As we reflect on the life and legacy of MLK, it is undeniable that we’ve come far. The list is vast and not the topic of the this short post. For as much progress as we have made, there is still much work to be done. We must not rest. In my opinion it is the most important work in the area of racial justice. We must bring true racial equity to and understanding to the Church, and to we Christians.
Church on Sunday mornings in probably every single American city or town is still among the most racially segregated events in the life of our nation. We still have largely racially delineated worship, praise & gospel music; and we Christians still have caricatures of what church life is like for those who don’t share the same skin color and musical preference. Many black churches still fight the battle for racial equity that many if not most white churches are still purposely oblivious to. In my own city of Ames Iowa, there is not a single exception to this rule that comes to mind. I’ve also not seen one anywhere else for that matter. Many church pastors, elders, leaders & members have touted having sound doctrine but have conceded the battle for racial justice and equity to Satan.
This is not at all to disparage the work in progressing the Gospel of Jesus Christ that many godly people have done. Some of my oldest and dearest friends are pastors and wonderfully godly men and women without whom I would likely not have come to know Christ myself. I do believe however that nearly all of my white Christian brother’s and sisters still suffer and benefit from the sin of white privilege and commit it daily. (By the way, I’ve shared these thoughts with my friends for years, so I’m not dissing them in cyberspace) Believers of color commit the same sin; we are black first, and Christians second. And just like our brethren of the paler persuasion (smile) we have not sought to free ourselves of becoming victims of our own cultural ethos. Both are forms of idolatry. I am simply saying that in regard to the specific issues of racial justice and quity, the Bride of Christ is still woefully inadequate, asleep, and falling for the devil’s oldest and most effective battle tactic…divide and conquer. We must learn to lay this too at the foot of the Cross. It will not end until our hearts become become broken over this very blatant area of sin on our midst. It will not end until we truly love our neighbor as ourselves. It will not end until we consciously model for our children that this cannot be ignored. I pray the coming decades…and the faith of our children…tell a different story.
Leave a comment, I’d love to hear what you think.
Be blessed fam!
Minifesto 