Counsels on Social Issues

Counsel #25 — Facing our Foundations

Picture: Counsel #25 — Facing our Foundations CSI 43.1

When you look at racism today - across continents, cultures, and systems - you have to go back to where much of it began: colonialism. European colonial powers didn’t just claim land; they built systems that said certain races were superior and others were meant to be controlled, exploited, or erased. Those ideas didn’t stay in the past or in history books. They shaped governments, economies, education, and even the way people saw themselves and others for generations. CSI 43.2

Even now, countries and communities are still living with the aftermath: stolen resources, broken identities, generational poverty, and racial hierarchies that still show up today. Confronting the legacy of colonialism means telling the full truth, and not just about what was taken, but about what was broken. Micah 6:8 reminds us: "Act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God." Justice means facing the deep roots of racism and committing to the road of reparation ahead — no matter how long that road may be.^[82] CSI 43.3

“He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you?To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” Micah 6:8 NIV CSI 43.4

“We have an individuality and an identity that is our own. No one can submerge his identity in that of any other.” Ellen White in Reflecting Christ , p. 138 CSI 43.5

Reflect: What myths about colonialism did you grow up believing? CSI 43.6