Saturday, April 7, 2007

Kinism and the Good Samaritan

The parable of the Good Samaritan is often used today by Christians as an example of how Jesus broke down the racial barriers of his day. In fact this parable is one of the most popular among those Christians who claim that race does not exist or is insignificant. Much of modern neo-babelistic thought hinges on the notion that Christ taught his followers to ignore racial divisions in order to unite mankind. Is this what this passage teaches? I don't believe so, but before we examine the passage to find out what it means, let's examine how it is commonly interpreted today.

Today's Modern Interpretation

Many people latch onto certain key concepts of the parable. People who believe that Jesus was here preaching against racism point out that a man was beaten, robbed, and left close to death on his way from Jerusalem to Jericho. Christ points out that the man is passed by without being helped by a priest and then a Levite. Finally a Samaritan passes by and helps the man and cares for him. Many modern interpreters correctly point out that mainstream Israel looked down upon Samaritans (John 4:9). Thus many Christians today infer that Jesus was shaming his listeners for their racism against Samaritans. The account begins with a lawyer asking Christ who his neighbor is and ends with him admitting that the Samaritan acted as a true neighbor to this wounded man. Some have concluded from this that Christ was in fact teaching that all men everywhere ought to be brothers and neighbors to each other. As a result the parable of the Good Samaritan has become a rallying point for modern day neo-babelists. But do they interpret the text correctly? I don't believe so, and there are several reasons why.

A Closer Look

There are several aspects of this narrative that have been ignored or minimized in order to make this fit the neo-babelist agenda. The narrative begins with a question posed by a certain lawyer. It's important to understand that this lawyer is said to tempt or test Jesus by asking him this question. This means that this was not asked by an honest inquirer, but rather by someone who was hostile to Christ's ministry. Failing to recognize this will hamper our ability to properly understand what Christ was teaching. This man is also called a lawyer or an expert in matters of the law. He probably would have been heavily involved in politics and government. This man then questions Jesus about how to obtain eternal life, to which Jesus responds by asking him what is written in the law. The lawyer then responds with a summary of the Ten Commandments based on Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18, that he should love God and his neighbor as himself. Christ responds that he answered correctly and that he would live if he kept these commandments. At this point the lawyer responds wishing to justify himself by asking Jesus "who is my neighbor?"

This is the point at which Jesus begins the parable. As was previously mentioned there is a man who is traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho. From this we can infer that this traveler is probably a common Israelite. He is then beaten, robbed, and left for dead by thieves during his journey. The man is left by the side of the road, and during this time he was passed by a priest as well as a Levite. What is the significance of the priest and the Levite? These individuals were from the most respected sects of society. The priests were Levites that were to live a holy and sanctified life. Surely a priest would help a man dying on the side of the road! But no, he passed by, apparently he had something more important to attend to. If the priest was too preoccupied then certainly a common Levite would help this man. Levites who were not priests often still held positions of respect and authority. But no, this man also passed by this wounded man who was dying on the side of the road. At this point a Samaritan passes by who finally feels compassion for the man who is dying on the road that he is traveling on. He helps the man and cares for him until he recovers. This Samaritan serves as an example of Christian compassion and neighborly virtue.

It's important to pay attention to the races of the characters in this story. The man traveling in the beginning was probably a common Israelite. The priest and the other Levite were by definition Israelites. What about the Samaritan? Contrary to what many people think today he wasn't really someone of a different race than the other people in this story. The Samaritans are the descendants of the Shemitic Israelites from the northern kingdom and the Assyrians. The Assyrians descended from Shem's son Asshur (Gen. 10:22) and possibly Abraham as well by his wife Keturah (Gen. 25:3). Because of their common ancestry it's not correct to consider the Israelites and Assyrians of a different race.

Instead of being a story about racial harmony or racial reconciliation this story served to reprove the snobbery of those who were deemed respectable in Israel during Christ's time. This story shows that the Samaritan who was not respected in Israel could behave respectably by helping those who needed it. This also shows that Israel's elite had neglected their responsibility to care for Israel herself. During Christ's day the religious, social, and political "movers and shakers" had betrayed their own countrymen by cooperating with her enemies. This parable was definitely intended to rebuke the lawyer who asked the original question, "who is my neighbor?" This lawyer was no doubt a member of the very same ruling class who had betrayed and neglected their own countrymen and brethren in order to maintain their own selfish interests. Christ was not shaming the people that were gathered there for their "racism" but was rather shaming the lawyer for his role similar to the priest and Levite. Jesus ends this narrative by exhorting the man to act like the compassionate Samaritan who cared for the needy in his midst.

Modern Day Applications

What are the applications for this parable in our modern day concept of a melting pot? I believe that this parable serves to condemn our current attitudes rather than affirm them. The modern concept of the universal brotherhood of mankind is utterly meaningless as Pierre-Joseph Proudhon observed, “If everyone is my brother, I have no brothers.” Today the American elites as well as the elites of most European countries in general have neglected their own countrymen and brethren in order to accommodate foreigners and outsiders. They do this in order to keep themselves in power and wealth. The modern allure of cheap labor and new voting constituencies is what causes our politicians to champion mass immigration and naturalization for non-whites into white countries. Politicians are willing to allow their fellow countrymen to be robbed and left to die on the wayside so that they can buy lettuce two dollars cheaper. This is most certainly not Christian compassion! Christians should be compassionate in a manner that does not help one group at the expense of another. The modern concept of "racism" is simply a way for people to excuse their own snobbery and greed and to condemn those who protest the mistreatment of their own people. As a result whites are condemned as racists when the reality is that whites are the world's most compassionate and caring people!

Christians should be far more compassionate as this Samaritan was compassionate. Who are the modern day Samaritans? I think that the Scotch-Irish "rednecks" and the southern people in general are treated like modern day Samaritans. Making fun of "rednecks" isn't taboo at all in an age in which everything is governed by political correctness. Redneck southerners are viewed as backward, uneducated, and uncouth, and yet it was redneck southerners who created "southern hospitality!" As a northerner I can definitely say that I appreciate the role that southerners have played in this nation's history. It was the work of decent and respectable northerners and southerners who made America the great nation that it is today. In our day, the lawyer is an American politician who seems to deny that other Americans are his neighbor, while the old conservative southern redneck is caring for his battered countrymen victimized by multiculturalism. I exhort everyone to behave more like the Good Samaritans in our own time. Go and do thou likewise!

3 comments:

Tom Galpin said...

scorebored/white picket fence,

for a class at covenant theological seminary in st. louis i'm going to write a paper on kinism. with christian love and charity i would love two things from you:
1. resources that i could go to to help me understand kinism, belief systems, etc..
2. and if you like, a dialogue/interview with you. and if you don't want to do that, i'd appreciate it if you could point me in the direction of someone who would, or even allow me to get in contact with them.

so far, all of my resources pertain to slavery and race relations, without a particular emphasis on what i'm coming to understand kinists add to the conversation.

if you would help me, i'd greatly appreciate it.

my email: tomgalpin@yahoo.com

thank you,
tom galpin

Scarborough Fayre said...

I'd be happy to help you Tom, although I'm not quite sure of how good of a source I am on kinism. I'm rather new to the blogosphere and I don't necessarily speak for all kinists. A good resource was the old Little Geneva archives which are unfortunately gone now. I'll try and see if I can find something good for you and email you. Thanks for your inquiry.

Tom Galpin said...

thank you scarborough fayre.
i appreciate the help.
i've posted the same questions on other blogs (thus, the incorrect greeting on the last post--sorry), and so far there might be some help.

i've tried the old geneva website, its down. as well as kinist.net, but that isn't up either. so we'll see.

again, thank you for your help and friendliness.

if you would like to check up on me, two other blogs that i've asked for help on are the white picket fence and hearthstone.

-tom galpin