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A Surrendered Soul – Part 1

 

We find ourselves again at a critically important moment of needing to bring unity to very divisive patterns of behavior. It’s understandable; we are sinful people trying to live in community with other sinful people, and that can get messy.

 

In one sense, this is nothing new. Jesus knew unity among Christians would be important, so much so that He devoted time in prayer to the topic the night before His crucifixion. In John 17, Jesus asks His Father to bring unity to all those who will come to believe in His message.

 

Believing that racism is outside of God’s realm has long been part of mainstream Christian practice in the US. Sometimes we want to contrast gospel work with social work. Not all social work is indeed gospel work, but all gospel work puts us right in the middle of the public square.

 

An academic concept called Critical Race Theory (CRT) is being touted as a method of understanding this divide. Some churches teach CRT is opposed to the Christian Faith and communicate that CRT is “At the center of understanding the theological implications and tenets of addressing race.”

 

Those for or against this concept ground their narratives in Scripture. The messages could not be more different, yet both are based on an interpretation of the same Christian faith:

 

“There is neither Jew or Greek, there is neither slave nor free
. . . for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Gal 3:28

 

Let’s break CRT into digestible bites.
First, A “critical theory” teaches truth is achieved by taking a critical approach to ideas, beliefs, and practices.

 

Second, adding “race” is intended to offer a critical perspective on the causes, consequences, and manifestations of race, racism, inequity, and power and privilege dynamics.

 

The combined concepts lead to the definition:

 

“CRT is the Idea that the law is inherently racist and designed by Caucasians to maintain or further their standing in politics and economics over minorities. As with Marxism, the idea is to have improvements and reform; conflict is necessary to bring about a resolution.”

 

 
As members of the faith community, we must view this definition from the balcony to remind ourselves of what’s really at stake – setting your mind on God’s purposes, not man’s.

 

Does this definition provide a theological perspective of Christ-centered otherness, or is it an attempt to defend or refute strongholds? St. Anselm defined theology as “faith seeking understanding. For it is not the replacement of faith with knowledge; rather, it is faith that motivates understanding and leads us in the pursuit of knowledge.”

 

Biblically speaking, racism is the sin of ethnic partiality or prejudice (James 2:8–9; Leviticus 19:15). As Christians, we know racism is wrong in society, as we are all one race in Adam (Acts 17:26), especially within the church (Galatians 3:28). We should be concerned about racism and aim to think biblically about it.

 

Allow me to take you to the balcony to bring nuance to this charged conversation.

 

Everyone sees things from their perspective and creates a set of beliefs to support their argument. On Sundays, 9 in 10 Christian churches nationally are predominantly of one race group, according to LifeWay Research. Is it the preaching style, musical preferences, or something else?

 

How should the church respond to the racism that many believers have endured from within their faith community? And how does the watching world respond to the Great Commission when viewed through the lens of our actions?

 

Three of the words could be viewed as problematic in this CRT definition and cloud a thoughtful analysis:
  1. The capitalized word “Idea” is code for I don’t believe this principle, and neither should you.
  2. The reference to “Marxism” puts the definition (and issue) into a frame of materialism and capitalism.
  3. “Conflict” is a code for disagreement with the status quo.

 

Instead of adopting secular methods and applying secular thinking to fix spiritual problems, Christians should look to the whole of Scripture to address relational behavior within the body.

 

We must be thoughtful about our actions and conversation, so we can deal with the underlying issue: the sin of self-interest and Satan’s efforts to continue to breed prejudice, mistrust, and chaos.

 

We understand the original Biblical idea that life gets better through difficult times, and we keep going because there is hope. It’s when we are tested that we learn who we really are. There is no better time than this Lenten season to access how we view our fellow brothers and sisters.

 

Take some time to do your own research on the subject of CRT. Then you can effectively engage with Part 2, as we will explore the assumptions made and how their interpretations may cloud or clarify a Christ-centered resolution to race within the church.

 

Most importantly, you will discover if you are operating from a soul surrendered to the will of God or the will of self-interest. . .

 

 

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Is This An Aberration or Manifestation?

“A leader is a person who must take special responsibility
for what’s going on inside him or herself,
inside his or her consciousness,
lest the act of leadership create more harm than good.”  
– Parker Palmer

 

The insurrection attempt on January 6, 2021, demonstrates how a leader’s strongholds can affect other people’s beliefs, attitudes, and actions. It’s been compared to Kristallnacht, the 1938 assault by Nazis in Germany. Many say, “This doesn’t represent who we are” or “This is not who America is.” It may not be who we want to be or desire to be. Still, these thoughts ignore the patterns of behavior that define the long history of this country. I am not engaging in political conversation but addressing the strongholds of self-interest, superiority, self-absorption, and sense of entitlement that led to more harm than good. The unwillingness to recognize another’s meritorious worth or hard-earned success indicates how often we think with our beliefs rather than about them. In this, we lose our truth and ignore Biblical principles.

 

I am not referring to Ted Cruz, who, seeking to raise his notoriety, challenged election results and even voted to reject the Electoral College certification hours after the riot. I’m not referring to Giuliani, who said, “let’s have trial by combat.” I’m not referring to Eric Trump, who said, “this is the party of Donald Trump, and we’re coming for you.” Nor am I referring to Ivanka Trump who called the rioters patriots. I’m not even referring to the President who incited violence through weeks of the rhetoric of a stolen election. Then encouraged supporters to “Be there, it will be wild!” and at the rally shortly before the would-be rioters descended on the capital said, “we’re going to walk down to the capital, fight like hell and take back our country.” Afterwards he said his speech was “totally appropriate.” And even on Monday suggested that “danger could follow the Democrats’ decision to impeach him a second time.”

 

I am referring to Christians who were used to take full advantage of Christianity, the brand. Those who explicitly or implicitly endorsed – character, integrity and divisiveness don’t matter as much as policies that support self-interest. In Parker’s words, those who demonstrated that they had not taken special responsibility for what was going on inside them and how it could create more harm than good. Religious leaders used pulpits to create and justify a movement, a belief system about the “other”, and a responsibility to take action against perceived lost freedoms. Christians in Congress through their rhetoric normalized political violence. An investigation is underway looking at “potential members of Congress” who gave tours to rioters prior to the insurrection. It’s no wonder so many of those rioters at the Capitol openly stated they were Christians. Some carried “Jesus saves” signs, some carried crosses, others said it was their God-given duty to do this for the President and the country. Faith leaders have to be accountable for what’s done for present gain without regard for future costs or consequences. The Gospel requires it.

 

What is behind this undying support that sacrifices the gospel for the partisan politics of someone that doesn’t even respect them? Support that leads to beating police with a blue lives matter flag. To post on Twitter that everyone in the Capitol “is a treasonous traitor” and that “death is the only remedy for what’s in that building.” To defecate inside the Capital building and track their feces in several hallways. That using violence as a means of achieving their desires is ok. The theologian Wayne Grudem speaking on behalf of religious leaders, summarized conservative Christian support as, “Conclusions drawn by a hostile interpreter of words that a sympathetic listener would understand in a positive way. I’m not sure [the President] ever intentionally affirmed something he knows to be false, which is how I define a lie.” Many conservative Christian leaders tell their congregation the president is “God’s chosen one” which carries a different connotation than “chosen by God.” Yet McKay Coppins wrote, “Former aides told me they’ve heard Trump ridicule conservative religious leaders, dismiss various faith groups with cartoonish stereotypes, and deride certain rites and doctrines held sacred. Trump speaking about a group of religious leaders who came to pray over him, told aides: Can you believe that bullshit?” Self-interest is a stronghold that can blind leaders causing them to overlook bad behavior and personal ridicule to advance their beliefs and cause.

 

In 2 Timothy 3:2 – 4, we are provided a list of attributes that characterize the leaders of dangerous seasons. Leaders whose outward appearance or form of Christianity and virtue makes them all the more dangerous. Let’s assure we are not those of whom scripture speaks. We can do better; we can be better. We are the representatives of Christ, and our witness carries significant influence. Be it positive or negative.

 

I am not here to curse the darkness. I am here to light a candle.

 

Insurrectionist carried stun guns, batons, knives, bulletproof vests, nooses, and pepper spray as they searched out members of congress. A retired Air Force officer carried zip ties, A retired firefighter threw a fire extinguisher at officers. Nooses, unambiguous symbols of mob mentality and racial terror, were strung up on the Capitol grounds to remind everyone exactly what the rioters stood for, who they stood against, and what their intent was.

 

This scene was eerily similar to Wilmington, North Carolina, in 1898. America’s first and only successful coup d’etat. Erin E. Evans recaps in a HuffPost article: “During the Reconstruction era, biracial governments came to power in cities across the South. Southern Democrats often retaliated against this new power structure. On Nov. 10, 1898, a mob of white men marched on City Hall in Wilmington with their pistols and rifles to overthrow the local government and remove black political leaders from their posts. They were successful. White supremacists took over. The mob destroyed Black-owned businesses, including the town’s Black newspaper. Dozens of Black residents ended up dead.” There was a belief that Black votes were inherently illegitimate. That was the basis of electoral fraud claims back then, and it is effectively the same claim that’s being made now.

 

History reports that from his pulpit at First Presbyterian Church, The Rev. Peyton Hoge triumphantly defended the 1898 racial violence. “Since we last met in these walls, we have taken a city. . . It has been redeemed for civilization, redeemed for law and redeemed for decency and respectability. . . For these things, let us give God the glory.” Several other white Wilmington pastors also lent their voices to uphold the violent acts.

 

To understand why churches were involved in the 1898 Race Riot, it helps to know that the biblical justification of slavery and segregation hailed from many Protestant churches’ pulpits in the South in the 1800s. Pastors in the South were preaching sermons saying that slavery was indeed God’s plan for the universe. Many of the pastors misinterpreted the Pauline view in Ephesians 6:5 that “slaves, obey your earthly master with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ.” They argued that slavery was not condemned in the scriptures. And used stories from the Bible to buttress their argument, such as the story in Genesis about the Hamite curse. Noah cursed his son, Ham, after the son saw his father lying naked in his tent. They preached that the descendants of Ham were Africans and should be the servants of the white race.

 

For the pastors in Wilmington during 1898, the author added, “the surprising thing would have been if they had actually stood up and said, ‘Hey this is wrong.’ That would have been shocking and unexpected. For them to have done as they did was par for the course because their beliefs agreed with the white supremacist society.” Unfortunately, history is repeating itself and the explicit or implicit acts of faith leader are creating more harm than good.

 

When we strays from the radical love of Jesus into hateful partisan faith, we see the worst. The way to a more perfect union, to a nation where equality before the law and before God is more universal, is the way of Jesus. People of faith are called again and again and again to return to the foot of the cross. It’s a terrifying place to stand. But that is where the story Christians profess begins. It is a story about love, not loathing; generosity, not greed. In our time, the will for power has all too often overwhelmed the Words of Jesus.

 

SOURCE: Star News Online, 1898 riots still resonate with Wilmington’s black churches, Amanda Greene, Nov 6, 2008. The Atlantic, The Lost History of an American Coup D’État, Adrienne Lafrance and Vann R. Newkirk II, August 2017. NYT, Jon Meacham is the author of “The Hope of Glory: Reflections on the Last Words of Jesus from the Cross. Baptistnews.com, Faith leaders make a case for Trump to the delight of some and dismay of others, Mark Wingfield, October 2020.

 

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Inoculation Against Hopelessness 💉
“We wait in hope for the LORD; he is our help and our shield.
In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name.
May your unfailing love rest upon us,
O LORD, even as we put our hope in you.”
Psalms 33:20-22 (NIV)

 

We made it to the new year! Between the pandemic, economic stimulus, racial tension, and political upheaval, 2020 brought on an endless onslaught of emotions. At the end of the long and grueling year (it was just a day or so ago), most of us could use a few words of inspiration and wisdom. So take a virtual seat beside the fire and let’s chat.
First and foremost, we can take solitude that God is still in control. Our dependence can remain in Him and in Him alone. He has promised to not put more on us than we can bear. Nothing happened or is going to happen of which He is not already aware. With that knowledge we can pray,

 

“So, in my trials, God, help me to fix my eyes not on what is seen, the temporary things that burden me, but on what is unseen, that which is eternal. I praise You that You comfort me in my troubles so that I can comfort others with that same comfort.”

 

Our trials are not to be eliminated but seasoned and buoyed up with love and hope because they sharpen us for our destiny.

 

Second, we don’t need to make resolutions this year. We can choose to focus on the outcomes you want and avoid getting caught up in the obstacles to achieving them. Getting mired in a daunting list of obstacles will prevent you from stimulating awareness of all the options you have for succeeding. Adapt your action plans as life unfolds differently than you originally planned, ensuring your actions align with your values and the Word of God. We tend to give too much power to things that are out of their control. You don’t have to be perfect and a big part of accepting this is learning how to embrace your failures, imperfections and fears. Confronting them so you can grow and become the person you are called to be.
Refrain from focusing on self-interest based on acquiring power, status, social recognition, tangible, or intangible rewards. Instead, focus on self-sacrifice based on personal growth and understanding of your patterns of behavior that affect family, friends, health, and relationships. Think about relating more deeply to others, building community, demonstrating love to the unlovable, being of service, or learning something new that enables you to serve others better.

 

You can walk in the grace of resilience, strength, and, yes, hope. Never lose hope – the world was a mess, but God, because He loves us, gave us His son. God has promised victory to all who remain faithful throughout the generations; regardless of social location, race or economic status. God includes and protects each of us, and we are guaranteed a place in his presence. We can be assured that God hasn’t given up on us, let’s not give up on each other.

 

Biblical hope is an application of your faith that supplies a confident expectation in God’s fulfillment of His promises. So demonstrate the power of love and hope one to another. As Wuthnow says, “If we see our own identity [as] part of a divine or transcendent plan, then those who are not us must have an identity within this understanding as well.”

 

When you feel you are losing hope remember – “love your neighbor. . .” came from a man the people slandered. “Forgive them. . .” came from a man who the people crucified on the cross. “I know the plans I have for you. . . to give you a future and a hope. . .” came from the man who promised better things are yet to come!

 

Now go be great in 2021!

 

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The Journey 2021

PATTERNS OF BEHAVIOR

 

Your  practical, inspirational resource for supporting your spiritual walk

 

 

After a year of focus on God’s faithfulness to us, we shift to how we remain faithful to Him by dedicating 2021 to accessing our patterns of behavior that don’t always agree with the Word of God. Patterns of behavior that, when not dealt with, spread like cancer. Those that start in private or out of sight of the public. Once they become entrenched into your lifestyle, it’s only a matter of time until they manifest in other areas of your life.

 

For the maturing Christian, sinful patterns of behavior are an agent of decay. Once sin is introduced into a relationship, a community, or an individual, spiritual productivity is diminished. The enemy gains a foothold when these defeating patterns of behavior rob you of your confidence in the power of God to give you victory over it.

 

You must be willing to get involved again in the process of working with God to gain consistent victory over the temptations your patterns of behavior create. To get the truth back the enemy has convinced you are a lie. The fact that David was a man after God’s own heart illustrates that the righteous person is not sinless but is always eager to correct his errors. There is no magic plan, prayer, or practice. There is, however, a loving Father who is ready to provide “the way of escape” if you are prepared to engage and take advantage.

 

All our struggles are spiritual in nature. Our inner turmoil, not  issues with other people. Each one is part of an ongoing struggle between the Kingdom of God and the kingdom of Satan to control our patterns of behavior. Paul could not have been more explicit about this when he wrote:

 

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”                                                                                              (Eph 6:12)

 

 

My prayer for you this year is that in all you do, how you think about yourself, how you treat others, what you say about yourself and others, and that you will realize there is a war going on; you better fight!

 

“For thought we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds; casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;”                                                                        (2 Corinthians 10:3-5)

 

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The Toxic Source Of Inconsistency

Dr. I. David Byrd

 

An expected result of teaching God’s Word is demonstrating, distinguishing, and defending what we teach. In other words, live what we teach and teach what we live. 1 Corinthians 11:1 says, “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.” The great commission’s high calling is for believers to serve as a Godly example by living out our walk with God.

 

As the world “waxes worse and worse”, we must ponder – is our witness is losing its impact. If people listen more to what we do than what we say, the central question becomes, what are we doing that is driving the world away from the Church? Research shows people are leaving the Church in record numbers. What are they saying to us. Could they be telling us that they are not interested in being a part of what they see from the Church? What attitudes, beliefs, assumptions, or patterns of behavior are we projecting that have become our strongholds and turns people away? Once separated, the enemy has the opportunity to plant all kinds of false truths in their minds.

 

Some believe coercive force is to be used to restrain other people’s activities. Jesus demonstrated that proximity and the Word’s power are more than enough to change humankind’s hearts. Three examples of this:

 

In John 4:4-26, Jesus brought the Samaritan woman at the well to repentance using the Word and demonstrating to those ready to stone her that they too were sinners in need of grace.

 

In Mark 7:24-30, when the Syrophoenician came to speak to Jesus, the disciples dismissed her, labeled her, and advised Jesus to send her away. Yet, Jesus took the time to talk with her. And because of her faith, her daughter was healed.

 

In Luke 24, Jesus responded on the road to Emmaus by using scripture – “beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.” The Bible says they responded, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”

 

The Word is enough to transform hearts and minds on its own. It doesn’t need our coercion, legislation, force, dominance, or judgment to help it. The only help it needs from us is to tell people about it and let them see us living it. Besides, we can’t put anyone in heaven or hell anyway. Only God can provide saving grace. When we come to this knowledge and understanding, our personnel theology will be an example of Christ to this wayward world.

 

I still believe the Church can be the example of Christ.

 

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The Contours of Culture

Dr. I. David Byrd

 

After watching the Democratic and Republican convention’s over the last 2 weeks, it is clear that America is in a cold, political civil war. She has commodified hate for political gain, and now attack people, not problems. Some want to turn hate into an asset. Both sides are impermeable to each other and have their own set of facts and realities. This existential crisis across America is baked, and neither is listening to each other. Each paints the worse picture of the other side. We even witnessed them invoking God for the purpose of political agenda. This sin of self-interest has dominated humankind’s thinking and risk the world’s belief of our witness. Given this current state of America, I felt it best we have a single focus today.

 

As believer’s in a fallen world, we can’t be neutral or negative about our love of neighbor, or our dialogue and actions, or our choices that show the world who Jesus is. Problems and behaviors based on what we believe is needed to meet our own personal desires is not in line with God’s Word. Jesus came to serve and not be served. His love is kind, is not puffed up, does not behave rudely, does not seek its own . . . but rejoices in truth, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

 

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Creating Space for Grace

 

“If you make yourself the main character in the story,

then you’ll evaluate everything that happens by its effect on you

not the affected.”

 

As Christians grapples with the issue of race, it has become apparent that many don’t perceive reality the same. Most are operating under different beliefs and stimuli which come from experiences, something heard, or something read. Facts and truth have differing definitions.  When we interpret through the lens of our self-centered view, the actions of others often make no sense, and frustrate, hurt or infuriate us. But can you see that it can cause problems, inhibit understanding and empathy. 

What you believe about a person or event will determine how you label them. The labels you use will allow you to project valence and dictate your actions to engage or disengage.

As used in psychology, valence means the intrinsic attractiveness (positive valence) or averseness (negative valence) of an event, object, or situation. It is typically easier to use the “other” as a projective object. Efforts, by Blacks, to change their conditions are labeled as social justice, Marxism, critical race theory, cancel culture, or progressive Christianity. Push back or disagreement by Whites is labeled as fragility, racism, privilege, or conservatism. Somehow, Christianity has settled into cultural norms rather than setting the standards for cultural norms based on God’s Word.  We abandon Kingdom conversation of unity for cultural dialogue that divides. America is becoming more and more multiracial, warranting a broader recognition of those who do not fit into a society’s clear-cut notions of race.

Language matters and there is a confusion of the slogan Black Lives Matter – a plea to secure the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for all Americans, especially historically wronged Blacks, with the organization called Black Lives Matter – which has a specific and stated agenda. Maybe a new slogan should be created to separate the movement from the organization. These three words are dissected ad nauseum. We have to unravel the narratives taught in some churches today that assume this movement of Biblical justice being worked out within society is about property and jealousy. Those that oppose the movement use “Thou shall not steal or covet” as the defense to ignore reality. Let’s be clear, the movement is about how you got it, not that you have it. Others say using the word “Black” as the presupposition ignores the transcendent God-ordained meaning of life – The Imago Dei. Some pastors are asking to whom and in what way does it matter? I’ve even heard pastors say that the phrase assigns guilt based on ethnicity which isn’t Biblical. We are all imperfect sinner who moves in faith.  These are brothers and sisters in Christ. Let’s stop throwing other Christians under the bus from the pulpit. A mist in the pulpit can become a fog in the pews. Let’s not forget Sunday’s became and still is the most segregated day of the week.

These pastors cap off their messaging by labeling it ALL as Communism or Marxism. Using the old playbook, going back to the ’50’s and ’60’s, labeling any principle that attempts to obtain a level playing field for all. M.L. King was viewed as a Communist for calling out the situation people faced. The reality was that King’s view of Communism was that it was fundamentally incompatible with Christianity. The central issue King was calling out was the defense of the gulf between superfluous wealth and abject poverty.

As Christians, we cannot ignore or excuse the past sins. We must confront them, repent for them, and find ways to correct the actions that may allow them to continue. If you see God’s image in you as more valuable than the image of God in those different from you, you have lifted yourself to be better than the other person. That is about “have no other idols before God” and “thou shall not bear false witness”.  God’s summarized the commandments because we tend to prioritize to fit our needs – “Love God and to Love your neighbor.” One cannot say “I love God” but hates their neighbor or has nothing to do with their neighbor. Because God is love, we are able to love. Love pleases the Lord and makes one worthy of the Lord’s saving grace. From God’s love, mercy and compassion follow.

My prayer is that when our strength is fading in a world of moral decline, self-interest, and cultural confusion that integrity will shine as a light upon a hill.  Only by coming together across geography, race, class, denomination, age, across all the differences that really do NOT matter, will we be able to listen to each other. It’s only by embracing one another in a spirit of love and collaboration that we create space to grow in grace together.

 

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Where Do We Go From Here . . .

The iphone camera has exposed the painful reality and experiences that people of color have been shouting about for years. Those of us who have been in the trenches for decades fighting racism in America wonder how long the soul searching will last. There is a system, and then there is individual bias. There are structures that perpetuate racism and then people who give in to that system. We eventually will need to move beyond the rage and began to think about what’s next? To determine what we can do as a group and as individuals to change the conditions of hearts and minds. The Church must step up to lead change in communities; following the footsteps of Jesus and stand in unity surrounding the things that matter to God.

 

Christians commanded to “Love the Lord your God. . . and to love your neighbor as yourself.” It’s challenging to love others well if you don’t love God first. But loving God is only half of the story. His love needs to transform the way you view yourself. When you see yourself the way God sees you, you can love others the way God loves you. 2 Cor 3:18 teaches, “You become what you behold.” We must open our eyes to see what to do. Because when all is said and done, more has been said than done.

 

I once heard Vernon Jordan use an analogy of tearing down an old building to replace it with a new modern and useful one. He said that “the wrecking ball that knocks down the building takes only hours, but the clearing of the debris takes much longer.” How do we clear the rubble?  By implementing cleanup crews against injustice, hate, apathy, and economic imbalances. We pick up the weapon of truth, the recognition of courage. The Church can embrace the responsibility to clear the rubble.

 

We have reached a tipping point where Christian leaders are posting to social media that they now want to listen to the pain and listen to the issues people of color are facing. Jesus first listened, engaged in conversation to understand the change needed, and then changed the conditions of the individuals and the community. That third step is the  “miracles” because it took great faith to execute. That is the step that will be the most challenging and require the self-sacrifice that Jesus calls us all to make. It’s the cleaning up of the rubble. Those that are affected have made their message clear, “if the social structure doesn’t care about them, why should they care about the social structure.” When you devalue someone’s experience because it is not your reality, their anger and actions are in direct proportion to their experience.

 

White Evangelicals often have differing views of the Gospel than people of color. The cultural causality tools used to provide context may account for the differing theological views:

 

    • Freewill individualism that minimizes and individualize the race problem as ones on fault;

 

    • Capitalism that despite years of politicians insisting otherwise, the laws of economic gravity have always run in reverse. Opportunity doesn’t trickle down, it cascades out and up;

 

    • Ideologies that further self-interest over the good of the group;

 

    • Economic productivity that the only long term solution to poverty comes when people have skills and discipline to get economically productive jobs and keep them;

 

    • Choosing to ignore the institutionalization of racialization in economic, political, educational, social, and religious systems. Often thinking and acting as if these problems do not exist;

 

    • Moral vision based on people needing external structures or constraints in order to behave well, cooperate, and thrive;

 

  • A belief in relationalism founded in the personal determination of “who is my neighbor.” Believed to be spiritually and individually, not temporally and socially based.

 

The challenge to everyone is to live like Jesus. Cleaning up the rubble will require us to consider the needs of others. To overcome not being comfortable talking to people of other races. To move from evaluating everything in terms of potential threat or benefit to the self, and then adjusting behavior to more of the good stuff and less of the bad. Therein lies the miracle; the change of heart that leads to a shift in thinking that results in a change in actions.

 

The solutions are not a call for you to be ashamed of the past nor a call for you to say racism is wrong, but it is a call to take specific actions. It’s no longer acceptable to say you believe in equality but act in ways that perpetuate inequality. To stay on the same path, you either lack the courage to take action or don’t care.

 

To the small, medium, and mega multicultural churches, this is a heartfelt call from a place of love and request for a more racially unified church that no longer compromises what the Bible teaches about human dignity and equality. The images used in worship and preaching must reflect the diversity of your congregation.  Jesus and the angels with blonde-haired and blue-eyed who came from Africa portrays a false narrative. The pictures of those in need of service always being people of color is misleading. Diverse leadership is not starting/expanding campuses into communities of colors and installing a Pastor of that ethnicity while maintaining a white decision-making structure at the main campus.

 

We violate God’s intention for the human family by creating false categories of value and identify based on identifiable characteristics such as culture, place of origin, and skin color. We first have to be reconciled meaning, I have to feel and see dignity in you, not just accept you because the Bible tells me to or because it is comfortable. Seeing dignity does not come by overlooking differences through emphasizing a shared human identity that ignores race. We transcend racial differences in the context of our primary identity as one in Christ.

 

To use the words of Divided By Faith, “The choices and actions that people make to deal with racial divisions do matter and can make a difference. Good intentions are not enough. But educated, sacrificial, realistic efforts made in faith across racial lines can help us move toward a more just, equitable, and peaceful society. And that is a purpose well worth striving toward. That is the message of the Gospel.”

 

Heavenly Father, we need you at a level that is beyond the ordinary. We need you at a supernatural level because you have allowed it to be clear that we have human limitations. So we cry out to you for wisdom, knowledge and understanding. 

 

In Jesus’ name. Amen
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Pulling Down Strongholds – Part III

In Part II, we unpacked how this pandemic may be exposing our financial strongholds. Today, as we are all dealing with pain, loss, grief, and suffering we explore from a new vantage point how our beliefs about the poor and food insecurities can become a stronghold. The apostle Paul defines strongholds as “speculations or lofty things raised against the knowledge of God. It is any type of thinking that exalts itself above the knowledge of God, thereby giving the devil a secure place of influence in an individual”.

 

Again, and again, individuals and communities have demonstrated that the worst situations tend to bring out the best in people. In every moment of darkness, there are countless moments of small gestures of compassion and connection that allow people to show who they are, how they want to live, and what matters to them. Shawn Donnan and Reade Pickert reported, “just a four-minute drive across the lagoon from Mar-a-Lago, President Donald Trump’s private club, and ten minutes from the Palm Beach outposts of Chanel and Louis Vuitton, Howley’s diner has become an emblem of America’s stark new economic reality. The kitchen staff at Howley’s has been cooking up free meals for thousands of laid-off workers from Palm Beach’s shuttered restaurants and resorts. The rows of brown-bag lunches and dinners are an early warning that the country’s income gap is about to be wrenched wider as a result of the COVID-19 crisis, and the deep recession it has brought with it. Palm Beach is one of the richest counties in the country.

 

Even as much of America is fretting about supermarket shelves depleted of their favorite cereal brands and toilet paper or the logistics of curbside pickup from favorite restaurants, a brutal new hunger crisis is emerging among laid-off workers that has begun to overwhelm the infrastructure that normally takes care of the needy.”

 

Unfortunately, a large portion of the middle class are now experiencing the long food lines; and its not the grocery store lines. They are in food distribution lines faced with a predetermined choice, long waits, and the shame of having to depend on someone else for sustenance. These people aren’t lazy, on drugs or unmotivated. Circumstances have created havoc in people’s lives, yet it’s easy to understand their plight. They are our neighbors; they are just like us. We should be willing to assist them.

 

Donnan and Pickert further presented, “The surge in demand is not just in Palm Beach. Food banks have recorded increases in requests for assistance as government-ordered lockdowns have started to bite, prompting employers to lay off staff. Food insecurity was already a chronic problem in many U.S. communities. Across the U.S. 14.3 million households were short of food in 2018.”

 

Everyday life has become a struggle — not just finding food, clothes, or diapers, but finding the money to pay for them. The pre-existing problem of food insecurity is exploding as more and more without work have come to depend on various types of support organizations. A second wave of job loss is hitting those who thought they were safe. The middle class is, or are, a few months away from becoming part of this group mostly defined as “the poor”.

 

Our guest speaker, Jeremy Everett wrote in the Dallas Morning News, “Too many of our views about the causes of hunger in our nation are made up of one anecdotal experience, Facebook posts, or our favorite news source. Rarely are our opinions informed by actual research, a comprehensive biblical view, or proximity to the problem.

 

“In Matthew 25, Jesus lays out our responsibility: “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.” 
Here, what matters is whether a person has acted with love and cared for the needy. These acts are not just “extra credit” but constitute the decisive criterion for judgment. The calling of the faithful is clear: Feed the hungry and you will live. Unfortunately, we have scapegoated the poor to justify not living up to our calling. To scapegoat and push the poor out of our minds, we’ve had to dehumanize them. We have worked hard to classify the poor as lazy, to divide them as deserving and undeserving. We have developed theologies of prosperity to lift those who are rich in order to demonize those who are poor.

 

Thus, we’ve decided that it is morally defensible for some children to have an abundance of food while others have nothing in the fridge. We can just blame the parent for being lazy or entitled. This is antithetical to the Scripture we read in Matthew. After all, the accused in Matthew are the ones that did not see the hungry and give them food. The ones that did not provide shelter for the stranger. Instead, Matthew calls us to not only see the hungry as humans, but to see them as Jesus.”

 

Maybe. . . just maybe this is an opportunity for everyone to gain an understanding, through a lived experience, the struggle to acquire food when things are out of your control. Maybe. . . just maybe we are experiencing a season of great spiritual awakening. Maybe. . .  just maybe this is a chance to see the poor as Jesus sees them. Maybe. . . just maybe we will have a little more compassion for the least, the lost and the last. Maybe. . . just maybe if we can come up with $2 Trillion in welfare to rescue those we can justify as in need; our view of justification can become Biblical for those we can’t justify due to our strongholds of thinking of our self more highly than we ought.  In an effort to keep me humble my mother use to always say, “There, but for the grace of God, go I”.

 

God, we need You. Oh how we need You. You are our first defense, our righteousness. Our lives have been turned upside down and we search for answers. At times we lose our way and forget that You asked us to think of others more highly than we do of ourselves. Break strongholds in our lives. Help us to be examples of You to a wondering world.

 

In Jesus name we pray. Amen

 

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Pulling Down Strongholds – Part II

 

We are now in the early phase of a medical and economic disruption unmatched in most of our lifetimes. It has crashed economies, broken health-care systems, filled hospitals, emptied public spaces, separated people from their workplaces and their friends. This fast-spreading virus is prompting some economists to even predict a U.S. recession. This current need for social distancing is high-stakes and non-negotiable. Social Distancing, a term that epidemiologists are using to refer to a conscious effort to reduce close contact between people and hopefully stymie community transmission of the virus. We are in a grey area now with much contemplation on how we go about daily life. We’re all participants in the world’s largest natural experiment in behavior change.

 

Psychologists sometimes describe the barrier to behavior change as the conflict between wants and should. This can be described as strongholds. We know we should choose the side salad, but we want the basket of fries. We know we should shelter in place but we’re bored and want to get out. We know the Bible instructs us that we should love our neighbor, but we want to think of ourselves as different than them. When we consider our susceptibility, we fall victim to the illusion of invulnerability.

 

I’m reminded of the rich ruler in Mark 10:17 – 27 who thought he was doing everything right but was so consumed with his money that Heaven had became a distant dream. One of his problems was that he considered himself to be faultless concerning the Law. Stronghold! With surgical precision, Jesus simply touched on the one issue that exposed the greed the ruler did not even suspect he had. He should have listened to Jesus but he wanted to keep his money. He was not willing to make the change and follow the Lord if that meant he must share his wealth with others. He broke two commandments – he did not love his neighbor as himself, and he did not love the Lord with all his heart. He had made an idol of his wealth, and he loved it more than God. Stronghold! The rich ruler needed the Savior, and the financial fears the world is showing today demonstrates so do we.

 

Allow me to ponder with you that maybe. . . just maybe God is trying to show us that our dependence needs to be on him and not on our finances. I’m not saying God sent Covid-19 but maybe. . . just maybe since our finances have become our strongholds, He’s allowing us to see that finances can’t save us. Freewill individualism, the belief that people are expected to survive on their own. Maybe. . . just maybe the coronavirus outbreak will shock us into understanding just how much damage financial strongholds have inflicted upon American society. In Deuteronomy 15. God says, if you followed the Law, as you claim to do, there wouldn’t be any needy people among you. But there are, because of your unfaithfulness. In other words, Jesus makes it plain that we can (should) solve this problem at any time we want.

 

I read a post that gives us something to think about, “In three short months, just like He did with the plagues of Egypt, God has taken away everything we worship. God said you want to worship athletes; I will shut down the stadiums. You want to worship musicians; I will shut down Civic Centers.  You want to worship actors; I will shut down theaters. You want to worship money; I will shut down the economy and collapse the stock market. You don’t want to go to church and worship Me, I will make it where you can’t go to church. “If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” Maybe we don’t need a vaccine. Maybe we need to take this time of isolation from the distractions of the world and have a personal revival where we focus on the ONLY thing in the world that really matters. JESUS!” 

 

The future is uncertain, the economy is in turmoil, but God is still on the throne breaking strongholds. As we approach Easter, maybe . . . just maybe we reflect on the greatest “should” ever, the uncommon love of the Cross.

 

God, we come to you with our lamentations, our worries and our fears. Wrap them in the mantle of your love. Fill us with peace so that we may share it with the world. Let us exult daily in your glory as we look forward to the resurrection.

 

In Jesus name we pray. Amen