Adam and Eve Were Mid-Brown Skinned

 

Below are excerpts from an article in Church of God Outreach Ministries New Horizons emagazine, Sept/Oct., 2020.

This will be sure to get the staunch British Israelite white Anglo-Saxon supporters into a tizzy when it states that there is "less than 0.012%" genetic difference between us (races). For some reason, it is vitally important that a pure white bloodline is in existence to ensure Jesus has a throne to come back and sit upon. It is important to those Armstrongite followers who demand that British Israelism be true, that white people be the savior of humanity, while the "gentiles" are the problem creators in society. This is the belief taught by the church for decades and which I heard preached in the Cincinnati and Dayton church often, particularly in the midst of some race-related issue happening in society.

Does God see us in colour? After all, He created us with the in-built potential through our genes to be born in a variety of ‘colours’. So that’s what we must discuss.

Difference

Variation in appearance is deceptive. The apostle Paul notes that ‘...[God] has made all nations of men of one blood [DNA] to dwell on all the face of the earth, ordaining fore-appointed seasons and boundaries of their dwell- ing’ (Acts 17:26) - a position backed by biology. (For example, ‘black’ and ‘white’ can exchange blood, given the usual medical precautions.)

Despite skin shading from albino white to purple-black, analysis determines that there is less than 0.012% difference genetically between any of us. And there is one major pigment to determine our skin shade. It is melanin, and the amount present in each of us provides our ‘colour’. The level present is genetically determined by a cluster of genes. It’s the same for our other features.

Science no longer believes that each ‘race’ derives from a different animal forebear but that all of us are from a single stock (dubbed ‘mitochondrial Eve’). Bible believers ascribe this to the creation of ‘man’, Adam—in whom was created the complete gene pool. Necessarily ‘Eve’ was created contemporaneously with Adam, and sharing his DNA.

Division

While not explicitly stated it is most likely that our first parents, median between ’black’ and ’white’ range, were of a mid-brown skin shade.

As the DNA in Adam’s offspring became randomly mixed down the generations there was potential, through natural selection, for a range of skin pigment and other features to manifest in populations. Over the centuries relationships between the like-minded would tend to form specific macro people groups and, ultimately, nations—Caucasoid (Semitic), Mongoloid, Hamitic and many other sub-groups, as indeed exist today. (The terms derive from Noah’s sons Shem, Japheth and Ham.)

Post-flood, Noah and his family carried the complete gene pool of three billion human genes into our present world system. The scattering by language subsequent to Babel coupled with environmental factors (eg light skinned occupying higher or lower latitudes) would reinforce familial characteristics. These characteristics are stated in the Scriptures to continue throughout the millennial reign of Jesus (Rev 20:8, Isaiah 19:23).

It is noteworthy that although we all share the same DNA yet God has also set—and controls— boundaries for our various geographical settlements (Acts 17:26).

The article ends with this:

In sum, God has enabled a variety of varied ‘people groups‘ to populate His special planet. The reality is that we are all different. By accident of our birth we become part of an established nation in which a specific skin colour and culture predominates; by in-born nature we are loyal to it, patriotic, submit to its laws and culture.

Christians are ‘...strangers and pilgrims’. As such we, too, are to emulate the Father and to be ‘colour blind’—in and out of ‘church’.