By Tina Teng-Henson

οὐκ ἔνι Ἰουδαῖος οὐδὲ Ἕλλην, οὐκ ἔνι δοῦλος οὐδὲ ἐλεύθερος, οὐκ ἔνι ἄρσεν καὶ θῆλυ· πάντες γὰρ ὑμεῖς εἷς ἐστε ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ

ouk eni Ioudaios oude Hellēn, ouk eni doulos oude eleutheros, ouk eni arsen kai thēly; pantes gar hymeis heis este en Christō Iēsou

“There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus“.

The Wikipedia article on Galatians 3:28 captures the range of interpretations and meanings latent within this powerful Pauline declaration. It describes how powerful arguments have been made from these words in favor of gender equality but against slavery and racism. It connects it to other Biblical passages from Genesis to other Pauline epistles, which declare that the unity Jesus Christ establishes among us has the power to supersede every single other self-identifier that divides humanity. The article references the fact that Martin Luther King Jr cited this Bible verse “in a pamphlet oppositing racial segregation in the United States” in which he wrote, “Racial segregation is a blatant denial of the unity which we all have in Christ.” (Which goes to show once again that Wikipedia is not a bad place to start when doing basic internet research!)

However, for me, the Christian social ethic that flows out of my being rests not only on the unparalleled salvific work of Jesus Christ, but also on the incredible relationship he enjoys with his Father and his Holy Spirit. It is because I have found myself embedded in the love enjoyed within the Triune Godhead — because I have discovered the riches of the interrelationships between Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — that I believe Christians of all stripes, political convictions, and ethical perspectives have the capacity to deeply listen to, come to understand, and even accord care and respect to the views of others. Because of the differentiation between the persons of the Trinity — because of the distinction in each — and yet their harmony and mutual accord, the absoluteness of their common cause — we can be “alone, together.” We can be radically distinct in our personal views from the perspectives of others, yet completely and lovingly able to hear the views of others well. 

Frankly, in this complexly divided world and in this particular moment in human history, this is very, very good news. 

As I continue to explore the relationship between God and Race, let me say up front that I am not a scholar these days, I am a pastor. I generally prefer to think in terms of ethne, or ethnicity, of culture and of heritage — than race. It helps me catch the nuance, look closer and listen better for the stories of who people are and how their parents met and got married. As a pastor, I am not even a solo pastor or a lead pastor. Instead I am a co-shepherd — alongside a British gentleman who is about my father’s age, whose father was born in Shanghai and whose mother was born in the UK – but who has Ashkenazi Jewish blood mixed in there somehow. 

Together, we care for a wonderfully inter-generational, surprisingly multi-ethnic, non-denominational church in the Bay Area of northern California. We are predominantly Asian-American, but there are people of Latino descent, many biracial couples, someone who is part-Middle Eastern and part-Filipino — so speaks some Farsi and some Tagalog. In this one special community of folk, we have one special couple who met while living in shelters — and several folk who teach at Stanford or taught at De Anza College. 

I have grown so much after pastoring in mostly multi-ethnic churches for the past decade by being loved by a community that contains 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th generation Chinese-Americans.  For having a Korean-American elder married to one of our Japanese-American worship leaders. For getting to disciple 1st generation Vietnamese and Taiwanese women who were adult converts to Christianity. For having a Hmong young adult volunteer from another church to make boba for our youth group kids… I could go on and on. It is a richly textured existence. 

I have been better cared for than ever before in the context of my present, mostly Asian-American church community — but I am more keen to be even more welcoming, sensitive too, and cognizant of the thoughts and feelings of our Latino, Caucasian, international, and African-American brothers and sisters within and surrounding our church community. I am deeply aware of my capacity to do wrong while completely unawares, and consequently I am more prayerful on a daily basis.

May God’s kingdom come and may his will be done in my life. May he sustain us and make all of us even more fruitful co-laborers with him in this beautiful work he is about in our world. God bless you all. 

Tina Teng-Henson and her family live in Santa Clara, California. She is presently serving as co-pastor at Orchard Valley Christian Church (orchardvalley.org). She enjoys volleyball, independent film, and being in nature.