The Scourge Of Racism
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Released October 5, 2023
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At the mid-point of the last century, God once again exposed the evil under belly of ostensible Christian America to the world. In the historically documented brutal response to the quest of its black citizens for justice, equality and voting among other rights in the Civil Rights Movement, America was seen to be significantly filled with spiritually unregenerate citizens. The hypocritically selective love, morality, ethics and works of race propagated and propped up so long by decidedly white faced Christianity as a religion in the land was rendered powerless as a moral authority nearly overnight and has not recovered its prominence to this day; to the contrary, its churches are dying.
Meanwhile, in rebellion against God and His Anointed since, the nominally professed Christian en route to becoming fully secularized culture has created its own form of Christianity complete with the gods, morality, ethics and works it wants founded upon political correctness and tolerance. Seeking to be relevant and survive, many churches have fallen away in defection to the culture as foretold (2 Thessalonians 2:3); serving up and paying homage to the new gods of cultural Christianity. Incredibly, the Lord first made me aware of this national situation through my crying out for repentance and revival among black American Christians and churches heading into this century.2
So, now, in the main, Christianity as a religion in America is a captive servant to the culture as its religious comforter in crisis and otherwise, must perform in accord with the delineation of an existence and legal dictates required by the government as its enforcement arm contrary to God’s will and the Constitution. So much for religious liberty and there is no other nation to run to for it since as foretold by the Lord, hatred of Christians is rapidly going global (Matthew 10:22, 24:9)! Thus, the stage is set for an inevitable showdown between American culture and God’s faithful that will not bow in denial of Christ or compromise His Word for it. Many will suffer and be martyred (Luke 21:12-19).
Contrary to the scoffing of patriot professing Christians that call what I am about to say “gloom and doom,” all of us that are of the faithful and care deeply first not for the humanly constructed entity called America, but our fellow citizens must snap out of denial. We must face the reality that America the “great experiment” devoid of godly citizens in the majority to help it work is failing just as the founders warned.3 For the ungodly of the culture have not only divorced themselves from the counterfeit form, but openly rebelled against the God of real Christianity and His Word entirely; inviting His assured wrath upon the nation as His Word warns (Psalms 2:1-5; Proverbs 14:34-35).
Our nation has no special exception in God’s Word exempting it from His wrath upon earth’s nations when it comes (Isaiah 40:15-17; Jeremiah 25:15-33; Zephaniah 1:14-18; Revelation 6:12-17, 16:17-21). Already God’s painful remedial judgments on the land are evident as is America’s slip in world standing so far from being that “shining city upon a hill.”4 This year’s wicked race for President, the nation’s continuing moral slide, growing lawlessness, hopelessness and despair are among many other plain indicators it is slowly crumbling. No sinful mortal, new social order, political or educational system, economic plan, return to the old time religion or any other can save the nation.
There is only one Person and Name Heaven has given for salvation, God’s Son, Jesus the Christ (Psalm 2:6-12; Acts 4:8-12)! Therefore, if there would be any hope of prolonging America past any premature point of demise, repentance and revival must take place now among needy Christians of all hues (Psalm 51:1-17)! Or do not American professors of Christianity as apathetic, hypocritical religionists understand God holds them responsible in major part for the current state of the nation and disdain for Him as the Jews of old (Romans 2:17-24)? For sin always has known and unintended consequences! Without any event or fanfare then, professing Christians that are guilty must begin to seek a personal encounter with Christ like unto the apostle Paul (Acts 9:1-9; Philippians 3:1-11).
In this encounter, all sin must be earnestly confessed and repented from so that with His forgiveness, needed revival will come from God! After this, rather than a place at the table of culture and comfortable status, with His heart for the lost let the salvation of our lost fellow citizens mean more to us (John 11:45-48). Not any longer the feeble attempt to build a “Christian nation”--the Kingdom of God on earth that singularly awaits the return of Christ, but the revival fed, passionate return to preaching the Gospel and witnessing Him to make disciples as He has solely commanded (Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 1:8)! This work our God has never left undone as Billy Graham, for example, was conducting evangelistic crusades at the height of civil unrest in America last century.
The Graham team and effective evangelists such as Luis Palau and Greg Laurie continue at this hour. They, however, are not to be alone since the Lord’s command is to all of His disciples. So, let us with the courage and zeal of ancient aspiring strong men of God in Christ’s image such as Joshua get after it because the end of all nations save Israel fast approaches (Joshua 10:6-15; Jeremiah 46:27-28). As I am led by the Lord to write in the booklet, The Scourge Of Racism,5 repentant and revived American Christians can go out like Samson who also failed to fully please the Lord. In mercy, he was granted an opportunity by God to finish well (Judges 16:23-31). The risen, living Christ continues His cry among American churches, "Who is on the Lord's side?"
2 https://fromslaverytovictory.org/Journal-May-2004
3 See Wall Builder's Web Page: Importance Of Morality And Religion In Government.
4 A phrase used by President Ronald Reagan in his farewell address January 11, 1989 with Puritan and ultimately biblical roots (Matthew 5:14).
5 https://fromslaverytovictory.org/Resource-Store-Home
On this Lord’s Day and occasion of solemn remembrance for the lives lost during the murderous events of 2001, I reflect and as the Lord’s servant, soberly continue calling for repentance and revival in the churches. While not all of those that died that day were professing Christians, the national religious response in the aftermath was decidedly Christian in sight and sound as services were held at the National Cathedral (the closest thing in the culture to an official church) and churches around the nation. In one of only a few times in American history to that point, the nation was blindsided by evil and Christianity as the culture’s primary religion was looked to for comfort.
For a few weeks attendance in the nation’s churches was up as has been typical historically in times of crisis. Comforted by sermons extolling the love, care and compassion of God along with the familiar music and traditional rituals of the respective church services, the largely professing, cultural American Christians quickly returned to their usual routines as many researchers noted at the time.1 Since then, the same researchers are reporting a continuing slide in religious participation by Americans. As I write, many especially conservative evangelical Christians decry this and are bemoaning the departure of America away from its religious roots as a “Christian nation.”
The descriptor of America as a “Christian nation” is strongly held by such persons because generically speaking, Christianity has been the dominant religion of the nation by pure number of professing adherents since its inception. Early explorers hailed from European nations where Christianity was the dominant religion and the colonists that followed declared themselves Christian in name if not fully in practice. Indeed, many from the various Protestant sects fled Europe to escape from murderous persecution by fellow Protestants, Catholic and State church authorities. They sought freedom to practice their beliefs and convictions of conscience without consequence.
Though there had been no idyllic precedent in Europe after many noble tries over the centuries, some idealists did hope to set up a Christian land in the New World. As I wrote in my September 4, 2016 post, Christianity The Religion American Style in this same category, the United States of America arose from the large moral and ethical influence of the real and counterfeit forms of Christianity among a number of heady political and social ideas of the time. In spite of badly missing the biblical mark by for example, racially redefining “neighbor” as “whites only” in sinfully showing partiality (Luke 10:25-37; James 2:1-13), the influence of Christianity as its dominant religion helped shape America’s culture through the mid-twentieth century.
America’s entrepreneurial, “can do” spirit and valuing of hard work to build something up out of nothing can be directly traced back to those early colonists and the Protestant work ethic. The concern for rights and justice embodied in the founding documents clearly acknowledge and declare they flow from a Creator; the Judeo-Christian God of the Bible. From that Bible too, proper social behavior, the concept of fair play and concern for the poor, widow and orphan had been drawn. Religious zeal wrapped in cultural arrogance by some among professing Christians, led to America being of the greatest missionary sending and supporting nations in Christian history.
Truly, America became great reaching its pinnacle with the victory of World War II because of its initial tip of the hat to God, noble, though selective attempt to live out the Bible’s moral and ethical precepts and doing of commendable works in human strength. However, even with a continuing respectful tip of the hat to God, full adherence to the Bible’s morality and ethics (if this were possible) and doing works, the nation was surely going to come to where it is now spiritually which is far from anything like “Christian.” For every faithful Christian knows just acknowledging God, morality, ethics and works are not what biblical and real Christianity is all about first, but salvation from sin leading to reconciliation with God, spiritual regeneration and eternal life (Romans 5:6-11; Titus 3:3-8)!
For God as sovereign Judge has declared His verdict of condemnation on all mankind that we are sinners unable to perfectly keep and be justified by His law which embodies His holy will and just demands of us (Romans 3:9-20). But He in love and by grace has provided righteousness for us through repentance and faith alone in the Gospel of His Son, Jesus Christ because even at our human best, we miss God’s standard of perfection (Romans 3:21-31). If every citizen to a man genuinely came to Christ for salvation, reconciliation with God, spiritual regeneration and eternal life then and only then might America lay claim to being a “Christian nation.” The risen, living Christ continues His cry among American churches, "Who is on the Lord's side?"
1 Google “post 9 11 church attendance” and among others, read the Fox News article citing Barna Research findings.
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.
Having just spent time giving serious thanks to God for all of His blessings this Thanksgiving, the Lord again directs my attention to the persecution being suffered by my Christian brethren among many nations. Though I do not write a lot about the ongoing persecution of Christians, I stay regularly informed and prayerful for all. The aforementioned “all” includes not just the suffering faces of those in faraway lands such as North Korea and Nigeria, but increasingly, those enduring persecution in this Western hemisphere and our own nation. Truly, growing hostility toward and persecution of Bible believing Christians in America is a reality that can no longer be dismissed as only isolated.
As a supporter of similarly named, but organizationally unrelated Open Doors USA, our Ministry regularly receives their reports on what is happening among our persecuted Christian brethren around the world.1 Not only are our brethren suffering from family and community exclusion within the nations they live, but government harassment, arrests, unfair trials, incarceration, legally sanctioned mob violence and martyrdom. When the Christian men are targeted for incarceration or murder, it leaves their families to suffer. While Communist and Islamic run nations fill the list of persecutors, nations such as Christian Eritrea, Hindu India and Buddhist Bhutan are also prominent.2
It is about to get really real for those of us that profess to be Christians in America too. Intensifying opposition to the biblical faith once on the fringe of American society is going mainstream. Moral tenets of the faith once taken for granted as absolute and bedrock to American society are not only being challenged, but cast down as no longer acceptable. These are not just tenets governing marriage and family for example, but definitions of objective truth, right and wrong, good and evil as well as justice and injustice. In the wake of this swiftly moving river of moral upheaval, Christians that would dare stand firm for the moral tenets of our faith are suffering varying degrees of persecution.
Besides the “in-your-face” government policies and litigations to remove crosses and nativity scenes as public displays of Christianity to implement falsely believed constitutionally mandated church and state separation, some Christians have suffered being demoted or fired from employment because they had Bibles at their work stations or read them on breaks. And because many secular entities have a “corporate culture” now, that does not tolerate religious expression (though, they publicly trumpet “inclusion” and “diversity” as values), being hired a Christian with a social media presence may be very difficult and once hired, witnessing Christ to co-workers is out.3
American secular colleges and universities that have historically celebrated tolerating various viewpoints as a means in the process of vigorous, but polite debate to sharpen the thinking of young minds have in too many instances today, hung out the “not welcome” sign to a biblical worldview. Biblically conservative Christian students are routinely singled out and held up to ridicule for their faith. Christian professors do not escape either.4 The secular media regularly ignores and mocks Christians that hold to a biblical worldview being quick only to report on high profile “Televangelists” and “Megachurch Pastors” whose sins come to light, while social media giants resist them.5
As I have also commented in other posts, a number of American Christians have been purposely targeted and martyred in mass shootings such as the one at Columbine High School in 1999 along with churches as occurred in Charleston, SC in 2015 and Sutherland Springs, TX in 2017.6 In agreement with all other observers here, none of what American Christians have suffered to date compares with the daily egregious and violent persecution our overseas brethren endure--yet! Praying for “the persecuted church” like it is some disconnected entity that exists only in non-exceptional, often impoverished nations of the world is about to change as persecutors intensify their efforts in America.7 And why? It is their “hour and the power of darkness,” (Luke 22:52-53, NKJV).
For this reason, beyond seeking to sensitize us to the ongoing suffering of our brethren wherever they are as a primary reason for this post, exhorting faithful American Christians to spiritually, mentally and emotionally prepare for the kind of hatred fed persecution our overseas brethren experience is an important secondary reason since our Lord has warned it is to occur in “all nations,” (Matthew 10:16-39, 24:9, NKJV).8 Now, is the time to awake from arrogance and apathy to get ready for what our Lord foretells and assures will take place. Among the equipping resources available is my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics and related group studies.9 The risen, living Christ continues His cry among American churches, "Who is on the Lord's side?"
1 The organizational parent of Strong Man Ministries is Open Door Communication Ministries, Inc. I was led by the Lord to found August 12, 1985. Read some of the
stories of persecuted Christians among the many countries on the 2020 World Watch List of Open Doors USA.
2 What many of our brethren overseas “normally” suffer from their persecutors has been intensified during the Lord’s Coronavirus judgment. As we are banding together
with other Christians to help and encourage one another here at home, the Lord would have us remember our suffering persecuted brethren in those faraway lands
with tangible support as well (1 John 3:16-18).
3 Sadly, our military as a work place is no exception. Read about the case of Chaplain Curt Cizek.
4 To learn more about the experience of Christians on American campuses read the following ACLJ, Beliefnet and IsChristianityTrue articles.
5 I can attest to the heavy-handed resistance of Facebook to biblically conservative ministries such as this one among the social media giants. “Likes” to our pages by
Christians mysteriously dwindle after I write blogs or make posts on their platform that are not politically correct, tolerant etc. which the Lord has had me call them on.
They want me to believe that just making better posts and spending more money to “boost” them will remedy the situation though, such has not been the case since
they also limit the reach of the same. For the record, I do understand a to be expected number of professed Christians that formerly liked our Facebook pages are sub-
ject to “unlike” them at any time as a show of disagreement with me. I get that, but not what Facebook is doing which lately has even taken away page likes whenever
someone has liked a post! I urge Christians that have liked our pages and those of other ministries to check back periodically especially if you have not received a post
in your newsfeeds for a time and re-like the pages if necessary. Also, enlist other Christians on Facebook to like our pages after you have done so.
6 Read for example, the June 8, 2014 post, And Then There Is The War, under the category, instruction. Revisit the cited respective church shootings at the following
links Charleston, SC and Sutherland Springs, TX.
7 See the November 12, 2017 post, God’s Throwaways?, under the category, Bible Prophecy.
8 Read the two-part post beginning May 17, 2020, Persecution, Hatred And Betrayal, under the category, Bible Prophecy.
9 A print copy or digital download of the book published by the Publishing Division of Open Door Communication Ministries, Inc. with fresh editing in 2019 for greater clari-
ty and updated web addresses in the footnotes is available at major internet booksellers such as Amazon, Barnes & Noble, ChristianBooks.com and Apple (digital only).
You can also purchase a print copy in the Strong Man Store. Too, leaders can teach, disciple and equip through The Strong Man Of God Men’s Group Study and The
Great Woman Of God Women’s Group Study also in the Strong Man Store.
This is the second of an edited two part 2013 blog I have reposted for Black History Month. Only God could have foreknown the timely need for this fresh exhortation (and truly the whole body of messages I have delivered from Him since 1979 as a former pastor of mine from Fort Worth, TX, Rev. Tom Franklin recently called to tell me) to professing Christian black Americans in our churches given the heightened uneasiness now in black communities across the nation over the deaths of unarmed black males. As well, there are the overabundance of other community needs the Gospel, Word and power of Jesus Christ alone expressed through the churches can meet--if they will.
Originally Posted February 10, 2013
Black churches are the place oppressed souls came for a momentary release from burdens too great to otherwise bear and carried too long from the last service. My heart is in complete empathy with the black pastors since slavery that have looked out on seats filled with beleaguered black humanity in expectant anticipation of church services that would all too briefly yet necessarily transport them to a plane of existence away from their painful troubles in this world.
Primed by the soul stirring performance of musicians and singers, the preacher’s job was to deliver a message that would cause his own and the burdened souls present to take flight! The preachers knew then as they do now that among the sea of sweaty, shouting and dancing ecstatic souls there was a number who were not saved and many more that really did not care to deepen their spiritual maturity through purposeful Christian education. Still, the born again, relative faithful few growing in grace through daily meditation on the Word of God and walking in the Spirit were in the assembly too and apparent even to their oppressors on the outside.
Truly, it was the faith, hope and perseverance of those faithful few slave and free maturing saints among my forefathers that drew out the mercies of God to enable His bringing us “a mighty long way.” For as surely as many a gospel singer today belts out, “I shoulda been dead and gon” celebrating the mercies of God to save sinners, such is also true for our African ancestors who like all other Gentiles were of no great note to the Almighty. Many Gentiles nations have been destroyed from the face of the earth or where for example, are the ancient Egyptians, Assyrians, Babylonians Philistines, Moabites and more recently the Aztecs and Incas?
Slavery as it turns out, is a preferable alternative to eternal death since this is the deserved end of all sinners (Ezekiel 18:4; Romans 6:23). Thus, in the humility of Daniel and Levites in the days of Nehemiah who found themselves ministering during and after the judgment of God poured out on His only chosen people, Israel, respectively, my faithful Christian forefathers understood the spiritual realities (whatever men in the flesh might speculate) surrounding the enslavement and suffering of our people as the permitted, less than deserved remedial judgment of the sovereign God upon sinners (Daniel 9:1-19; Nehemiah 9:1-37).2
These aspiring strong men and great women of God in the image of Christ waited on God’s deliverance from their suffering in His timing because He would do so out of the same mercy and grace He had already shown to spare their physical lives and souls from eternal damnation! Additionally, the record of the Lord’s dealings with Israel in the Bible including their deliverance from Egyptian bondage stood as irrefutable evidence that God could and would someday do the same for them.
Faithful Christian slaves instilled this faith and hope in their children rehearsed thousands of times in their unique spirituals and work songs and left as a legacy to descendants as well as faithful Christians the world over as a latter day witness of what biblical perseverance is all about. I confess that I am unworthy of the example of patient endurance empowered through God’s strength left by my faithful Christian slave and free forefathers that continued in the blatant evil of Jim Crow segregation, racial bigotry, discrimination, injustice and terrorism right up through the mid-20th century.
Greater than their roles as a haven and outlet for emotional release, black churches have also been the incubators of leadership not only among their ranks, but extending out into the larger community. In fact, there was a time especially immediately following slavery through the Civil Rights Movement where church and community leadership was nearly identical. Reconstruction preachers such as Hiram R. Revels who served as a United States Senator from Mississippi and later, Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. a Congressman out of New York are representative of a wide network of black clergy involved in all levels of the political arena. Most of them, however, served effectively in their local towns as social liaisons between the community and the white power structure.
It was on the historical shoulders of social activist black preachers that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. stood leading participating pastors and their churches to what will be known until Christ shortly returns as the pinnacle of their spiritual potency as national Civil Rights advocates during the period from 1955-1968. While King Lieutenants such as Rev. Jesse Jackson continued on nationally, Rev. Aaron Johnson of North Carolina is among preachers that made an impact in individual States.
Though it is true much religious, political and social good has come historically from black churches in all of their denominational configurations, tragically, after the “mountain top” experience of the Civil Rights Movement, there has not been a similar widespread, unified and concerted effort to refocus on their biblical mission commanded by the Lord Jesus Christ in Matthew 28:18-20. If there had been such a refocus, most of our communities in cities across America would not resemble war zones with violence, murder, other forms of lawlessness and familial irresponsibility ruling the streets.
Indeed, while not perfect, born again, faithful, spiritually maturing folks do not practice willfully sinning against God! Yet, for example, most incarcerated black Americans (overflowing the nation’s prisons) will tell you he or she is a Christian and grew up in the church. So, what happened? Nearly all grew up with Christianity the religion of men in churches still locked in the “safe house” mentality and shackled by human traditions that do not major on determining authenticity or insist on purposeful Christian education leading to spiritual maturity as should have been the case with a post-Civil Rights Movement refocus. This state of affairs cannot be blamed on “the white man” since again in pride, black churches belong to blacks!3
Black communities now need the churches to fully be the Church of Jesus Christ! This means as Civil Rights activist and entertainer Harry Belafonte strongly implied in his recent appeal to black churches on a NAACP Image Awards telecast, they must step up and go beyond being a place of religious refuge, political and social activism. Authentic, spiritually maturing black American Christians in their assemblies are needed as the “church of the living God” (1 Timothy 3:14-15, NKJV) led by Jesus Christ as Lord, to stand firm on God’s Word and moral order; infused with power from on high, to liberate prospective strong men and great women of God from the chains of Satan!
Christianity the religion is utterly worthless to set these men and women truly free or get them to God as the Lord Jesus plainly taught (John 8:31-36, 14:6)! As in impassive white, so, in emotionally fervent black churches practicing Christianity the religion of men, the Lord calls the willing to repentance, revival and the strength He supplies His people to please Him and do His will (Colossians 1:9-12). Get my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics to learn more about God’s strength.4
2 Visit https://fromslaverytovictory.org/, a Web Site sponsored by Open Door Communication Ministries, Inc. to journey through a very concise, biblically accurate and satisfying elaboration of this point in a presentation entitled, Does God Care About African Americans?
3 I stand ready to offer Christian education consulting or assistance to any interested pastor. Contact me by any of the ways listed on our Web Site Contact Page.
4 The combined work of E. Franklin Frazier, The Negro Church in America and C. Eric Lincoln, The Black Church Since Frazier published in 1974 by Schocken Books, Inc. served as a reference source for this blog.
My heart has gone and goes out to the young black males especially that believe our people have suffered long enough and that white authority--most outwardly represented by the police--must be stood up to; respect for their black person insisted upon. Tragically, too many in history and our times have not lived to report that this posture turned out positive for him. While saying this is not to commend those that have abused their authority or devalue human dignity, nevertheless, our sons must accept all authority originates from and is granted by God with the expectation it is to be respected. He holds any of us sinful mortals wielding authority accountable (Romans 13:1-7)!
While I humbly confess to still not having mastered the ways of the Lord in this myself, my born again soul assents to them as righteous and what pleases Him. Thus, as it concerns submission to sinful mortal authority for example, as did Christ my Lord and every aspiring strong man of God in His image through history,1 it is done without regarding oneself as inferior or robbed of dignity, but honoring God who ordained authority no matter how inferior in station, ugly in attitude or behavior or unworthy in merit the authority figure(s) or is not Christ the Son of God? Even so, one can speak up calmly to evil in strength under control as Christ also exemplified (Matthew 26:47-56; John 18:1-11).2
Knowing the foregoing, I am all the more appreciative of the black aspiring strong men of God in the image of Christ from slavery that have endured great evil against themselves in conscious humble submission. This space is limited, but as the Lord has led, I am pleased to be able to post this edited 2010 Commentary to at least acknowledge, honor and hold up such men from my community as examples for all of us that must stand for Christ in the current and worsening evil days we live in. As well, I joyfully continue to fulfill the mission of this Ministry’s From Slavery To Victory Education Project in its 25th year!
Originally Published June 2010
On the nineteenth of this month black Americans will celebrate the 145th anniversary of the day Texas slaves heard about Abraham Lincoln's signing of the Emancipation Proclamation some two years earlier on January 1, 1863. For the last sixteen years in another work of our parent Ministry called The From Slavery To Victory Education Project, we have tried to inform especially black Americans of our incredible spiritual legacy created in the caldron of our suffering. The story of aspiring black American strong men of God is not the least portion of that legacy and should be an inspiration to all men, but especially our own sons.
Before just only scratching the surface of the story of aspiring black American strong men of God in the image of Jesus Christ, we must first properly link it to the larger story of all of them God has forged in this New Testament era. Indeed, Jewish men who fifty days earlier had been found huddled together in fear for their lives, stood to face the same crowds that had chanted against their Master, “Crucify Him,” (John 19:5-7, NKJV). In holy fire and languages previously unknown, on the “Day of Pentecost” they with the women present declared “the wonderful works of God” before them (Acts 2:1-13, NKJV). Then, one of the men, Peter, who had even denied three times that he knew his Lord, boldly preached His resurrection from the dead (Acts 2:14-36)!
Empowered with strength from on High, the apostles of Jesus Christ mightily proclaimed the Gospel about Him throughout the Roman Empire. They did so with a relentless passion to please God and do His will regardless of the cost. History and tradition tell us most of these men paid for their zeal with their lives! In fact, the first place to look for evidence of aspiring strong men of God throughout this New Testament era is the trail of blood left by the martyrs. While not every aspiring strong man of God since the 1st century has been a martyr, all would have suffered in some measure as part of His overarching purpose to conform them to the image of Christ (Romans 8:29; Hebrews 5:8-9, 12:1-11; 1 Peter 2:18-25).
God in His sovereignty chose to shape willing men taken from the tribes of West Africa into the image of His Son through the refining fire of slavery and bitter trials. In the New World far from their land of origin, He humbled proud black men through forced labor (Psalm 107:10-16). Those that called to Him for deliverance had their souls saved and gratefully waited in hope for Him to unshackle their bodies as it occurred first at the end of the Civil War, then finally, among Texas slaves. But their trials continued. They were severely tried through Jim Crow segregation, racially motivated discrimination and other oppressive acts of terror and murder through the mid-20th century.
At that time, in the spirit of European church reformers from centuries past, black churchmen and supporting godly women led by men like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. rose up to peacefully protest our nation's comfortable mistreatment of its black citizens. They suffered arrest, violent opposition and even martyrdom as they marched to highlight and seek relief from America's legally sanctioned oppression of blacks. The walls of oppression began to tumble one by one as the nation's conscience could no longer bear to see the morally indefensible mistreatment of its citizens due exclusively to the color of their skin and the hate filled, ugly side of violently enforcing it.
The names of the Christian black men from slavery through the Civil Rights Movement that willfully chose to suffer in order to please God and do His will while waiting on His intervention are many and not widely known. The few that are well known such as Booker T. Washington, also made peaceful assaults on the status quo by working to improve the lot of their people through education and enterprise. A great number wore "Reverend" in front of their names such as Aaron Johnson of North Carolina and John Perkins of Mississippi. Today, in sports, Tony Dungy and Lovie Smith stand out as longsuffering victors in Christ. All of these Christian black men are inspiring role models for any man that will aspire to be a strong man of God in the image of Jesus Christ!
1 To learn more about what is involved in becoming a strong man of God in the image of Jesus Christ, get a print copy or digital download of my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics, at major internet booksellers such as Amazon, Barnes & Noble, ChristianBooks.com and Apple (digital only). You can also get the book in either format in the Strong Man Store.
2 The four Gospels of the New Testament clearly show that while being direct, penetrating, truthful and prophetic, the Lord Jesus never insulted, cursed angrily at or
threatened those that arrested, falsely accused, tried and carried out His crucifixion. Also, His words became fewer and expressed concern for others as He made His
way to the cross in total submission to His Father’s will (Matthew 26:36-46; Luke 23:26-43; John 19:25-27). Foretelling His disciples would face similar circumstances,
He gave instructions right down to words to speak that emulated how He handled His experience (Mark 13:11-13).
I join with all laborers that can in taking an extra day off from my labor on Labor Day. For me (and I hope all faithful servants of the Lord Jesus Christ), the day is also a time to thank God for work and very important secondly, work that is exceedingly meaningful, rewarding and a blessing beyond words! This is so for me in spite of the intense spiritual warfare I regularly face in the Lord’s causes to include crying out to the churches that outwardly profess to belong to Him, but that resist His Scripture rooted call to repentance through me and others as though we as His messengers are the enemy rather than Satan (James 4:1-10; 1 Peter 5:8-9).
Since the same spirit of religion is involved, Christianity as a religion of men in America is no different than what it has been since it came forth not long after the passing of the Lord’s apostles. Brought to the “New World” in all of its many varied expressions, but uniformly legalistic1 dogmas by Europeans beginning in the late 15th century, the major distinctive of real and counterfeit Christianity was the political and related cultural context both developed in. After the 1783 end of the Revolutionary War for independence in what was now the United States of America, both types of Christianity evolved for the first time in a democratic republic rather than under human monarchy.
While purposeful steps were taken by the nation’s founders to protect its predominant Christian religion from government meddling, as evidenced by history, most professing Christians in their churches took no serious similar steps to guard themselves against freely adopting the secular political, economic, social and cultural ways of the society. Initially, since a basic faith in the existence of Christianity’s God and its moral and ethical system held dominating influence in the new nation, the dangers of cultural conditioning were clearly not considered a major issue. In fact, the secular and religious components of society as I have written in other places worked very well together.2
In the wake of God initiated revivals, the secular and religious components of early America worked so well together clergy were urged to bring their unique skill set to bear in government proceedings with prayers, exhortations and Bible readings. Settled down in and foundational to the fabric of the young nation, Christianity the religion of men easily blended in alongside of that which was real because so many of the majority white citizens were nominal in their faith and undiscerning or simply chose to look the other way in silence as such evils as slavery with all of its immoral abuses were deemed acceptable to God by corrupting Scripture. Civil War revealed the true divine stance.
While most churches aligned with the mother Roman Catholic Church or bodies in their countries of origin retained their authority and organizational structures and doctrinal systems in America, they with emerging Protestant groups such as the Baptists wholeheartedly embraced the democratic spirit of the new nation and reveled in self-governance. Blacks as slaves and later freedmen adopted some of all the ecclesiastical patterns displayed by their oppressors. So ingrained in the Christian black psyche that everything white is right and superior, to this hour many uncritically cling to the unbiblical religious tenets, covenants, creeds, practices and ways of their former masters.
Many black churchmen as proud American, independent, Christian religionists in their own segregated houses have kept for themselves their former masters' proclivity to corrupt Scripture to justify sin. As a result, Jesus Christ is not Lord over an American church, but only a relative few churches that actually submit to His authority, Word and priorities in the Spirit’s power! Blinded by Satan as his captives and in deafness hardened into their sinful ways, God’s call to repentance and revival through me and other prophets to American religionists largely go unheeded. Indeed, after much labor preaching God’s uncompromised Word through media and in person among the churches in obedience since 1985, I have seen little positive response and mostly hostility.
While the Lord is pleased with His faithful remnant as it were, those religionist churches not dying in judgment holding onto their own form of Christianity are well on their way despite evil attempts at survival through carnal self-effort, worldly compromise, marketing and success models. It is late; a post-Christian America is not just statistical conjecture, but reality! Nevertheless, I continue to cry out as the God of mercy (Ezekiel 33:10-11; 2 Peter 3:9) who called me has commanded because the results belong to Him and there is still hope for some due to His success with a proud religionist recorded in His Word (Acts 26:1-23). The risen, living Christ continues His cry among American churches, "Who is on the Lord's side?"
1 Having been accused of legalism many times for calling Christians and churches to obey God’s Word as it is written, it is important here to note that these groups as true
legalists were ready to kill to defend their humanly devised systems of theology and distorted appropriations of the Old Testament Law along with extreme and rigid rules of conduct based on it. Faithful Christians easily discern what is to be literally obeyed from the heart in God’s Word as led by the Holy Spirit (Matthew 5:17-20; John 14:15-18; Romans 10:1-4; 1 Corinthians 14:33-37; Galatians 2:11-3:14, 5:16-25).
2 See for example, my December 2014 reposts, Culturally Conditioning The Faith, Part 1 and 2. Also, read the and multi-part 2003-2004 Journals, The White Man’s Reli-
gion and The Black Man’s Religions at https://fromslaverytovictory.org/Journal-Archives.
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