When exclusion dresses itself in holiness, how should followers of Christ respond?
Hatred rarely shows its face as hatred. More often, it cloaks itself in language of morality, tradition, or even righteousness. It’s not always shouted—it can come in the quiet condescension toward the elderly, the snide joke about someone’s body, the cruel dismissal of a trans neighbor, or the self-righteous sermon that reduces people to categories of disgust.
Bigotry is not new, but it has found new boldness in the “new America.” Racism, homophobia, transphobia, fat-shaming, and ageism are treated like acceptable conversations in politics and pews. Even worse, many justify them with Bible verses ripped from context.
But Scripture will not be co-opted to bless prejudice. God’s Word does not permit favoritism, and Christ’s example does not allow exclusion. As James asks bluntly: “How can you claim to have faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ if you favor some people over others?” (James 2:1).
Anchor in the Word
Key Verse
“How can you claim to have faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ if you favor some people over others?”
James 2:1 (NLT)Key Scripture Context
James was writing to a church that had begun to treat the wealthy with deference while sidelining the poor. His warning is simple but seismic: favoritism of any kind is incompatible with the gospel. The temptation to rank people—by wealth, race, gender, age, or status—is as old as humanity. James slices through it: if you practice favoritism, your faith is counterfeit.
What We’re Facing
When Bigotry Wears Religious Clothing
The classics of prejudice—racism, sexism, ageism—are alive and well. But newer flashpoints—homophobia, transphobia, fat-shaming—have taken center stage in today’s cultural battles.
The danger is not only in the cruelty of society but in the silence—or complicity—of the church. Too often, pulpits thunder against LGBTQ+ people while staying mute about greed, violence, or injustice. Too often, communities celebrate “youthful vitality” while pushing the elderly to the margins. Too often, bodies are mocked, women demeaned, disabled people pitied rather than honored.
This is not Christ. It is bigotry masquerading as righteousness. And as Jesus Himself said of the Pharisees, “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me” (Matthew 15:8).
Then and Now—Drawing Parallels
Bigotry is ancient. In the Greco-Roman world, women were treated as property, the elderly as expendable, the sick and disabled as burdens. Jews despised Gentiles. Gentiles scorned Jews. Men ranked higher than women. The rich ruled over the poor.
Yet into this fractured world came Christ. He touched lepers when others recoiled (Mark 1:41). He dignified women with His teaching (Luke 10:39). He honored children (Matthew 19:14). He uplifted the poor (Luke 4:18). He made Samaritans—outsiders hated by the Jews—the heroes of His parables (Luke 10:33).
What was radical then remains radical now. In a culture that still ranks, mocks, and excludes, Jesus continues to dismantle the ladders of superiority we cling to.
Theological Truth in Plain Language
The gospel dismantles every hierarchy. Every human being bears God’s image (Genesis 1:27). To despise another is to despise the Creator. To demean a body is to insult the One who knit it together. To exclude someone for age, race, gender, or identity is to slam shut the very door Christ tore open at the cross.
St. Augustine once wrote, *“If you see charity, you see the Trinity.”*¹ Bigotry annihilates charity, and in doing so, distorts the God we claim to serve.
Howard Thurman was right: *“The measure of a man’s estimate of your strength is the kind of weapon he chooses for you; and to the degree to which you resist, he depletes himself of his strength.”*² Prejudice is not just an attack on its victims—it corrodes the oppressor’s soul, depleting them of humanity until only fear and hatred remain.
And as Dietrich Bonhoeffer warned, *“The test of the morality of a society is what it does for its children.”*³ Extend that principle further: the test of our faith is how we treat the vulnerable, the marginalized, and the despised.
Practical Moves of Faith
Name the Prejudice
Write it down. Say it aloud. Whether it’s a bias against LGBTQ+ neighbors, an assumption about someone’s body, or a dismissive thought toward the elderly—naming it brings it into the light where God can transform it.
Expand Your Table
Who is missing from your table? Who would make you uncomfortable if they walked into your church? Invite them. Listen to them. Break bread as equals.
Defend the Dignity
When jokes cut down, when policies discriminate, when pulpits misrepresent—speak. Love sometimes looks like confrontation, not polite silence.
Pray for God’s Eyes
Ask the Spirit to reveal where your own vision is clouded by culture or fear. Pray for a heart that sees God’s image in every face—even those most unlike your own.
Practice Radical Welcome
Make space where others don’t. Create communities that look more like heaven’s vision: “a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language” (Revelation 7:9).
More Light for the Journey
Romans 2:11 (NLT)
“For God does not show favoritism.”
→ God’s character is perfectly impartial. Any form of prejudice—whether by race, gender, age, or identity—contradicts His nature.1 John 4:20 (NLT)
“If someone says, ‘I love God,’ but hates a fellow believer, that person is a liar…”
→ Love for God and hatred toward others cannot coexist. Prejudice is proof that love has not taken root.Luke 14:13 (NLT)
“When you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind.”
→ Christ’s vision of hospitality is radical inclusion. True discipleship makes room for those the world rejects.Isaiah 56:7 (NLT)
“For my Temple will be called a house of prayer for all nations.”
→ God’s house is not built for one group but for every people. The gospel dismantles the walls of exclusion.
Let’s Walk This Out Together
Bigotry in any form—whether ancient prejudice or modern phobia—is a denial of the gospel. It is anti-Christ dressed in religious clothes. The call of Jesus is simple but fierce: love without favoritism.
We cannot claim to follow a Savior who dined with sinners and defended the shamed if we perpetuate systems that exclude and demean.
Call to Action: Share your reflections, your prayers, or your commitments in the comments or on social media with #KingdomOverBigotry. Together, let us live not as gatekeepers of exclusion, but as witnesses of Christ’s unbreakable love.
Journaling Prompts
“Lord, what prejudices do I still harbor that I have excused as harmless?”
Be brutally honest. Ask God to expose what you’ve normalized.
“Who is missing from my table?”
Consider who in your life or community is excluded, and what steps you can take to change that.
“What would it look like for my life to reflect heaven’s diversity today?”
Envision practical, specific ways you can embody Revelation 7:9 right now.
Footnotes
¹ Augustine, De Trinitate (Book VIII).
² Howard Thurman, Jesus and the Disinherited (Boston: Beacon Press, 1949), 46.
³ Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Ethics, ed. Clifford J. Green (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2005), 75.
