An Analysis of a Harmful Misinterpretation of Scripture

Introduction: The Bible’s Stance Against Racism

Racism is a sin that stands in direct opposition to the core message of the Bible. From the very first chapter of Genesis to the final vision in Revelation, Scripture affirms the dignity, value, and equality of all people. God created humanity in His own image (Genesis 1:27), meaning every person, regardless of ethnicity or skin color, reflects the divine creator and possesses inherent worth. The sin of racism denies this fundamental truth.

The New Testament makes this anti-racist stance even more explicit. The work of Jesus Christ was to break down the walls of hostility that divide humanity. The apostle Paul declared, “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28). This is a radical statement of unity that obliterates ethnic and social barriers within the community of faith. The vision of heaven is not one of eternal segregation, but of a “great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb” (Revelation 7:9). For Christians, the command to “love your neighbor as yourself” (Mark 12:31) and the defining mark of being Jesus’s disciple—loving one another (John 13:35)—make racism an impossibility. To harbor racial prejudice is to defy God’s creative purpose and reject the reconciling power of the Gospel.

The list of “reasons” below is a tragic example of how the Bible can be twisted to support sinful ideologies. By taking verses out of context, misapplying ceremonial laws, and ignoring the overarching themes of love and redemption, the author constructs an argument that is profoundly and dangerously unbiblical.

A Biblical Rebuttal to Dake’s Worst Arguments

** Finis Dake maintained his racist teachings until the day he died  in 1987.  A few years after his death his family quietly removed the racist teachings from his published works. If you have a Dake Bible and can not find the 30 reasons for segregation on p. 159 of his study bible, you likely have a printing later than 1990. In 1990 the family had this removed. He did not remove it himself, in fact he continued to believe it until he died.

Many of the points listed below rely on severe misinterpretations of Scripture. Here are critiques of nine of the most flawed arguments:

• Reason #2: That God made everything to reproduce “after his own kind” (Gen, 1:11-12, 21-25; 6:20; 7:14).
  This is a gross misapplication of a biological statement in Genesis 1. The phrase “after his kind” refers to species of plants and animals, not human ethnicities or races. To apply this to people is a distortion used to forbid interracial marriage, which the Bible never does. All of humanity is one “kind.”
• Reason #4: That the Bible is against intermarrying between different “branches of the same stock” (Ezra 9-10: Neh. 9-13; Jer. 50:37: Ezek. 30:5).
  The prohibitions against intermarriage in the Old Testament (e.g., Ezra 9-10) were based on religious purity, not racial purity. The concern was that marrying people from pagan nations would lead Israel into idolatry and away from God. It was about faith, not ethnicity.
• Reason #11: That Jacob’s sons destroyed a city “to maintain segregation” (Gen. 34).
  This is a shocking misuse of a descriptive passage as if it were prescriptive. The story in Genesis 34 describes a vengeful, horrific massacre by Simeon and Levi. Their father, Jacob, condemned their brutal act on his deathbed (Genesis 49:5-7). To hold up this atrocity as a positive example of “maintaining segregation” is appalling and unbiblical.
• Reason #14: That God cursed angels for mixing with humans (Gen, 6:1-4; 2 Pet, 2:4: Jude 6-7).
  This argument, referencing Genesis 6, is an irrelevant and bizarre parallel. The sin of the “sons of God” was a unique transgression of cosmic boundaries between angelic and human realms. It has absolutely nothing to do with relationships between different human ethnic groups.
• Reason #24: That an ox and an ass could not be worked together (Dr. 22:10).
  This is an example of taking an Old Testament agricultural law (Deuteronomy 22:10) completely out of context and illogically applying it to human relationships. Such ceremonial or civil laws were never intended to be metaphors for racial segregation.
• Reason #25: That miscegenation caused disunity in Numbers 12 (Num. 12).
  This is a complete reversal of the biblical story. In Numbers 12, Miriam and Aaron criticized Moses specifically for marrying a Cushite (a Black African) woman. God became angry with *them* for their prejudice, striking Miriam with leprosy as punishment. This passage is a strong condemnation of racism and an affirmation of Moses’s interracial marriage.
• Reason #29: That wearing garments of mixed fabrics was forbidden (Dt, 22:11 Lev. 19:19).
  Similar to the “ox and ass” argument, this rips a ceremonial law from Leviticus 19:19 completely out of context. This law about fabric has no bearing on human marriage or relationships. Using such verses demonstrates a desperate attempt to find biblical support where none exists.
• Reason #30: That Christians are to be segregated (Mt. 18: 15-17 1 Cor. 59-13; 6:15; 2 Cor. 6:14-18; Eph, 5:11; 2 Th 3:6-16; 1 Tim, 6:5; 2 Tim, 3:5).
  This point twists New Testament commands about spiritual purity into a call for racial segregation. The Bible instructs Christians not to be “yoked together with unbelievers” (2 Corinthians 6:14) and to separate from those within the church who live in unrepentant sin (1 Corinthians 5:11). These instructions are about morality and faith, never race.

The following is a direct transcription of the original text, presented for analysis and refutation.

I have included links to the actual page for those that desire to verify what is written below:

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30 reasons for segregation of races (Acts 17:26)

1. God wills all races to be as He made them. Any violation of God’s original purpose manifests insubordination to Him (17:26:Rom, 9:19-24).
2. God made everything to reproduce “after his own kind” (Gen, 1:11-12, 21-25; 6:20; 7:14). Kind means type and color or He would have kept them all alike to begin with.
3. God originally determined the bounds of the habitations of nations (17:26; Gen, 10:5, 32; 11:8; Dt. 32:8).
4. Miscegenation means the mixture of races, especially the black and white races, or those of outstanding type or color. The Bible even goes farther than opposing this. It is against different branches of the same stock intermarrying such as Jews marrying other descendants of Abraham (Ezra 9-10: Neh. 9-13; Jer. 50:37: Ezek. 30:5).
5. Abraham forbad Eliezer to take a wife for Isaac of Canaanites (Gen, 24:1-4), God was so pleased with this that He directed whom to get (Gen. 24:7, 12-67).
6. Isaac forbad Jacob to take a wife of the Canaanites (Gen, 27:46-28:7).
7. Abraham sent all his sons of the concubines, and even of his second wife, far away from Isaac so their descendants would not mix (Gen, 25:1-6).
8. Esau disobeying this law brought the final break between him and his father after lifelong companionship with him (Gen. 25:28; 26:34-35: 27:46:28:8-9).
9. The two branches of Isaac remained segregated forever (Gen, 36; 46:8-26).
10. Ishmael and Isaac’s descendants remained segregated forever (Gen, 25:12-23; 1 Chr. 1:29).
11. Jacob’s sons destroyed a whole city to maintain segregation (Gen. 34).
12. God forbad intermarriage between Israel and all other nations (Ex. 34:12-16; Dt., 7:3-6).
13. Joshua forbad the same thing on sentence of death (Josh, 23:12-13).
14. God cursed angels for leaving their own “first estate” and “their own habitation” to marry the daughters of men (Gen, 6:1-4; 2 Pet, 2:4: Jude 6-7).
15. Miscegenation caused Israel to be cursed (Judg. 3:6-7; Num, 25:1-8).
16. This was Solomon’s sin (1 Ki, 11).
17. This was the sin of Jews returning from Babylon (Ezza 9:1-10:2, 10-18, 44 13:1-30).
18. God commanded Israel to be segregated (Lev. 20:24; Num, 23:9 1 Ki. 8:53).
19. Jews recognized as a separate people in all ages because of God’s choice and command (Mt, 10:6; Jn. 1:11). Equal rights in the gospel gives no right to break this eternal law.
20. Segregation between Jews and all other nations to remain in all eternity (Isa, 2:2-4; Ezek, 37; 47:13-48:35: Zech, 14:16-21; Mt. 19:28; Lk. 1:32-33; Rev. 7:1-8; 14:1-5).
21. All nations will remain segregated from one another in their own parts of the earth forever (17:26; Gen, 10:5, 32; 11:8-9; Dt, 32:8; Dan, 7:13-14; Zech, 14; Rev. 11:15 21:24).
22. Certain people in Israel were not even to worship with others (Dt, 23:1-3; Ezza 10:8: Neh, 9:2; 10:28: 13:3).
23. Even in heaven certain groups will not be allowed to worship together (Rev. 7:7-17: 14:1-5:15: 2-5).
24. Segregation was so strong in the O.T. that an ox and an ass could not be worked together (Dr. 22:10).
25. Miscegenation caused disunity among God’s people (Num. 12).
26. Stock was forbidden to be bred with other kinds (Lev. 19:19).
27. Sowing mixed seed in the same field was unlawful (Lev. 19:19).
28. Different seeds were forbidden to be planted in vineyards (Dt. 22:9).
29. Wearing garments of mixed fabrics forbidden (Dt, 22:11 Lev. 19:19).
30. Christians and certain other people of a like race are to be segregated (Mt. 18: 15-17 1 Cor. 59-13; 6:15; 2 Cor. 6:14-18; Eph, 5:11; 2 Th 3:6-16; 1 Tim, 6:5; 2 Tim, 3:5).

Conclusion: Upholding a Biblical Worldview

The attempt to justify racial segregation using the Bible is a sobering reminder of how easily scripture can be manipulated to endorse personal prejudice and societal sin. The arguments presented by Dake fail because they rely on a foundation of faulty interpretations, applying ceremonial and agricultural laws to human relationships, twisting historical narratives to mean the opposite of what they say, and fundamentally ignoring the New Testament’s clear message of reconciliation in Christ.

The Bible, when read correctly and holistically, is a powerful tool for dismantling racism, not for building it up. It teaches that our primary identity is not in our race, but in our shared status as bearers of God’s image and, for believers, as co-heirs in Christ. The Christian’s duty is not to create or maintain earthly divisions, but to reflect the heavenly reality where all tribes and tongues worship God together. As the Apostle John warns, “Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar” (1 John 4:20). A love for God must translate into a love for all of His creation, and any teaching that suggests otherwise is not only wrong, but is a dangerous departure from the true Christian faith.

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