The Scourge Of Racism
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Released January 5, 2024
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The anniversary eve of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack upon our nation is a fitting jump off point to briefly consider the so much lengthier topic of the American heritage. Our nation’s reaction to that attack pulls together many of the character qualities, traditional values and classic features of what it means in a generic sense culturally to be an American going back to its founding. However, while there was a time our American heritage once widely involved pledging allegiance to the flag as “one nation under God,” even this former nearly consensus sentiment has fallen prey to an increasingly testy national divisiveness in political, racial and spiritual matters among others.
Possibly for the last time like it in our nation’s history, September 11th galvanized it as one after receiving the painful bloody nose from a sucker punch thrown by terrorists. This was so because one of the character qualities of America drawn from the large number of professed Christians attempting to live out a biblical morality since its inception is not to go around picking fights with others. It was after all, only after feeling bullied and overwrought by king George’s colonial taxes and policies that a desire for independence was fueled with war to obtain it only if necessary. The colonists determined war was necessary and prepared a document declaring their reasons for seeking independence.
I will come back to the aforementioned document in just a moment. Here though, just like those colonists of American history, I want to acknowledge what has become a traditional value when the nation in 2001 rallied to our leaders who determined war was necessary in this case to defend the homeland and deter any others that would consider such a brazen attack upon our citizens. As a classic feature of the American heritage, our citizen soldiers (of which many of the men in my family have stood among in serving our country) bravely went out to foreign lands to accomplish their assignments with resolve, honor and great sacrifice as some returned wounded; others deceased.
Though they were divided in convictions within the context of divergent practices of Christianity, political, economic, social and educational philosophies, a group of European descended white men gathered together to craft their Declaration of Independence. In it was written this key phrase: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.…”1 These amazing words penned in unity out of diversity pay tribute to the excellence of biblical morality that teaches human equality and God as Creator who is the Teacher!
Of all the character qualities that emerged as the American heritage from the nation’s fight for independence was at least the stated recognition of the Bible’s God as righteous Sovereign over mankind who created all equal. How the black forefathers in colonial times must have had every hope that such biblically sound, noble and inspiring words about equality and a God given right to life and liberty would apply to them when the smoke of the Revolutionary War for independence cleared and which many of them fought including the most famous, Crispus Attucks, and died.2 But this did not happen as slavery was retained and its horrors also made a part of the American heritage.
Unfortunately, after the war for independence came a Civil War less than a hundred years later that divided the nation against itself over the equality of men as a moral principle which had not held up in law or practice.3 Indeed, racial bigotry and discrimination practiced by white Americans in the majority against blacks and other minorities became common practice even after the Civil War up to this very hour as another part of the American heritage.4 It cannot be denied that centuries of tolerating and practicing racism caused it to become systemic though, some calling themselves conservative Christians are trying; defensively angry that their white heritage is negatively put upon when the true American history of racism is presented as if there is some other responsible group.5
Slavery, Jim Crow Segregation and systemic racism carried out by guilty whites are just as much a part of this ignoble aspect of our American heritage as the racial minorities harmed. Keeping it real, America as a melting pot ostensibly and ideally forged together as one in unity has not happened to any outstanding degree except in times of major national crisis of which September 11th has been among them. A racially diverse nation in unity under God is a bygone ideal at this juncture of a divisive 21st century America at large and tragically in Christ’s Church that should be exemplary.6 God’s intervention is possible, but not without repentance first among all who profess to know Him as Christians.7 Blessed is he who has the Lord as his untarnished eternal heritage (Psalm 73:25-26)!
1 See America’s Founding Documents at the National Archives.
2 Learn more about Crispus Attucks who was a mixed race African and Indigenous man; carrying the banner of hope for equality in the fight for independence for both as well as all future Americans.
3 Read the February 12, 2023 post, Leaders Can Get Their Nations In Trouble, under the category, Call To Repent.
4 And right on cue a young white male murdered three black persons the police concluded out of racial bigotry and hate in Jacksonville, Florida this past August following a recent string of these types of incidents in other parts of the nation.
5 See the two-part post beginning January 16, 2022, Arriving At These Times, under the category, Call To Repent. Also, in the book, The Unsaved Christian by Dean Inserra, Copyright 2019, Moody Publishers, Chicago, pastor Inserra as a conservative white evangelical makes it clear beginning on page 171 that the practice of cultural Chris- tianity especially in the American South is a credible reason defensiveness and anger would feed a completely morally indefensible denial of racism in the American and white American heritages. In biblical Christianity, we own our sin and repent of it!
6 Because His Church is not exemplary of unity racial or otherwise, I am pleased to announce the soon release of the latest Strong Man Of God Brand Resource the Lord has granted me to author for evangelical men white, black and all others: The Scourge Of Racism. Learn more at this link. I tie this updated work as an urgent application to my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics. It is available right now, in a Hard or Soft Cover or E-Book Edition in the Strong Man Store, among internet booksellers and brick and mortar bookstores.
7 Unity busting racism is sin that must be repented of by every guilty soul professed to be a Christian! Let the Lord speak to your heart about how serious He is regarding pro- fessed Christian repentance from all sin through this Ministry’s Strong Man Of God Online Rally, Return To The Lord, available to watch free on its dedicated YouTube Chan- nel.
To all of the mothers reading this post, Happy Mother’s Day! Though she has gone to be with the Lord, as my brother, Richard, reminded me a year or so ago at this time while we talked about our mother, the song performed back in the day by The Intruders, I’ll Always Love My Mama, well captured the truth about her.1 Motherhood is a female’s greatest gift to the world because as that very simple, but powerful song says, “She brought me in this world” and “you only get one.” A biblical worldview of female design and purpose confirms motherhood as her greatest gift.2 The older we get, the more we appreciate what our mothers taught and sacrificed working to help provide for us.
If a female is never recognized for anything else in this life, her greatest gift and contribution to the world is in having been or being a mother of (or to) children! Even in the twisted soap opera-like drama of Jacob, Rachel and Leah I touched on in a post earlier this year, the positive biblical worldview of motherhood shines through.3 Jacob’s uncle, Laban, had two daughters. Leah was the oldest, had “delicate” eyes and given the description of her younger sister, Rachel, as “beautiful of form and appearance,” was not as pretty. Laban deceived Jacob on his wedding night he had worked seven years to have with Rachel by switching out the women (Genesis 29:15-25, NKJV).4
The matter was resolved by Laban promising to give Rachel to Jacob if he would serve him another seven years. Jacob agreed to do so and took Rachel to himself; loving her “more than Leah,” (Genesis 29:26-30, NKJV).5 In the rivalry for Jacob’s love (attention, affection, affirmation etc.) that ensued between the sisters, a core value of their existence as females and greatest gift to him as well as the world by divine design came to the forefront as they vied for who would first bear him children and the most. On that score, Leah prevailed because God had compassion on her though, it is sad to see her using childbearing in attempts to gain Jacob’s love (Genesis 29:31-30:24, 35:16-20).
Many females, of course, down through history have had Leah’s motive for getting pregnant and in no less of a time than our own especially among teenagers. Most females feared pregnancy enough to at least offer initial stiff resistance to intercourse back in the time of my late 1960s-mid 70s teens. But because of the competition particularly for popular males, they would abandon their fear of pregnancy for typically the short-lived or shared love of their suitor with another female. Many still got pregnant with the appearance of birth control pills and even after legalized abortion, kept their children largely because like Leah with her husband, they wanted baby daddy’s love.6
While Scripture does not tell us if Jacob ever came to love Leah as he did Rachel, it appears he had a very high regard for her at the end. This is seen in Jacob referring to her as “your mother” to Joseph in an incident long after the death of Rachel, his mother, and the act of burying only Leah of his wives in the burial plot of his “fathers” Abraham and Isaac (Genesis 37:9-11; 49:29-33, NKJV). No doubt Jacob’s high regard for Leah is tied in some measure to the many sons and a daughter she bore him which men of ancient times up until these latter days greatly appreciated (Psalm 127:3-5).7 Indeed, without authentic females of God’s design and creation, motherhood as their greatest gift to husbands and the world would not be nor any of us (Genesis 1:26-28, 2:18-25, 3:20, 28:1-5).
1 The 1973 song released near the close of the message music era was written by Gene McFadden, John Whitehead, Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff who were among the leading and prolific contributors to the genre at The Sound Of Philadelphia Record Label. Back then and to us baby boomers and older still to this day, the song reso- nated because very few did not have a mother or grandmother for which the song’s lyrics did not ring true. Tragically, this is not the case today for many children born and raised into a time of widespread parental self-preoccupation and selfishness.
2 Read the May 9, 2021 post, Mothers Are A Design Marvel Of God, under the category, Glory To God!
3 See the January 15, 2023 post, Rachel’s Children Live!, under the category, Instruction.
4 Lots of wine, face covered veils and darkness easily makes Jacob’s failure to notice the switch plausible.
5 In those days still close to the aftermath of Noah’s flood when genetically, family intermarriage was safe and before His Law to Israel, the Lord in His perfect will did not pro- hibit Jacob’s marriage to his two cousins (Genesis 9:1, 7, 18-19, 11:27-30, 20:1-13; Leviticus 18:1-18). In His permissive will, God permitted Jacob’s polygamy and did not hide in it or that of any others, the inherent pitfalls of this arrangement. God’s perfect will for marriage is monogamy (Genesis 2:24).
6 Keeping it real, a number also wanted and felt secure in the government assistance they would receive! Bringing children into the world for any other motive or circum- stance than married parental love is not only wrong-headed, but detrimental to the spiritual, mental and emotional well being of all concerned, but most especially the chil- dren. As I write in The Strong Man Of God; Back To Basics, aspiring strong men and great women of God in the image of Christ have their children in the context of mari- tal love and to please God for the best hope of healthy families. Pick up a Hard or Soft Cover or E-Book Edition of my book as well as companion Strong Man Of God Men’s Group Study and Great Woman Of God Women’s Group Study in the Strong Man Store, among internet booksellers and brick and mortar bookstores.
7 Every male on the planet ought to appreciate the mother who bore him and any woman that bears him children!
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