every ethnic group lifts up united praise to the One who redeemed us all in Christ!",[17,45,46],{},"I long to see the day when the right hand of fellowship replaces the cultural nod.",{"title":48,"searchDepth":49,"depth":49,"links":50},"",2,[],"First Look","2005-06-12","md",null,{},3,true,"\u002Farticles\u002Fthe-cultural-nod","column","The Lookout",{"title":5,"description":19},"articles\u002Fthe-cultural-nod",[64,65,66,67],"Biblical Theology","Christian Unity","Church Leadership","Intergenerational Ministry","tDksbqV47bZyzJJgbg9UBGyxAvgjtlXyW8XYJ-PefDY",[70,75],{"title":71,"path":72,"stem":73,"description":74,"children":-1},"The Cross Still Stands","\u002Farticles\u002Fthe-cross-still-stands","articles\u002Fthe-cross-still-stands","There’s no escaping the cross. As the Latin word for cross suggests, it is the *crux* of the matter.",{"title":76,"path":77,"stem":78,"description":79,"children":-1},"The Culture of the Cross","\u002Farticles\u002Fthe-culture-of-the-cross","articles\u002Fthe-culture-of-the-cross","At the hardware store the other day I exchanged glances with a shopper standing in the next checkout line. We nodded politely to each other, but I sensed that like me he was wondering, \"Where have I seen this guy before?\" He was wearing a suit and tie—not the garb you usually see in a hardware store—and while I couldn't think of his name, his face and thinning red hair looked vaguely familiar."]