Don’t do it, Tom. Write a happy column about lovely flowers, cuddly kittens, or wonderful kids. How about a few kind words about flags on Chester Boulevard?

But stay away from this.

No. Don’t avoid this.

Racism. Here is the new cry and cause of some: those tea party people are racists. Even this week, we read in these pages that our local tea party people are not racists — and how good that is.

Well, yes. But I feel my irritation growing. Start the organ.

It is time for a sermon. I offer two points, for I believe we have two forms of racism in our land.

The first is what I call the racism of condemnation. This is the racism that says, “Those people are…” Then you fill in the blank with general statements that specifically describe the dumbness, foolishness, harmfulness, and uselessness of a group of people.

When I was young, this was mostly about people we now call African-Americans. For my children’s generation, this seems to be much about immigrants from points south.
Read this: this is wrong.

Read this again: this is wrong.

Period.

But now ponder the second form of racism. I call it the racism of condescension. This is harder to discover, because it is wrapped up in the pious language of those who would never admit to the first form of racism.

This is the racism that says, “Those people need the help of us do-goody people. If it were not for us, they would be doomed.

“But behold and alas, we love them more than they love themselves. We will rescue them with our good hearts and good ideas. And woe to those who oppose us.”

The racism of condemnation says, “You are less than human.” The racism of condescension says, “You need my help to be human.”

Am I saying we should never help people? Of course not. But I am saying that my help may be more about pride for me than love for you. I still look down on you, even while I am supposedly pledging to do you good.

Now — back to the tea party. Doubtless there are racists there, for there are racists everywhere. But the racism of condescension cannot imagine withholding any benefit from anyone. So, if you oppose giving people everything they demand or desire (often with tax money), you just might be a … racist. You just don’t care. You just want to see people suffer — especially those kinds of people.

Sorry. Not buying.

I write not to defend the tea party, but when I must receive assurances that my tea party friends are not racists, I am irritated.

Do we run the same test with other groups? Must have missed those results.

One more time: all racism is wrong. As a Christian, I should oppose both forms, for both deny the image of God in people. I should treat all people with respect.

But it is wrong to slap a label on a group of people merely because of their policy positions. Such labeling feels a lot like the labeling of … racism.

Tom Stein (Junior) is a PCA minister serving as pastor of Christ Presbyterian Church in Richmond, Indiana. This article first appeared in the Richmond, Indiana Palladium-Item and is used with the author’s permission.