Look, it's true that all Believers in Jesus Christ have various issues they've got to deal with. Some appear more serious than others, and some are corporate while some issues are individual. But I think it's fair to say that with black Christianity's infamous relationship to slavery, there is a very unique perspective that has a number of dynamics concerning today's black Christian living in the United States. There's a faction that thinks all black Christians are lost...there's a faction that thinks all black non-Christians are lost...there's a faction that thinks black Christianity isn't Christianity at all. And then there are the internal foolishness we gripe with that can be attributed to the remnants of slavery. Things like disdain for influential and wealthy pastors and the taboo of homosexuality. This ain't your grandma's church. While that church was perceived to be a credible resource for the community; it's recently lost some of that perception for a more entertaining, fashionable, and trendy one....yet it's hard to evaluate the effectiveness of both. It's just understood that the black church is, different (except concerning Catholicism). But is the state of the black church any different from the state of the Church as a whole? And if so, how and why?
I guess the quick answer would be yes. The black church is filled with black people; so of course it's different. And why is that? Because, if we're talking along racial lines, the majority of the white American population isn't experiencing...or being forced to acknowledge the notion of social injustice and all that entails. So while most whites aren't positioned to confront such realities and assumptions, black people are. And frankly, people are carrying their experiences or the results of propaganda right where they should...to church. One would be right to consider any emotional, social, or any type of problems should be addressed through the love of Christ. It's just difficult to tell if that's what's going on and how, if at all, is it happening.
As I've shared before I'm bewildered about how little information there is about the evangelical and pastoral efforts of men like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Rev. Jesse Jackson, Rev. Al Sharpton, and other men of God. Speaking as someone who's lived in a much different time then those aforementioned, I first present this: without a doubt social equality is extremely important. But doesn't eternal Salvation trump that? I mean, let's just say that all racism and the related isms disappear, and black people are "equal (using a general term, don't get too deep)." Outstanding...and then you die...then what? If there is a true belief in the things of God, was black nationalism more pressing than biblical righteous living? I'm not saying this to suggest we neglect either, but it is to question if the charge in Matthew 28:19 is a primary point for the overall black church body.
For example, BET's Celebration of Gospel is by many understood as the networks' attempt to touch the black Christian community. Yet with just a few minutes of viewing the production, it's clear that the event is geared to acknowledge the impact of Gospel music and to promote its artists....not necessarily preach the gospel. Of course someone can receive something from that, but that doesn't appear to be BET's aim. Is this a reflection of what black Christianity looks like in a nutshell? Mere entertainment and motives other than glorifying God?
If so, then how does this change? If not, then why isn't the black church doing more to promote the true basis of it's operations? Because the facts are that thousands of African American Christians are impacting America and the world in ways that only their white counterparts get credit for. And in this instance, I can't accept the "they give the attention to them" excuse; because another luxury car can be shelved for a more potent and far-reaching media component. We can't blame their cameras for not coming here when we can buy our own cameras...and don't chose not to. The time is now where we see young black Christians in El Salvador, China, and Chicago touching people with selfless love. It's inspiring and encouraging in our own paths of evangelism. But oddly enough, at least for me, the most times I see blacks in these images in when they're affiliated with white ministries. That then leads to this question, is a church along racial lines even a necessity any more? Does it really boil down to being around our own kind? Well if our own kind is Christian then....never mind.
Too much to type, too much to talk about with this. But here's where it can start: ask yourself why you are a black Christian, and what is the state of the relationship with Jesus Christ in your own life. And then, when you get that answer, then ask yourself...how is that evident to others?
Note: Africans were Christian before America was even thought of (see Acts 8:26-39).
Peace
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