Survival of the Ethnically Superior?

In an effort to combat weak ratings in the competitive world of so-called "reality" television, the pioneer show Survivor is trying a new gimmick: at the beginning of the new season, the 20 competitors will be divided into four tribes according to their ethnicity—black, white, Hispanic, or Asian. As usual, as the tribes are whittled down, the remaining contestants will be combined into mixed tribes later in the season.

Though I admit to finding it interesting and entertaining from time to time, I've always been a little bothered by the basic premise of Survivor. Instead of promoting teamwork, cooperation, and community—values desperately needed in our world today—it privileges the kind of cut-throat individualism and power politics that always seem to lead to trouble. Rather than finding ways to incorporate the particular skills and contributions of each tribe member into a coherent whole, the show specializes in identifying and eliminating the weakest link.

But Survivor's controversial new ploy seems even more questionable. Is this kind of racial division and competition really what we need in our world today? Racism is as much a problem now as it ever was and racial intolerance continually threatens the possibility of living in peace and harmony as a global (or even local) community. Will our inherently racist society be able to resist the temptation to proclaim one race superior to the others as the Survivor season plays itself out? Thank God one of the tribes is not Arab or Middle Eastern!

In contrast to Survivor, the church (at its best) is a place where everyone is welcomed and accepted unconditionally, regardless of their race, gender, economic status, or any other distinction we create in order to separate people from each other. Instead of eliminating the so-called weakest link, the church (at its best) identifies the particular gifts every person brings to our community and finds ways to use those gifts for the benefit of all. No one is voted off the island. Everyone has a place. Everyone has a role to play.

This is what we try to do at Fourth Church Youth. This is a safe place. You will always be welcomed. You will always be accepted. You will always be loved. Give it a try.