The Scourge Of Racism
E-Book Availability 4/12-26
Released January 5, 2024
Download Your Copy
Now In The Strong Man Store!
I open Black History Month 2018 as the Lord leads yet again to speak the truth from His Word to professed Christian black Americans to inform our ongoing uplift in this and the three reposts that follow. Having been publically upbraided many times for speaking the truth in love, I do not relish naming names to address grave spiritual error that exists as impediments to our progress. However, in these instances, it was unavoidable. My Christmas Eve 2017 post entitled, “Hedging One’s Religious Bets,” under the category, Instruction serves as the general backdrop for this edited 2012 repost warning specifically about abandoning the faith that has brought us this far.
Originally Posted September 9, 2012
While awaiting my turn at the barbershop recently, I picked up Ebony Magazine--that ubiquitous print icon of the black community from my childhood--and once again encountered an approach to Christianity that has clearly become a liberalizing trend away from the faith of the Bible and our faithful Christian slave forefathers. Oh, the magazine still features prominent black religious figures and churches. However, as in most Western societies over the past generation, there has been an unmistakable shift away from honoring the unique message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the absolute truths and morality of biblical Christianity.
Today, what is frequently offered is a more generic, politically correct and culturally tolerant form of the faith as one of many possible means a person choosing religion as a path can make it work for them. As historically, pastors and churches are leading the way. A case in point is the May 2012 issue of Ebony I was browsing through that featured an article by Rev. A.R. Bernard, the founder and senior pastor of Christian Cultural Center out of Brooklyn, N.Y., entitled, 9 Habits That Lift The Soul.1 According to its set up information, the article is intended to help those wanting to “breathe new life into your spiritual journey” to do so.
This was a great set up and I actually began to read the article with hopes this “Christian” preacher would share some great biblical insights for those seeking what can only come from a personal relationship with the One, true God through faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God alone (John 14:6). But alas, in the opening sentence my discernment warning lights starting flashing off the charts. In introducing the nine principles to “keep stress and chaos at bay” he has taught members of his congregation, Rev. Bernard writes, “Although these principles are God-centered and Biblical, they apply in general, no matter what your belief system is,” (emphasis mine).
His nine principles are prayer, spiritual study, worship, solitude, giving and service, fasting, reflection, discernment and sharing your story. I will not go through them all, but the first three certainly do speak in a general way to persons of any religious persuasion, but makes some incorrect assumptions in a biblical worldview. He says, for example, “daily prayer is a way to practice an awareness of God.” On the surface, of course, this is true of praying to God. The problem here is with thousands of religions in the world, it appears this “Christian” preacher is falsely assuming as many non-Christians do that all of them really have the same deity or the deities are all equal.
He goes on to counsel not just talking, but listening to “God.” For Christians who take the God of the Bible at His Word that He is the only true God, this is excellent counsel (Isaiah 43:10-13, 44:6-8). But who will everyone else be talking and listening to? Of spiritual study Rev. Bernard says, “Every religion is based on its writings. Whichever faith you subscribe to, become intimately acquainted with the writings that inspire it.” Has God truly made thousands of religious texts among different peoples that all harmoniously present His essential truths and bring them closer to Him? No (Deuteronomy 4:5-14, 32-35; Psalm 147:19-20; Romans 3:1-2, 9:1-5; 2 Timothy 3:14-17)!
Concerning worship, Rev. Bernard writes, “This means practicing the sovereignty of God over your life. It’s a reminder that you’re part of something much greater than yourself.” Even atheists can get in on this since they “believe in the universal moral principles that govern humankind.” “Worship,” he goes on to say, “is about acknowledging the power of that which rules your life.” But while this all sounds noble, Jesus Christ says worship of God the Father is done in “spirit and truth” exclusively through Him (John 4:23-24, 14:6, 17:17, NKJV). What then are those outside of Christ worshipping?
No doubt for the sake of the liberal minded inventions of political correctness and tolerance in this 21st century, Ebony Magazine as so many other Western media and institutions of men feel obligated to speak broadly to the widest possible swath of humanity without offending anyone--anyone except Bible believing Christians anyway. However, for the record and those professed Christians that for whatever motive would attempt to create a generic Christianity for mass consumption, the Scripture is plain that Christianity is not a religious invention of man that is generic enough for non-believers to live out bypassing Christ, His cross and the empowering work of the Holy Spirit. To teach so is heresy and a doctrine of demons (Galatians 1:1-10; 1 Timothy 4:1-2)!
We preachers especially walk in Christ’s footsteps heralding the message He brought from Heaven to proclaim to humanity (Matthew 4:23). We do not have the right or authentic release ever from Christ to preach our own or any other message. If you are doing so: fear (2 Corinthians 5:9-11)! Our faithful Christian slave forefathers as aspiring strong men and great women of God did not practice some generic version of Christianity.2 They “got over” trusting solely in the God of the Bible and His Son, Jesus Christ.3 They prayed to Him; they stood on His Word; they turned from idols, witchcraft and ancestor worship among other religious practices to worship the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob alone.
“We have come this far by faith” in the Lord God of the Bible and no-one else!4 Are we now so free and in with the world so good we can turn our backs on Him? Repent anyone who thinks so (James 4:1-10)! Or, do you also despise the example and lessons God has given through the written experience of Israel in the Bible (1 Corinthians 10:1-11; Hebrews 3:7-19)? And with regard to enjoying real peace in a chaotic, trouble and stress filled world, let every seeker find it where it can only be found in Jesus Christ who is the “Prince of Peace,” (Isaiah 9:6; John 14:27, 16:33; Philippians 4:6-7, NKJV). The risen, living Christ continues His cry among American churches, "Who is on the Lord's side?"
1 Find the article at Ebony.com.
2 Learn more about strong men and great women of God in my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics available through all major internet booksellers, by order
from your favorite brick and mortar bookstore and in the Strong Man Store.
3 Read a previous Black History Month post, How We Get Over published on February 16, 2014 to understand what is meant by “got over.”
4 Step through the short presentation giving a biblical worldview of the black experience on The From Slavery To Victory Education Project Web Site Home Page at
www.fromslaverytovictory.org.
A great falsehood in professing Christianity in our day is that somehow God is pleased with its multiple forms by way of thousands of denominations and sects as if there are many faiths. Nothing could be further from the truth since His Word in the Bible teaches there is only the single faith rooted in Jesus Christ (John 12:20-26; Colossians 2:6-7)! So, how is it that there are multiple made to order forms of Christianity? God has historically tolerated these made to order forms of Christianity up until now, as an outcome of His war with Satan who has well used his weapon of deception to seduce the guilty into the sin that has created them. Made to order Christianity is counterfeit and cannot save!
While the Lord and His apostles are clear Spirit-filled Christians do not have to be rigidly uniform in the way we fellowship with Him and each other or express and experience “our common faith” that is known as Christianity (Mark 9:38-41; Luke 9:49-50; Romans 14-15:6; 1 Corinthians 8, 10:23-33; Colossians 2:8-23; Titus 1:1-4, NKJV), all are to obey the commandments, transcendent spiritual principles, morality and ethics presented in God’s whole Word (Matthew 5:17-20, 28:19-20; John 8:31, 14:15-24). Chief among the Lord’s commandments is for His disciples to “love one another” as He has “loved” us (John 13:34-35, 15:9-14; 1 John 2:3-6, 3:10-24, 4:7-5:3, NKJV).
The Lord’s command for His disciples to love each other runs deeper than a sentimental wish for disconnected people to try their best to do this in their own strength as I have encountered so many times in churches during my journey. The Lord gives a command He expects to be obeyed and supplies the means He knows we do not naturally have to do so through the agency of the Holy Spirit within us (Romans 5:5)! As well, His Spirit-filled disciples are more than just people brought together without any formal or lasting connection except faith in Christ, but we have been made eternal spiritual “family” with God as our “Father,” (Romans 8:14-17; Ephesians 2:19-22, 3:14-21, NKJV)!
Because of the foregoing positive spiritual realities, the apostle Paul easily implores us as Spirit-filled sons in the family of God “to walk worthy of the calling with which” we “were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” He follows this with the staggering declaration: “There is one body, and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all,” (Ephesians 4:1-6, NKJV). What are we missing in professing Christianity currently? How about love and one!
Would someone really try to convince me that the warfare, divisions in disunity and multiple made to order forms of Christianity in America alone are the outworking of God’s supernatural love and the best that can be done? No, but God in His Word as it is written reveals the truth that it is foretold apostasy, falsehood, sin, carnality, spiritual adultery along with manmade religion weakly trying its best in the flesh and failing miserably (Matthew 24:10-12; 1 Corinthians 3:1-4; Galatians 5:13-15; James 3:13-4:5)! And with the focus on self, who cares what the Bible teaches about there being only one Body, Spirit, hope of our calling, Lord, faith, baptism and Father?1
Indeed, the multiple forms of Christianity today are a foretold spiritual madness and successful work of Satan after centuries of tempting professed Christians God has permitted (James 1:12-18).2 For it is the direct result of “deceiving spirits” generating many false “doctrines” leading to disobedience and apostasy, outwardly religious men walking in the flesh that view the faith as a religion they control, “impostors” and the purposeful rejection of “sound doctrine” plainly contained in the pages of the Bible many do not regularly study for themselves; preferring instead to be taught by those who teach them what they want to hear (1 Timothy 4:1-5; 2 Timothy 3:1-9, 13, 4:1-4, NKJV).
Nevertheless, whether professed Christians comfortable with the present spiritual madness of disunity in multiple forms of Christianity accept the truth or not, Heaven recognizes only “the faith” of Scripture “which was once for all delivered to the saints” (Ephesians 4:7-16; Philippians 1:27-28; 2 Timothy 4:6-8; Jude 3, NKJV). All other forms of Christianity as manmade religion are counterfeit, being judged and will be destroyed even before Christ returns as He has led me to write in previous posts (Revelation 17:1-19:4).3 Thus, it is imperative the Christianity we have be of the Bible and that we know it from study as our authoritative source!4 For it is certain that none other but biblical Christianity can save and is worth dying for (Revelation 6:9-11, 7:9-17, 12:11, 13:1-18, 14:9-13).5
1 Read the April 26, 2020 post, There Is Only One..., under the category, Instruction, where the Lord led me to call for unity in the face of the clear paradigm shift He initiated with His Coronavirus judgment.
2 See the two-part post beginning June 7, 2020, Days Of Separation, under the category, Bible Prophecy. God has allowed Satan to tempt those that are supposed to know Him as testing since Eden (Genesis 3:1-6). It continues within professing Christianity at this hour as the Lord separates out His faithful from the wicked (Psalm 11:4-6; Revelation 2:8-11, 16:15).
3 See for examples the August 23, 2015 post, Babylon Is Falling!, under the category, Bible Prophecy and on June 10, 2018, God’s Judgment Upon His House also under the category, Bible Prophecy as well as God’s Creatures. Finally, read the two-part post that begins August 23, 2020, The Churches Under Judgment, under the category, Instruction.
4 For instruction on how to get the most out of your Bible study take the free Fruitful Bible Study Self-Paced Video Course the Lord led me to produce on our Strong Man Virtual Institute’s YouTube Channel. An optional (but recommended) Study Guide is available for free download in the Strong Man Store.
5 This is the heart of aspiring strong men and great women of God I write about in my book, The Strong Man Of God Back To Basics. It is available with the companion Strong Man Of God Men’s Group Study and Great Woman Of God Women’s Group Study in the Strong Man Store, at your favorite internet bookseller or brick and mortar bookstore.
How grateful I am to the God of the Bible who patiently pursued, drew and convinced me as a sinner of my need for what He had to offer in the Gospel of Jesus Christ! Though I had been introduced to the biblically based language and culture of Christianity as a religion in childhood and was baptized, I did not really know Christ until in my messed up life at 20 years old, He brought me into relationship with Himself through repentance, faith and spiritual new birth (John 3:1-8). Aside from momma Lee leading me in the prayer to receive Christ and my grandmother, Eunice Campbell’s counsel, the work to mentor me as a new believer my first three years was done directly by Him using His Word.
Thank God, thank God, He allowed no sinful human agent of Christianity the religion of men to interfere with His work of teaching me as a son, training me as a disciple and preparing me as a servant. And when I did have association with churches, I was so fully inoculated by the Holy Spirit, I was not, nor to this day have I been ruined spiritually by folks practicing Christianity as a religion. Religion is so seductively appealing and no wonder; it is expertly drawn out of susceptible fallen men by demons that specialize in it as a deceitful means to destroy them. The demonic origin of manmade and practiced religion was disclosed by Jesus Christ to 1st century Jews (John 8:37-47).
The spirit of religion down through the millennia has captured the hearts of and destroyed many souls. From Eve’s pursuit of forbidden knowledge to make herself wise like God (Genesis 3:1-6) to the final effort at self-deification by the Antichrist through forced worship of him and Satan’s power (Daniel 11:37-39; 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4, 9-12; Revelation 13), religion is among the most deadly and effective devices in the arsenal of evil for the diabolical cause of destroying mankind (Revelation 14:9-11). Satan succeeds because religion plays to mankind’s pride (Ezekiel 28:17; 1 Timothy 3:6), fears and ignorant attempts to satisfy the God planted yearning for Him in sin.
Inspired of demons, men in pride either invent things spiritual, moral and ethical or corrupt what God has already decreed through their attempt to be religious. The apostle Paul well exposes the futility of and rebukes both respective approaches to practicing religion in his proclamation to those at Athens and his so not coincidental letter to the church at Rome (Acts 17:16-34; Romans 7:14-8:4). With fears stirred up by demons, fallen men create gods out of any number of inanimate and animate sources for protection among other fear arresting reasons which the only true and living God rebukes (Psalm 115:1-8; Isaiah 44:6-8; Romans 1:18-25).
It is of God that men would seek Him since it is written, “He has put eternity in their hearts,” (Ecclesiastes 3:11, NKJV). Of all the things this statement may mean, it certainly indicates God has built into men awareness that there is something more to this life beyond what meets the senses. God is eternal Spirit (John 4:24)! Made in God’s image and likeness now marred and separated from Him by sin, men in spirit still yearn to reconnect to their Maker (Zechariah 12:1; Hebrews 12:9) despite not quite understanding it is Him they seek. God bids all to seek Him in the way He has prescribed and He will be found (Isaiah 55:1-7; Luke 11:9-13; John 7:37-39, 14:6; Acts 13:26-41).
Deceived by the spirit of religion, however, fallen men corrupt even the noble desire to reconnect with God by the invention of their own methods, doctrines and actions to please Him. All of the New Testament Gospels record how the 1st century Jewish religious establishment dogged, persecuted and eventually instigated Christ’s death on the cross deceived by Satan in practicing religion (see for example, John 8:48-12:19). The spread of Christianity from Christ’s resurrection by His apostles met with equal resistance from Jewish and pagan religionists. After the apostles, the foretold multifaceted form of Christianity as a corrupt invention of professed Christian men emerged and was ultimately headquartered by the 5th century at Rome (Revelation 17:1-9).
Exactly like the spiritually blind, carnal, proud, stubborn and hypocritical 1st century Jewish religious establishment as I have written over many years, demonically inspired Christianity the religion of men down through the centuries to this hour has been very wicked.1 From endless heresies and all manner of immorality, to the persecution, casting out and murder of internal foes along with sanctioned wars against other religions and secular enemies, Christianity the religion of men in all of its manifestations is among the most dangerous threats to genuine seekers of God, biblical Christianity and faithful Christians now and going forward. The risen, living Christ continues His cry among American churches, "Who is on the Lord's side?"
1 A partial listing of related blogs dealing with Christianity the religion of men to be found by dates include The Falling Away, February 2, 2014, Re-defining Sin, November 9,
2014, Worshipping God Without God, Parts 1-3, January 2015, Strong Through God Not Religion, Parts 1-2, February 8, 15, 2015, and Babylon Is Fallen, August 23,
2015.
I wrote to guilty pastors, elders and churches in a January 27, 2019 post footnote, “How can you seriously expect the world to hear you from God’s Word and you do not even obey it?”1 The fact of the matter is blatant disobedience to God’s Word has characterized many professed Christians, their churches and other ecclesiastical bodies reaching back to the apostles (Romans 16:17-18; 1 Corinthians 5:1-2; Galatians 3:1-4). During the past 500 years, breakaway European Protestants protested the disobedience and corruptions of Catholicism only to find themselves in independence doing all of the same things as their mother (Revelation 17:1-6).
Both groups wickedly gave religious undergirding to the bigoted, violent and dehumanizing form of slavery my forefathers endured while passing down to them their manmade forms of Christianity the religion corruptly drawn from the Bible.2 Thanks to the continuing support of its many powerless manmade forms extant like yeast throughout American Christianity, racial bigotry and discrimination also remains a foil to the realization of a widespread display of biblically commanded, Holy Spirit fired love and brotherhood.3 This is to the glee of Satan who along with racial bigotry has initiated all of the deceitful strongholds of sin among the many harlot churches today God in His wrath will destroy (Amos 5:16-27; Revelation 16:17-19, 17:15-18:8)!4
Like our nation at this moment, American Christianity in the main is a racially divided house about to fall as I write in this edited 2013 Commentary.
Originally Published February 2013
The now deceased Rodney King's appeal, "Can we all get along" was moving, but not realistic for worldly men. His appeal came in the face of rioting after a 1992 trial acquitting white Los Angeles police officers of beating him that was captured on video and seen globally. For professed Christian American men, getting along in racial harmony is supposedly not to be the problem it is for worldly men since we have God resident in us. However, the nearly four centuries Christianity has been in America tragically presents contrary evidence. Aspiring strong men of God in the image of Christ celebrate diversity in His Body; fostering unity, harmony and where needed, healing.5
It is Black History Month again. The occasion may seem to be a purposeful discomfiting reminder to white Americans of the racism that once ran so deep among their forefathers, an attempt was made to destroy black contributions from American history. However, to prevent the loss of our history, help build appreciation in blacks and willing others, black educator and historian Carter G. Woodson created the special emphasis last century that now spans all of February. Nevertheless, as the uproar in Rodney King’s beating twenty years ago and subsequent events such as last year’s killing of black teenager, Trayvon Martin, show, racial tensions remain skin deep.6
Tensions are apparent too in churches that are racially homogeneous and wish to remain so. How could racial segregation as initiated by whites during slavery and continued by many of their descendants along with reciprocating black and other minorities professing to be Christians remain to this hour? Why can’t we come together in our racial diversity as Christians? As the Lord led, I explored this issue through a booklet I wrote in 2005 entitled, The Scourge Of Racism.7 In it, I conclude racism in the churches is a failure by professed Christians to obey the Lord's command to love one another (John 13:34-35).
I also write about the failure to love one another in a number of blog posts.8 This failure is tied to America's brand of Christianity the religion where impostors devoid of the Holy Spirit and weak believers quenching His fire in willful sin, practice all manner of evil including racism. America's Christian house is divided in defiance of the Lord all claim to follow and His teaching that "a house divided against a house falls," (Luke 11:17; NKJV). If the guilty do not repent from the toleration of racism and other sins that divide, the Lord's teaching will soon be fulfilled since it can be no other way (Luke 11:23, 21:33)!
As I assert in The Scourge Of Racism, God our Creator from the one man, Adam, has made us all different by purposeful design that mankind in all of their diversity might with common heart seek Him (Acts 17:24-28)! Our diversity of gender, race, ethnicity, nationality, language, body size, abilities etc. is all to the glory of God in this present age and to be celebrated.9 This, the aspiring strong man and great woman of God in the image of Christ do! For we all in Christ have been brought together in our diversity as sons by God through Christ, the blood He shed to save us on Calvary's cross and the new birth by the Holy Spirit. In Him, men are God's household and forever family held together in divine love (Galatians 3:26-29; Ephesians 2:11-22, 3:14-21)!
This is biblical Christianity that will only continue to seem as high idealism and deluded wishful thinking to professed Christians in divided churches until authentic repentance and revival sweeps through. In repentance, professed Christian white men must cease assuming they are superior to their brothers of color; that every way they see things or idea they propose is right because of their self-appointed standing as superior. They must also give up the notion that men of color should despise themselves and embrace every white value to gain acceptance. Truly, all are to be like Christ and obey His command to love each other as He has loved us (1 John 3:10-24, 4:20-5:3).
Professed Christian black and other men of color in repentance must let go of legitimate anger not just for past, but God knows about the ongoing racial injustices we suffer among many of our white, ostensibly Christian brothers. Bitter victimization is appealing, but is not God's way of love that forgives rather than keeps records of wrongs suffered (1 Corinthians 13:4-5). Also, stop looking for sinful men to fully vindicate your suffering. As aspiring strong men of God in the image of Christ we are waiting for divine vindication that will occur when Christ soon returns--unless you scoff at His coming (2 Thessalonians 1:3-12; 1 Peter 2:19-23; 2 Peter 3:1-9)?10 The risen, living Christ continues His cry among American churches, "Who is on the Lord's side?"
1 The quote is found in the eighth footnote of the post, Contending For God’s Design Of Masculinity In Men, under the category, The Cause.
2 Read the two-part, August 2016 post, Christianity The Religion Of Men, under the category, Instruction.
3 See Christianity The Religion American Style posted September 4, 2016 under the category, Call To Repent.
4 Much of Western Christianity (my fellow black Americans well represented) continues to want to idolatrously recast God away from His eternal holiness, righteousness,
justice and enduring commands for this mortal age with ear scratching preaching (2 Timothy 4:1-4) and emotion charged, supposedly loving, female led so-called wor-
ship in sin. The worshipper may have “enjoyed” what was taking place, but the issue is did God? The God of the Bible’s ancient rebuke stands as declared by the pro-
phet Amos in the Scripture listed to which this footnote refers. He does not accept nor is He pleased with worship no matter how sincere or emotional that is mixed with
sin! Truly, before Amos, the prophet Samuel proclaimed, “Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice…” and the Lord Jesus: “If you love Me, keep my commandments,”
(1 Samuel 15:22-23; John 14:15, NKJV). Read the three-part series of posts beginning January 4, 2015, Worshipping God Without God, under the category, Call To
Repent. The Lord’s judgment of the unrepentant is just!
5 Learn more about the aspiring strong man and great woman of God in the image of Jesus Christ from my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics and compan-
ion instructional resource, The Strong Man Of God Men’s Group Study. They are available in the Strong Man Store.
6 Read the two-part post beginning on July 29, 2018, The Racial Double Standard, under the category, Call To Repent.
7 The booklet is available on the Resources Page of our companion Web Site, https://fromslaverytovictory.org.
8 Read the four March 1-22, 2015 posts on love as an inescapable requirement of biblical Christianity under the category, Instruction.
9 See the December 6, 2015 post, Celebrating God’s Racial Diversity Initiative, under the category, Call To Repent.
10 Read When The Glory Comes, posted on November 29, 2015 under the category, Glory To God!
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.
Truly, in full character with those of history, Christian religionists today would have you bend to their corruptions rather than repent at the presentation of God’s Word! I have long endured the treachery of such persons among the churches in common with all of the prophets of the Old Testament, the Lord Jesus, His apostles and prophets after them. Indeed, mostly gone are the days the Lord’s New Testament prophets were welcome in the churches to bring a word of revelation, prophecy, exhortation, reproof or instruction (Acts 11:19-30, 13:1-2). Threatened religionists and their pastors want nothing to do with hearing, being taught or brought back to His Word as it is written!
The Lord had made good on His word to the 1st century Jewish religious establishment when in the gifting mix of His apostles and servants were “prophets, wise men, and scribes“ He sent to them to prove their unregenerate hearts by the murderous treatment they gave the men and God’s just judgment (Matthew 23:34-36; Acts 5:27-41, 7:51-8:3, 12:1-3, 14:19-22, NKJV). How can men that profess to know God lift a finger to harm anyone? Again, the father of religious men is not God, but Satan who Jesus declares is the original murderer (John 8:44). The satanically deceived heart of the religionist causes him to believe he does God a favor to murder opposition (John 16:1-4).
So, it has been the case down through the centuries since that Christianity the religion of men has used every possible means including murder to silence real or perceived opposition. Only in recent years have Catholics and Protestants in Ireland called a truce to bloody open warfare. And while warfare has been less violent in other Western nations including our own, nevertheless, denominational and church legal battles are legion; those labeled divisive in legitimate disagreement with a pastor or elders because of the Word, at their whim are cast out of churches as easily as the Pharisees excommunicated the man born blind that Jesus healed (John 9:26-34).
Amazingly and at Satan’s delight, the Word of God is nearly always at the center of religious contentions. Having deceived religionists to depart from faithful obedience to God’s Word in spirit and fullest implication as it is written (John 6:63), Satan instead inspires endless covenants, creeds and activities in accommodation to the sinful flesh that in form appear God approved, but are far from it (Matthew 15:1-20). In fact, because God is not really in what the religionists in carnality do no matter how outwardly splendid, pious, emotionally charged or pleasing to them, there is no spiritual power from the Holy Spirit just as the apostle Paul warns about these last days (2 Timothy 3:1-5).
Please note that he also warns to “turn away” from such people (2 Timothy 3:5, NKJV); people that read and instruct from, but do not obey the Bible; that practice Christianity as a religion majoring on self-effort, sentimental, human love and the externals of manmade rules, rituals and traditions in all spiritual deadness pleasing not God, but Satan (Colossians 2:20-23; 1 Timothy 4:1-5). This is why I do not preach or teach religion to men, but Jesus Christ in the Gospel, His Word and the Spirit in all power to do God’s will in pleasing Him! Gifted and called one of the Lord’s prophets to the churches, I also call religionists to repentance and revival (Ezekiel 33:1-9; Ephesians 4:7-16; Revelation 3:1-6).
I call religionists in the churches to repentance because they need it to escape captivity to Satan (2 Timothy 2:24-26). Revival is necessary because the “new wine” of authentic, biblical Christianity must be poured into hearts made “new wine skins,” (Luke 5:33-39, NKJV). I also call religionists in the churches to repentance and revival for the sake of those seeking and won by hard labor to Christ as babes who need the spiritual nurture of His Body in Word with the Spirit’s life and power, but cannot get it from them! I am deeply grieved and burdened with the heart of Christ about this since religionist churches are pervasive in our nation. They stifle the spiritual growth of initially sincere men eventually ruining many that adopt their ways (Matthew 23:13-28).
Such religionist run churches in America spawned those that have now fully turned their backs on biblical family order and morality. They boldly re-define God and sin. Their equally satanically deceived politically correct and tolerant offspring will shortly in great intolerance join with atheists and all others hatefully embittered against God and His Christ, to unjustly and violently silence the voices of His faithful (Mark 13:11-13; John 15:18-25). Throughout history God has made a distinction between those that are His and those that are not. Unrepentant religionists never make His cut (Malachi 3:13-4:3; Matthew 7:21-23, 23:29-33). The risen, living Christ continues His cry among American churches, "Who is on the Lord's side?"
After coming to salvation Resurrection Sunday 1977, in the wisdom of God and without realizing it then, I officially began my service to Him in the predominantly black American Friendship Missionary Baptist Church, Seaside, CA, Reverend C.L. McFadden, Pastor in the fall of 1979. I taught third graders in the same classroom I had just fifteen years earlier been taught and sat baptized but unsaved. The work of Open Door Communication Ministries, Inc. which I was led by the Lord to found in 1985 until today has included my burden for black folk and the churches among us. Thus, no one can tell me, “Preacher, first go preach to your own.” This Black History Month, I repost the first of an edited two part 2013 blog in keeping with my burden as a son of slaves to use the spiritual gifts God has given me to continue serving my own and any others helped to His glory!
Originally Posted February 3, 2013
Without a doubt as I labored before the Lord writing The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics, I had the men and women of my own race and culture in mind in terms of needs and benefits as much as anybody else. As our elders say among professing Christian black Americans, “God has brought us a mighty long way.” While this is certainly true in terms of the physical chains of bondage that used to shackle the arms and legs of our slave forefathers, I have spent nearly all of my journey as a Christian seeking to get us to move further down the path of spiritual maturity the Lord has laid out for all of His born again children with limited success. Greater spiritual maturity would lead to stronger, more fruitful and satisfying personal lives enjoyed beyond church services as well as make a wider, desperately needed renewing impact in the black community. As I have learned through over thirty years of painful experience, though, Christianity the religion of men is the giant stumbling block.
Christianity the religion came to blacks early in the business of slavery through first the missionary efforts of colonial Anglicans followed by the desire of many slave owners to subdue in their slaves the natural and universal inclination of men to be free. In fairness, some of the slave owners were genuinely concerned for the eternal souls of their property and shared the Gospel accordingly. As much as any other non-Christian men on earth (including the Europeans that conquered Rome and were called “Barbarians”), most Africans came to the New World practicing the native religions of their ancestral tribes and a few, the religion of others such as Islam.
None of us that are truly born again Christians today would begrudge the sincere slave owners that shared the Gospel with our slave forefathers and treated them in accord with biblical righteousness. It is the evil owners that insincerely used Christianity as a religious tool of oppression not unlike the cold, dead, rigid and oppressive experience they had with Christianity the religion of men themselves that stir up righteous anger. Few slaves warmed to the dry, colonial Christianity the religion spoon fed to them.
Only after the Holy Spirit led and empowered “Great Awakenings” and revivals that swept through the forming then fledgling nation did slaves in large numbers begin to come to Christ and become part of denominational groups such as the Baptists and Methodists. But maintaining the privilege of racial superiority, white churches segregated slaves and free blacks into special sections or they were directed to gather among themselves under the authority and watchful eye of whites.
It was not long before free black preachers purposely started their own churches and having no other models, patterned them after what they had seen, heard and/or been taught by professing white Christians. Hence, while blacks were racially separated from whites in their assemblies, the external forms of authority, organization, programming methods etc. of Christianity the religion whites practiced were mostly adopted without revision. The distinction came culturally in the preaching emphasis and uninhibited, emotionally charged way blacks expressed themselves in services.
Adopting the outer forms of Christianity the religion practiced by the people that introduced it to them without much question is understandable for men completely cut off from the familiarity of their homeland. Unfortunately, this has not well served those black churches and denominational groups that did not recognize the spiritual deficiencies of just swapping their native religions for another.
Rather than the Bible (which many could not and were purposely kept from learning how to read to prevent any illumination), in great numbers they allowed their masters’ practice of Christianity the religion of men to be the final authority for their own faith and practice. This they did even after seeing and experiencing how the practice of Christianity the religion divorced as it is from the Bible and the Holy Spirit by professing white Christians, brought so much harm to them. Of course, there were a few without being able to read that knew then and who can now read the Bible that know Christianity the religion practiced by anybody is not the real deal. The only ones fooled are the practitioners!
Christianity the religion of men among blacks has brought forth all of the predictable outcomes such as churches full of impostors and weak Christians willfully sinning with impunity. Indeed, “black owned churches” are a badge of pride in our community meaning first, white men are no longer controlling every aspect of black life. However, as a second meaning and most important unintended consequence, neither is Jesus truly honored as Lord!
To their credit historically, predominantly black churches have served their congregants well as a “safe house” from not only white control, but abuse. Black men forced to give white men the respect they demanded but were otherwise humiliated by being called “boy” or the “N” word, came to church and became Reverend, Deacon, brother and Mr. so and so. All black attendees found a place to give full vent to their emotions in church services that had been pent up outside in a white dominated world professing to be Christian that severely penalized any act of resistance or insistence on receiving the most basic of human dignity and treatment.1
1 Click here to be taken to another Web Site of Open Door Communication Ministries, Inc. and learn how to obtain the Commemorative Cassette of the Angel Award winning docu-drama I wrote, produced and narrated featuring creatively presented music and sound effects that tells the story of Black History and interprets it from from a biblical worldview.
Join The Strong Man Of God Resources Conversation!
Get Your Copy Of The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics Today!
Your purchase supports restoring men, families and communities through Strong Man Ministries!
Purchase It Now