How Does a White Person Become Less White?

When the Coca-Cola company began conducting seminars for their employees that stressed the need for white people to “try to be less white,” it created a firestorm that resulted in calls for boycotts. Their stated purpose for having this kind of training was to try to address the problem of racism in society. And certainly, eliminating racism in society is a good thing, right?

Well, of course it is. Racism is a curse – at least based on Christian values. The only problem is, the term racism itself has been redefined to mean something entirely different from the actual meaning of the word, and the actions being affirmed by the Coca-Cola company don’t actually address racism.

Racism as used in this context is defined as: Discrimination against or antagonism towards other races. The very concept of racism is totally contrary to Christian teachings. The Bible clearly teaches that: 1) all are descended from one family, 2) man is created in the image of God, 3) God’s purpose applies to all nations, and that 4) God does not make distinctions between people. So if the Coca-Cola company wanted to push back against racism, they would be working to promote a truly color-blind society. But they are not promoting the common definition of racism, and are certainly not using Christian values as the basis for their “anti-racist” efforts.

The values Coca-Cola is promoting come from Marxist values, not Christian ones. It begins by redefining the word racist itself. Based on their definition, humanity is divided into two groups – oppressor and oppressed. In America, these groups are identified based on race – white people are considered the oppressor and people of color are considered the oppressed. Using this definition, they assert that only oppressors can be racist. In addition to that, white people are oppressors not because of what any individual has done to other individuals, but simply because they are white in a society where “white privilege” is built into the culture. In other words, it is impossible for white people to not be racist.

This, then, leads to the rationale for Coca-Cola’s training. They are pushing white people to be “less white.” By that, they mean to be “less oppressive, less arrogant, less certain, less defensive, less ignorant, more humble, listen, believe, break with apathy, and break with white solidarity.” In other words, they have substituted the classism of Marxism’s critical race theory for the color-blind ideal of biblical teachings.

The really sad part of this whole thing is that in redefining racism the way they have, they have actually promoted actual racism. They are pushing a belief that judges people based on race, and it cannot help but have an end result that is exactly the opposite of what they claim to want.

The only way to really end racism is to not make race a factor in how people are thought of. Coca-Cola’s critical race theory approach will not do that. In fact, it can only promote further division and animosity between the races. Only Christian beliefs are able to actually end racism. Only as human beings regard each other the same way God regards them will racism ever be eradicated.

Freddy Davis is the president of MarketFaith Ministries. He is the author of numerous books and has a background as an international missionary, pastor, radio host, worldview trainer, and entrepreneur. Freddy is a graduate of Florida State University with a BS in Communication, and holds MDiv and DMin degrees from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is a popular speaker, particularly on the topic of worldview and its practical implications for the Christian life. He lives in Tallahassee, FL, with his wife Deborah.

You may also contact Freddy at Leadership Speakers Bureau to schedule him for speaking or leadership engagements.

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