200. J. Daniel Hays on Race and the Bible

In this episode, we welcome Dr. J. Daniel Hays to discuss his book From every People and Nation: A Biblical Theology of Race. Starting with “the multi-ethnic, non-Caucasian cultural context of the Old Testament”, we start with focusing in on an important example: the Kingdom of Cush. Who were the Cushites, and what is some of their key place in history, and the text of Scripture? Why are they key for both identifying blatant past prejudice when it comes to “cultural pre-understanding”, and positively understanding what the Bible teaches about race? Contrary to both white supremacists and the claims coming from groups like the Nation of Islam - far from being artificially imported into the Biblical story, Black Africans have been there even prior to the calling of Abraham. With this, we approach the question of the so-called “Curse of Ham” in Genesis 9, what Dr. Hays calls “one of the most serious and most damaging misinterpretations of Scripture”, and we ask both what the text actually teaches and why it is preposterous to think of this as anything race-based (let alone dealing with black and white skin). Far from a race-based curse of servitude, the descendants of Ham listed in Genesis 10 (including Cushites) historically dominated the Ancient Near East for millennia, and the Kingdom of Cush prospered even well into the Christian period. Who was Moses’ wife, as documented in Numbers 12 - and did this conform or contradict what God revealed through Moses about intermarriage in Exodus and Deuteronomy? What is significant about the Ethiopian Eunuch documented in Acts 8 – and why is it significant for understanding the call of the Gospel that will bless all nations, peoples, and even races. What does Jesus’ teachings involving Samaritans have to teach us about healing centuries of racial strife and prejudice today? Listen in as Dr. Hays helps us see the big picture of the Bible’s teachings on “the nations” – including the deep connection between the Table of Nations in Genesis 10, and that holy vision of the apostle John in Revelation 5; a vision about our receiving the blessed kingdom of racial unity around the worship of the Lamb who conquered sin and death. Book: From Every People and Nation: A Biblical Theology of RaceSome other resources by Dr. Hays:- The Temple and the Tabernacle: A Study of God’s Dwelling Places from Genesis to Revelation- The Pentateuch: Life in the Presence of Godliness- The Ichthus Christogram and Other Early Christian SymbolsOther resources:The Bible and Race by T. B. Maston (published, 1959)Noah’s Curse: The Biblical Justification of American Slavery; The Last Segregated Hour: The Memphis Keel-ins and the Campaign for Southern Church Desegregation by Stephen HaynesGod, Language and Scripture by Moises SilvaThe Kingdom of Kush: Handbook of the Napatan-Meroitic Civilization by Laszlo TorokAncient Nubia: Egypt’s Rival in Africa by David O’ConnorThe Black Kingdom of the Nile by Charles BonnetThe Oxford Handbook of Ancient NubiaUntangling Blackness in Greek Antiquity by Sarah DerbewAfrocentrism by Stephen HoweFrom Slave to Pharaoh: The Black Experience of Ancient Egypt by Donald RedfordThe Black Pharaohs: Egypt’s Nubian Rulers by Robert MarkotScourby YouBible:- The Book of Genesis- The Book of Numbers- The Book of Luke- The Book of Acts- The Book of Revelation