Thanks to historian Carter G. Woodson, we celebrate Black History in February to coincide with the birthday of President Abraham Lincoln, born today, February 12, and the birthday of abolitionist and freed slave, Fredrick Douglass, born on February 14.

While this administration is intent on erasing Black history, controlling content at African-American cultural museums, rejecting the values of diversity, equity and inclusion, and even promoting a narrative that slavery wasn’t so bad for slaves, historians (both black and white) are intent on telling the truth.

One historian that I follow is Heather Cox Richardson. Today, she wrote about Abraham Lincoln’s logic for opposing enslavement and enslavers like South Carolina SenatorJames Henry Hammond, who adamantly rejected the “ridiculously absurd…dogma of Mr. (Thomas) Jefferson that ‘all men are born equal.'”

In response to Hammond’s renunciation of equality, Lincoln made the following argument:

“If A. can prove, however conclusively, that he may, of right, enslave B.–why may not B. snatch the same argument and prove equally that he may enslave A? You say ,’A. is white and B. is black.’ It is color, then; the lighter, having the right to enslave the darker? Take care. By this rule, you are to be the slave to the first man you men with a fairer skin than your own., You do not mean color exactly? You mean the whites are intellectually the superiors of the blacks, and, therefore, have the right to enslave them? Take care again. By this rule, you are to be slave to the first man you meet with an intellect superior to your own. But, say you, ‘It is a question of interest; and if you can make it your interest, you have the right to enslave another.’ Very well. And if he can make it his interest, he has the right to enslave you.”

Richardson concludes, “Lincoln saw clearly that if we give up the principle of equality before the law, we have given up the whole game…. Once we have replaced the principle of equality with the idea that humans are unequal, we have granted approval to the idea of ruler and ruled. At that point, all any of us can do is to hope that no one in power decides that we belong in one of the lesser groups.”

At creation, God made human beings–both male and female–in God’s image (Genesis 1:27) You either believe that or you don’t. Either all humans are born equal or they are not. You can’t have it bother ways.

The world of Jesus was as stratified as our own, but Jesus continually crossed the lines of hierarchy, giving every social group equal access to the blessings of God. But even after walking with Jesus and listening to his teaching for 3 years,, his followers struggled to live out the equality he modeled. Old patterns persisted and only changed when challenged through the movement of the Holy Spirit and the words of the prophets and apostles of the nascent church.

The apostle Peter struggled with racism until was confronted through a vision (see Acts 10). He came away with a new understanding, entering the home of Gentile and announcing, ““I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism.” (Acts 10:34) 

The apostle Paul confronted the hierarchy he saw in the church at Galatia, declaring, “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:28) This was both a theological and a sociological statement of equality.

The apostle James rebuked those who discriminated between those who were rich and those who were poor, naming their classist favoritism “sin” that was antithetical to God’s command to “love your neighbor as yourself.” (James 2:8-9)

While we have abolished chattel slavery and made progress toward equality–even electing a Black president–we are watching that progress erode. The demon of social hierarchy is reasserting itself as human beings are divided into classes and hierarchies of value based on skin tone, national origin, gender, intellect, gender identity and orientation, documentation, wealth and other arbitrary characteristics. Sadly, the demon is taking up residence in the church as well.

We would do well to hear the word of the prophets and apostles and heed the warning embedded in Abraham Lincoln’s logic. Equality isn’t optional. It is essential to our faith and our freedom.