Why Is Melanin So Important To The Issue Of "Race"?
Bodie Hodge, M.Sc., B.Sc., PEI
Biblical Authority Ministries, April 10, 2026 (Donate)
Racism is rampant today—sadly. How many realize that the
solution to racism (which comes out of an evolutionary
worldview) is God and His
Word!
According to God, there is one race—the human race, often
called “man” or “mankind”. We are all descendants of Adam and Eve—our first
parents who were specially
created by God. Thus, there is only one race. But of course, we all look a
little different and that is a good thing. I’m glad everyone doesn't look
like me!
One of the primary things people often ask Christians is about skin tone or skin shade. We are all brown—some are darker brown and some less brown. This is based on melanin and how much our genes tell us to produce.
Melanin (Two Forms)
Melanin is the primary pigment that gives color to human
skin, hair, and eyes. There are two main forms of melanin:
1. Eumelanin
This is the brown to black pigment. Higher amounts of eumelanin produce darker
shades of skin, hair, and eyes.
2. Pheomelanin
This is the red to yellow pigment. It is more prominent in lighter skin tones
and in red or blond hair.
Every human being has both types, but in differing proportions. Skin tone differences arise primarily from how much melanin is produced and how it is distributed—not from fundamentally different kinds of people.
From a biological standpoint, melanin serves important functions. It helps protect the skin from ultraviolet (UV) radiation damage by absorbing and dissipating harmful rays. Various concentrations of eumelanin provide natural protection in high-UV environments or vitamin D production depending on the amount.
David, being ruddy likely had higher concentrations of pheomelanin (e.g., 1 Samuel 16:12). Thus, the reddish tones were visible in David.
One Race, Various Melanin-Based Skin Tones
From a biblical perspective, this has significant
implications for understanding the one
human “race.” Scripture teaches that all humans descend from one original pair,
Adam and Eve (Genesis 1:27; Acts 17:26, NKJV: “And He has made from one blood
every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth”). This means that
all people belong to a single human race biologically.
The variation in melanin levels is, therefore, best understood
as built-in genetic diversity within the original human kind (i.e., Adam and Eve). After events such
as the dispersion at Babel (Genesis 11), populations became more isolated, and
certain traits—like higher or lower melanin levels—became more common in
particular regions based on the genetics of their respective ancestors (kids
are going to reflect what parents and grandparents looked like).
Conclusion
A proper understanding of melanin directly challenges the modern
Darwinian concept of multiple higher and lower “races” as fundamentally
different categories of humans. Biblically and biologically, there is only one
race—the human race. Differences in skin tone show minor variations in melanin,
not deeper distinctions in worth, origin, or nature.
Melanin (eumelanin and pheomelanin) explains the spectrum of
human skin tones, while Scripture affirms the unity of mankind as sinners
in need of a Savior—Jesus Christ. Together, they confirm the conclusion
that so-called racial divisions are not rooted in biology or the Bible, but are
secular
social constructs imposed on society.
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Bodie Hodge, Ken Ham's son in law, has been an apologist defending
6-day creation and opposing evolution since 1998. He spent 21 years working
at Answers in Genesis as a speaker, writer, and researcher as
well as a founding news anchor for Answers News. He was also head
of the Oversight Council.
Bodie launched Biblical Authority Ministries in
2015 as a personal website and it was organized officially in 2025 as a
501(c)(3). He has spoken on multiple continents and hosts of US states in
churches, colleges, and universities. He is married with four children.
Mr. Hodge earned a Bachelor and Master of Science degrees
from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale (SIUC). Then he taught
at SIUC for a couple of years as a Visiting Instructor teaching all levels of
undergraduate engineering and running a materials lab and a CAD lab. He did
research on advanced ceramic materials to develop a new method of production of
titanium diboride with a grant from Lockheed Martin. He worked as a Test
Engineer for Caterpillar, Inc., prior to entering full-time ministry.
His love of science was coupled with a love of history,
philosophy, and theology. For about one year of his life, Bodie was editing and
updating a theological, historical, and scientific dictionary/encyclopedia for
AI use and training. Mr. Hodge has over 25 years of experience in writing,
speaking and researching in these fields.
