A cosmopolitan human population is not a society. It is multiple societies forced into a single geographic area. The division into tribes is automatic. People are social creatures but with limitations. If the peculiar hopes and needs for any one tribe is infringed or neglected, gang warfare is inevitable. No power on earth can stop it. It is typically expressed as turf wars, drawing boundaries that those in power sought to deny.
This is not a Caucasian thing. If anything, white people tend to try harder to find a compromise than almost any other racial identity. This is a fact you can suss out for yourself if you bothered to try. Northern Europeans were the quickest to accept wholesale intermarriage with other races. For only a very brief period in American history did we see a rollback of that ancient attitude. That rollback is virtually non-existent today.
Meanwhile, every other major ethnic identity residing in the US has been encouraged to keep their tribal instincts. There’s nothing wrong with that. The problem is that whites are officially discouraged from doing the same thing. Human nature is inherently racist. It’s there for a reason that has nothing to do with the Fall. The animal world is racist; animals in the wild recognize the differences between human races and have expressed preferences in some situations.
Humans are hard-wired to recognize the differences between tribes. We should invest time learning what it is supposed to do. God put it there; ask Him why He did that. Part of the answer will have something to do with how we should live as humans until Christ returns.
Racial consciousness need not lead to hatred. An awful lot of church folks have been chattering lately about Exodus 23:9 or 22:21 and taking it out of context. Israel was commanded not to oppress or be hostile to foreigners. The concept of “foreigner” means basically Gentile. This applied only to foreigners who had not already expressed enmity for Israel.
The various clans of Nephilim were not included in these admonitions. Amalekites were also not included, along with several other Canaanite tribes. Those were to be wiped out on sight. Furthermore, the Gentiles who passed through or wanted to live in the conquered lands must adhere to the Code of Noah. They could not worship their pagan idols openly, and must remain under the feudal control of the government of Israel, swearing allegiance to the king. They were obliged to observe certain parts of the ritual laws.
Gentiles were not required to convert. They were required to understand and respect the Law of Moses. They must assimilate to some degree. Anyone wanting to promote the same ethical standard today must not neglect the bigger picture. It’s not a bad recipe for any government today to follow. For Americans, it means folks can come and sample our liberties, but not to abuse them. They should be able to understand English at least well enough to learn and obey the laws of the land. They will remain second-class residents until they assimilate and become citizens. There are restrictions on what they can do and say. That’s pretty much what the Law of Moses required of Gentile residents in the Land.
Broadly speaking, the local church should have no trouble allowing outsiders to participate in worship and fellowship, as long as they agree to assimilate to some degree. If their presence is disruptive, give them a chance to understand. If they cannot agree to the rules, they need to be kept out. This is not necessarily something like written or memorized rules of behavior. Your church will naturally manifest a certain cultural alignment based on the people who are most active. The visitors should honor whatever that turns out to be. The church was never meant to be a public accommodation, but a private family gathering.
The distinction between culture and race is mostly artificial. The whole point is tribal identity. People form such an identity by the common experience of life in the local context. They have adapted according to their abilities and perspectives; there’s no sin in that. It’s the natural result of living in a mortal world.
Nothing in Scripture requires a cosmopolitan openness to folks who harbor hostility to your tribal identity.
