Bulletin Article
99.9 Percent Identical
The God who made the world and everything in it is the
Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples
built by hands. And he is not served by human hands,
as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all
men life and breath and everything else. From one man
he made every nation of men…
Acts 17:24-26
Since God confused the languages and scattered the peoples at Babel, folks have allowed their
isolation to lead them to believe themselves completely different from others living elsewhere.
Differences that evolved over time in racial/ethnic characteristics, language, diet, and culture
were often viewed through the lens of superior vs. inferior. The Bible records ancient Egyptian
arrogance toward Hebrews during the time of Joseph: “They served him by himself, the
brothers by themselves, and the Egyptians who were with him by themselves, because
Egyptians could not eat with Hebrews, for that is detestable to Egyptians” (Gen. 43:32).
Not only does Scripture teach that all of us have a common ancestor, science has succeeded in
mapping the vast expanse of the human genome, 3.1 billion letters of the DNA code arrayed
across twenty-four chromosomes. The director of the Human Genome Project was Dr. Francis
Collins, a former atheist turned Christian. His historic research led him to this profound
conclusion:
(A) striking feature of the human genome comes from the comparison of
different members of our own species. At the DNA level, we are all 99.9 percent
identical. That similarity applies regardless of which two individuals from
around the world you choose to compare. Thus, by DNA analysis, we humans
are truly part of one family.
― The Language of God
Most other species display between ten to fifty times the DNA diversity of humans. Collins
muses, “An alien visitor sent here to examine life forms on earth might have many interesting
things to say about humankind, but most certainly he would comment on the surprisingly low
level of genetic diversity within our species.”
We are all far more alike than different.
So why is it that we sometimes seem so insistent in focusing on our differences? Why have
racial and ethnic differences been raised to a level of utmost importance in the minds of some?
We recoil in horror at the pseudo-science perpetrated the Nazis in an attempt to prove
themselves a “master race” superior to all others. Ironically, their Axis ally Japan also viewed
themselves as a superior race.
Which begs the question: just how many “superior” races are there, anyway? “From one man
he made every nation of men…” (Acts 17:26). In proposing the Civil Rights Bill to Congress,
President John F. Kennedy said, “There are no ‘white’ or ‘colored’ signs on the foxholes or
graveyards of battle.”
Or on church doors, either… if we are serious about being Christ’s church.