BET'S Celebration of Gospel was another success. Taped at the Orpheum Theater in Los Angeles, it's 10th anniversary show was hosted once again by Steve Harvey. There were uplifting performances, powerful duets and soulful choirs , featured performances and spoken word segments by both mainstream and gospel greats.
I relish lyrics, so the words were all encouraging, but are we just enjoying the temporary feelings that the words put to music and beat often bring? Church is where we get this touch with the Holy Spirit, but do we, as a culture, listen to his counsel on Monday morning? We do not want the finger pointers, but we do not say stop to our cultural and spiritual decline either. We just go on year after year saying one thing and allowing something else!
Historically, the church’s stand on issues, political or social, has been the barometer by which we measure right and wrong behavior in our communities. We know how much the culture is hurting with violence and deaths as a result of drugs, gangs, ragged relationships, HIV-Aids, the neglect and abandonment of children by their black fathers, and the overall acceptance of this way of life by the black culture.
Even many of our churches avoid the subject of the erosion of the black family, the black man's and black woman's 'bed business', and the lack of responsible leadership in family. I am surprised at how some churches compromise God’s word on such matters in order to get some implied or promised social or financial advantage. Where is the moral leadership for black families to rely upon as a support system?
PBS’s Juan Williams, several years ago, did a revealing report on the black churches response and non response to the AIDS epidemic. In my estimation, the church pews are filled with tens of thousands every Sunday morning; people who are out of control. Churches need to take that opportunity to address such things as the killing of each other with guns, drugs, HIV-Aids and the abandonment of children. They need to use God's word to implore the behavior to stop, and encourage those stronger to be helping hands.
The black church was instrumental in the The Civil Rights Struggle. Being black, brown, or yellow is not a sin. Despite the injurious, negligent, and improper practice of Christianity by some whites, by their past beliefs and subsequent acts of racism, in the name of Jesus, there is nothing in God's word that says, implies or assigns any wrongdoing to natural citizens of a country moving to get all its benefits. Descendants of slaves were born in this country; ancestors had invested in its bedrock and foundation; its wealth. America had laws of inequity, unfairness, and injustice for these descendants of slaves. It was America, not the struggle, that was out of God's will. Immigrants and other minorities in this country must credit black leadership for making it a lot easier for them to step right up and walk right into basic opportunity, chance, and right, something we blacks in America did not have. Descendants of slaves were the pioneers of the initiative, approach, concept, and work in major promising civil rights in America. We led and prepared the way, facing the serious difficulty and danger through slavery, desegregation and the press for civil rights.
We, who call ourselves born again black Christians, can not continue to help or permit stuff that is against Christ's teaching. Remember the bible's account of the woman caught in the act of adultery and shoved by a group of men before Jesus to punish? The group of hypocrites did not bring the man that was in the act with the woman. Well, Jesus did not say, “Go on girlfriend, do your thang. Forget these jokers.” No Jesus told her to stop committing adultery and cautioned her accusers about finger pointing and urged them to be more understanding; more compassionate and to remember their own failures. As a culture, we seem to understand only part of this exchange. We do not want the finger pointers, but we do not say stop either.
The love that Christ teaches is not one that provides approval and legislation of any and every kind of act. We are not to do that. Loving someone does not include agreeing to sanction or accept any kind of behavior. It is a forgiving love. It is giving another chance love. It is a patient love. It is recognizing none of us are mistake proof love. But let us not forget, it is a help you to be more like Christ love. Saying stop is an important element that should not be left out of the exchange.
Praising the Lord, like was done on Celebration of Gospel, is necessary, right and important, but we have to avoid even the appearance of being hypocritical about our own tendency to enable and accept blatant wrong doing from those among us. It's self deceit and it's self defeat and we all know, God is watching! What we believe should be evident in how we live! What are you seeing?
"BLACK MEN STOP!"
Discussion in Chapter 8 "HELP"
by Gail Smallwood
http://blackmenstop.ning.com
Posted By: g smallwood
Monday, January 11th 2010 at 12:44AM
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