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Attitudes like intolerance, prejudice, and hatred of other people are commonly mentioned in dictionary definitions of bigotry. These attitudes are often expressed through offenses like racism, discrimination, and slander. Critics of Christianity sometimes accuse Christians of having such derogatory attitudes. However, the gospel of Jesus Christ demonstrates that, although individual Christians may fall short of the moral standards they champion, Christianity itself isn’t bigoted. The gospel emphasizes the equality of all people regarding sin and salvation and basic human worth.
The gospel that Jesus proclaimed and commissioned His followers to communicate to the world is built on the fact that all people are born sinners, regardless of their race, gender, social standing, religious or family background, or moral virtue (Romans 3:23; 1 John 1:8). The Bible’s teaching about the sinfulness of all people implies that no class of people is inherently superior to another.
While the bad news is that all individuals are guilty of sin, the good news of the gospel is that Jesus’ death on the cross paid the penalty for all people’s sin, regardless of their race, gender, social status, or any other identity marker. Jesus sacrificed His life because He “loved the world” (John 3:16), and the invitation to accept His sacrifice extends to “all nations” (Matthew 28:19–20). The inclusive invitation of the gospel and the indiscriminate way Jesus instructed Christians to present it debunk accusations that the Christian faith is prejudiced.
Jesus reminded the people of His day that “my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations” (Mark 11:17; cf. Isaiah 56:7). Peter sometimes struggled with a type of bigotry (see Galatians 2:11–14), but in doing so he was “not acting in line with the truth of the gospel” (Galatians 2:14). Peter himself taught that “God does not show favoritism but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right” (Acts 10:34–35).
The unbigoted nature of the gospel is seen in the diverse makeup of people in the New Testament who embraced it and decided to follow Jesus. For instance, people from many different religious and ethnic backgrounds believed the gospel. Paul was a Jew, and Cornelius was a Gentile (Acts 9:1–9; 10:1–6). People from different countries embraced the gospel, including an official from Ethiopia (Acts 8:26–40) and a governor from Cyprus (Acts 13:6–12). Moreover, a widely diverse congregation were part of the beginning of the church. The multiethnic gathering on Pentecost came from three continents: Parthians from Asia, Libyans from Africa, and Cretans from Europe (Acts 2:9–11).
Further combatting accusations of Christian bigotry is the fact that the Bible marks people of different social classes and education levels who believed the gospel, from blind beggars (Mark 10:46–52) to the affluent Joseph of Arimathea (Matthew 27:57). People from various professions were saved, as well, from humble fishermen like Peter (Matthew 4:18–22) to prominent legal magistrates like Nicodemus (John 3:1–21; 19:39–42). People with various relationship experiences also embraced the gospel, like those who had several spouses (John 4:1–42), those guilty of adultery (John 8:1–11), and those who experienced same-sex attraction (1 Corinthians 6:9–11).
Despite these facts, critics sometimes depict followers of Jesus as impassioned zealots who hate and fear people different from them. This stereotype, common in secular culture, is false. It’s often built upon cherry-picked anecdotes, like those stemming from Westboro Baptist Church. Typecasting all Christians in this manner exposes the ignorance of mockers and scoffers, as most believers find such behavior repulsive and inaccurately represents Jesus and the gospel message.
When critics accuse all Christians of bigotry based on the unfortunate example of isolated individuals or groups, they commit an error in reasoning called the fallacy of composition. This fallacy involves incorrectly attributing the characteristics of a few to the many. For example, Westboro Baptist Church has fewer than 70 members, while historic Christianity consists of 2.4 billion people worldwide. Moreover, the 51-million-member World Baptist Alliance and the 13-million-member Southern Baptist Convention, the largest Protestant group in the United States, have condemned the tactics of Westboro Baptist Church.
Sadly, individual Christians have been guilty of bigotry at times, tarnishing the truth that God made all people in His image (Genesis 1:26–28). Followers of Jesus who are guilty of such sins should confess them, ask God’s forgiveness, and cease all prejudiced behavior as evidence of genuine repentance.
Although some Christians may be guilty of bigotry on occasion, Christianity isn’t bigoted. Rather, it centers on the gospel, which invites all people to repent and believe the good news of Jesus Christ (Mark 1:15). In Revelation, John describes the diversity in heaven, proving that the gospel isn’t inherently bigoted: “After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands” (Revelation 7:9).
