Historical Documentation: The racist teachings documented below appeared prominently in Finis Dake’s published works, mainly in his Annotated Reference Bible. While his family removed some of this content after his death in 1987, Dake himself never repented of these views during his lifetime. These teachings reveal a fundamental misunderstanding of the gospel’s unifying message and represent some of the most troubling aspects of his theological legacy.
If you have a Dake Bible printed after about 1989-90 you may not see these racist teachings because they were removed after his death. To know if your copy of the study Bible still contains some of the racist elements go to page 159 in the New Testament and see if Dakes 30 reasons for segregation are there. By the time this section was completely changed, the editors had already removed the word segregation and replaced it with separation, etc. in a lot of places.
Dake’s Racist Doctrine of Eternal Segregation
Among the many theological errors promoted by Finis Dake, perhaps none is more morally repugnant than his extensive teachings on racial segregation. In his Dake Annotated Reference Bible, particularly in his notes on Acts 17:26, Dake provided “30 reasons for segregation of races”—a systematic attempt to use Scripture to justify racism and oppose racial integration. These teachings stood in direct opposition to the gospel message that in Christ “there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28).
The “30 Reasons for Segregation”
Dake’s list began with the audacious claim that “God wills all races to be as He made them. Any violation of God’s original purpose manifests insubordination to Him.” His reasons included:
- Claiming God made everything to reproduce “after his own kind,” applying this to human races
- Asserting God “originally determined the bounds of the habitations of nations”
- Defining miscegenation (interracial marriage) as sinful, particularly between Black and white races
- Using Old Testament prohibitions against Israelites marrying Canaanites as a universal principle against interracial marriage
- Claiming that “even in heaven certain groups will not be allowed to worship together”
- Teaching that “all nations will remain segregated from one another in their own parts of the earth forever”
Dake went to extraordinary lengths to find biblical justification for segregation, even citing agricultural laws about not mixing seeds or fabrics as divine precedent for racial separation. He stated that miscegenation “caused disunity among God’s people” and referenced the opposition to Moses’ marriage to a Cushite woman as proof that God opposes interracial marriage—completely missing that God punished Miriam for her racist opposition to that marriage (Numbers 12).
Eternal Segregation in Heaven
Perhaps most shocking was Dake’s teaching that racial segregation would continue into eternity. He explicitly stated: “Segregation between Jews and all other nations to remain in all eternity” and claimed that “Even in heaven certain groups will not be allowed to worship together.” This teaching transforms heaven itself into a segregated space, contradicting the biblical vision of people “from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne” (Revelation 7:9) in unified worship.
Dake further claimed that while equal rights exist in the gospel, this “gives no right to break this eternal law” of segregation. This statement reveals a fundamental contradiction—acknowledging gospel equality while simultaneously denying its practical implications. The gospel doesn’t merely grant “equal rights” while maintaining separation; it creates one new humanity in Christ, breaking down the dividing wall of hostility (Ephesians 2:14).
The Unrepentant Legacy
What makes these teachings particularly troubling is that Dake never repented of them. He died in 1987 with these racist doctrines still in print. Only after his death did his family begin removing some of the most offensive content from newer editions. This posthumous editing, while perhaps well-intentioned, cannot erase the historical reality that Dake spent his entire ministry promoting racial segregation as God’s will, influencing countless readers to embrace unbiblical and harmful views about race.
The persistence of these teachings throughout Dake’s lifetime, combined with his federal conviction for transporting a minor across state lines and his various theological errors, paints a picture of a man whose biblical interpretation was fundamentally flawed by personal prejudices and moral failures. While some may attempt to separate his racist views from his other biblical commentary, the reality is that the same flawed hermeneutic that produced his segregationist doctrine infected his interpretation of Scripture throughout his works.
The articles below provide detailed analysis of Dake’s racist teachings, demonstrating how they contradict both Scripture and the heart of the gospel message. They serve as a sobering reminder that biblical knowledge without love, humility, and repentance can lead to the most grievous distortions of God’s truth.
Finis Dake was a Racist
