Comments

1. Greg Linscott says

   December 14, 2011 at 8:36 am

   I do appreciate his thoughts, particularly with the perspective of being the product of an interracial marriage myself. That being said, I do think a pastor should not hesitate to raise an awareness of some of the unique challenges that will be faced. I would especially think this would be important if the parties of the prospective marriage came from different cultures and grew up speaking different languages- not because it is wrong, but because it will affect how the children relate to extended family members (again, speaking from experience). I would think this would not really be an issue with two Americans of differing ethnic backgrounds who had grown up in the USA.

2. Mike Gantt says

   December 14, 2011 at 5:06 pm

   I think Greg Linscott’s comment needs to be underscored. I agree with John Piper in his support of interracial marriage but feel he is doing a disservice primarily to the children of such marriages by saying it wouldn’t be much more challenging that “a South Carolina boy and a Georgia girl.” That is not true, and it’s a long way from being true.

   American culture is not homogenized. In the 1950’s racism was a problem. Today the problem is hypocrisy about racism. Consider this: When a man pursuing a career in politics makes a calculated decision to self-identify as an African-American when the plain fact is that he is the child of an interracial marriage it tells you that there is still a stigma attached to having two parents of different races. We’ll know society is free of hypocrisy about racism when people stop referring to the president who was elected in 2008 as an African-American and simply refer to him as a man. Until then, if we’re going to promote interracial marriage we’re going to have to be more thoughtful about how the children will be treated because I’ve only scratched the surface of what they have to face.

   • Andy Naselli says

     December 14, 2011 at 5:45 pm

     Have you read Piper’s chapter on this in his book? (I highlight it here.)

     Piper says this on p. 214:

     Create a Problem and Make It the Reason for the Problem

     And here is a great and sad irony. The very situation of separation and suspicion and distrust and dislike that is brought about (among other things) by the fear of intermarriage is used to justify the opposition to intermarriage. “It will make life hard for the couple and hard for the kids (they’ll be called half-breeds).” Catch-22. It’s like the army being defeated because there aren’t enough troops, and the troops won’t sign up because the army is being defeated. Oppose interracial marriage, and you will help create a situation of racial disrespect. And then, since there is a situation of disrespect, it will be prudent to avoid interracial marriage.

3. Mike Gantt says

   December 14, 2011 at 6:56 pm

   You misunderstand my point. Please re-read and see that I am a supporter of interracial marriage.

4. Andy Naselli says

   December 14, 2011 at 9:01 pm

   Have you read Piper’s chapter on this in his book?

   • Mike Gantt says

     December 15, 2011 at 5:01 am

     I have not, and if in that chapter he offers solutions to the problems that children of interracial marriages are facing, then I applaud him for it and rest my concern.

5. Greg Linscott says

   December 15, 2011 at 8:15 am

   My concerns are not with attached stigma. I have run in to some of that, I suppose- the most significant of which was when I considered applying to BJU, ironically, and was told I would have to declare whether I was White or Asian, but couldn’t be “both.” I still get asked occasionally by well-intended people, “What _are_ you?” But my concerns would be more along practical, relational lines- children’s ability to relate to grandparents, cousins, and so forth. Again, it shouldn’t necessarily be a deterrent, and it isn’t necessarily “racial”- I would have the same or similar concerns if I were counseling, say, a prospective marriage between an Australian and someone from the UP of Michigan who both happened to be white.

   At the same time, I do agree with Mike that for Piper to say that the experience of a child of “mixed race” being compared with the experiences of a child who is the product of white parents from Georgia and South Carolina isn’t exactly a good parallel. While stigmas do continue to be lessened (see, for example, people like the NBA’s Blake Griffin), virtually no one would come up to the offspring of a white SC/GA hybrid and ask “What _are_ you?” That shouldn’t be a deterrent, but a pastor wouldn’t be out of line, I don’t think, to raise the potential responses such a family might face and help prepare them to handle them with grace.