"No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the Terror of flight or the gloom of the grave
And the Star Spangled Banner in triumph doth wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave" --Star Spangled Banner by Francis Scott Key
"He's My Baby!!" The frantic woman's voice rang out in Solomon's court as she watched another woman cradle her newborn baby. Set before King Solomon were two mothers, one living baby, and one dead baby. Both women claimed to be the mother of the living baby and accused the other of killing her child. Some of those gathered in the courts expected Solomon to give the child to Woman A. Others expected him to give the child to Woman B. Solomon's decision, based in wisdom, was one I don't think anyone anticipated. "Bring me my sword", he ordered, "so that I may divide the child in two".....
As I pen this, I'm a 36 year old Black Christian. Black Christian. At this point in history it would seem that this is a dichotomy of sorts. People carry preconceived notions of what each of those terms mean. In addition, most people identify with one more than the other.
When I say that I'm a Black Christian, people who only identify with my race think:
Many of those people believe that older blacks devote themselves to Christ because they don't know any better. They inherited a God from their parents that was forced on them by cruel masters. In the time of enlightenment, technology and self knowledge; those who only identify with my race attempt to shame me for a belief that was forced upon my ancestors. Simply stated, Christ is not the God of the Black Man, and choosing to worship Him is akin to mental slavery. My choice of Christian faith, to them, speaks of an inability to think freely but to instead continue to subject myself to the cultures of others that was forced upon Blacks in an effort to pacify. To some, the images of a blonde haired blue eyed Jesus fuel fires of indignation. To others, the artistic depictions of Christ are not important as they see him as a mythical creature absorbing credit for the strength and determination of man.
They choose to believe that my acceptance of Christ is a result of my weakness, and insult to my ancestors; a sign of an oppressed mentality. How can I put my faith in a tool used to keep my ancestors subservient and docile while being deprived of their basic human rights? Some offer alternatives such as believing in myself, believing in gods with African origins or understanding that God/god/gods are tools used to make people predictable. Regardless of the alternatives offered, my choice to choose Christ is seen as an inability to accept truth and a willingness to accept deceit.
When I say that I'm a Black Christian, people who identify with my Christianity think:
Many of these misconceptions originate in the myths of the "Black Boogeyman" and the "White Savior." History classes teach of a European beginning to civilization with allusions to African savagery in need of taming. There is very little mention of the science or math used to build pyramids and other structures that stand to this day. Lost in the annals of history are the thousands of scrolls housed at the Library of Alexandria along with the accompanying museum that attracted learners from all over the ancient world; a museum and library razed to the ground by European invaders. There are never discussions of the engineering and nautical skills used by America's original inhabitants centuries before Columbus landed on America's shores by accident.
This isn't just an American whitewashing of history. I've often asked Africans that I meet what they were taught regarding African American history. I was not surprised to find that their schools did not discuss African American history. I am shocked however to learn that their schools did not discuss African history. "Instead", a Cameroonian friend explained to me, "they would teach us European history and the subsequent colonization of Africa. I didn't learn about African history until I was an adult."
Many White Christians struggle to reconcile the actions and attitudes of their ancestors toward blacks. Bob Jones Sr., founder of Bob Jones Christian University wrote that 20th century blacks should be grateful to whites for slavery because if not for them we would still be unconverted in the jungles of Africa; implying that the greed in their hearts that created and sustained the horrors of slavery was somehow linked to a noble cause.
In a world where Holocaust perpetrators are prosecuted 70 years after the end of World War II, and the events of September 11, 2001 are affixed with the motto "Never Forget"; African Americans have been told to get over the hurts of the past and are being told that the hurts of the present are somehow justified. We're told that police killing a 12 year old playing with a toy gun in an open carry state is justified. We're told that a 21 year old man carrying a BB gun with the intention to buy it was justifiably shot by police; again in an open carry state. We're denigrated for peaceful protests and vilified once protests turn angry.
When we look at the image of the baby in King Solomon's court and the two women fighting for him it's easy to allude that to Black Christians. We can see our Christianity as one woman calling for us, and our African American Heritage as another. Ultimately we can't belong to both mothers so we're made to choose. The dirty secret of the choice forced upon is that if we were to choose, neither side would be totally comfortable with our choice. Black Christians are readily taken advantage of by both Blacks and Christians. Both sides often see us as weak, manipulative, marginalized bargaining chips.
The truth is we don't have to choose. Lets begin our analysis of Solomon's court with the baby. This baby has been born into a world he has not learned and he's in court under circumstances he couldn't possibly understand. As a newborn he has already made an enemy with so much enmity in her heart that she is content to either rip him away from his mother or to see him die. At the same time the baby has a mother whose love is so strong that is willing to relinquish him to make sure that he doesn't die.
Let's assume Woman A is NOT the mother. In the analogy of Black Christians she represents both the Black side and the Christian side. To fully illustrate this lets look at her two stances. Her initial claim is that the baby is her child. Implied in this claim is that she loves this child and wants to care for him and raise him. Once Solomon decreed that the baby be cut in half, her stance changed from wanting a live baby to accepting half of a dead baby. Solomon's suggestion sat well with her because it was better than the plan she had concocted. The truth is that Woman A did not want the baby, what she wanted was to separate the baby and the mother.
In some cases Blacks attempt to shame Black Christians for their faith and imply that it is out of love and concern, but what they ultimately want is to separate you from your faith for selfish or unknown reasons. Christianity does not preclude a Black person from loving Black people or championing Black causes. In actuality, it is often the opposite. At Hampton University I worked with a volunteer organization called Project Sonshine. This Christian organization formed partnerships with local churches to provide tutoring services to children in at risk communities free of cost. As an accounting major I was able to tutor many black students in math as well as introduce some basic business principles. The positive work done by this organization was the byproduct of people who love both God and their people.
At times Christians, attempt to separate Black Christians from Black causes and events because of selfish or unknown reasons. "Evangelical Christians" and "Christian Conservatives" often talk with Black Christians as though our Christianity has made us immune from Black issues. In Exodus 2:10 the bible tells us that after Moses grew from a nursing baby that he was bought unto Pharaoh's daughter and was made her son. Moses grew up apart from the suffering of his people, but he was not immune to it. It bothered him so much when he "looked upon their burdens" that when he saw an Egyptian beating a Jew Moses killed him and hid his body in the sand. When God created and cultured Moses He gave him a love and concern for his people. That love and concern aided Moses in being a leader. That same love and concern also drives drives many black Christians to secure footholds for Christ in neighborhoods where other races are either unwilling or unwelcome to visit.
All too often Christianity becomes a journey of conformation. You accept Christ as your savior and then you tether yourself to a church. In that church you learn the bylaws of the church and traditions of its people as though those traditions are as true as the Gospel itself. If we examine churches honestly we can see clearly that most churches see diversity as a problem. Churches are often homogeneous groups of people with identical skin color, and political ideology. Churches all too often are factories that create sheep instead of training grounds for aspiring shepherds. Too often they are places where thought provoking sentiments are squashed by large amounts of group think and the courses of action are guided by those who sit in the closest proximity to the pulpit.
In 2016 Gaye Clark, a White Christian woman, wrote an article about her journey in accepting her White daughter's Black dread-locked husband. She was honest in her words and her assessments and I believe sincere in her desire to see the mold broken. In return Gaye was berated to the point where she requested her work be taken down. I admit that portions of her blog were hard to read, but journeys of self discovery and growth are often both painful and uncomfortable. Why was there so much opposition to her examining herself and redefining her notions? Why is there so much opposition to her growing as a person? It's the mindset of Woman A.
If Woman A represents those who want to see us torn from from love and support and killed by the sword then who would Woman B represent? I believe Woman B can represent Christ. I will admit that I'm very hesitant to use a female prostitute to represent Christ in my analogy. I decided to go with it because of two things. The first is that the bible introduces Rahab as a harlot (Joshua 2:1), but then includes her in Jesus' lineage (Matthew 1:5). (Note that there is debate if this lineage is Rahab or an unrelated Rachab). The second reason I decided to go with the image of Jesus as Woman B was because of the imagery Jesus uses in Matthew 23:37 when he says, "...I have longed to gather you children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings."
Woman A objected to half of her baby being separated from the other half. Her desire for her child was to live whole as he was created to live. In Psalms 139:13-14 David speaks of God forming him in the womb. He declares that he is fearfully and wonderfully made. Am I any less? If we serve a God who crafts us with care, and doesn't make mistakes then wasn't I designed by him to have the skin tone that I do. If God controls the womb (Genesis 29:31 & 1 Samuel 1:6) then He determined the line that I would be born to. Caring for people that look like me and our common causes does not exclude me from caring for Christian causes.
In the same way that birth determines my early lineage, my rebirth determines my spiritual lineage. John 3:3 tells me that for me to enter the Kingdom of God that I must be born again. While this birth is figurative it is no less real. Too often we think that we are all God's children. The truth is that to be God's child you have to be born into God's blood line and the ONLY way for that to happen is for you to be born again. Titus 3 tells us that we have been saved from our sin through a rebirth and that we are now heirs of God. I am no less protective of my Spiritual lineage than I am my earthly lineage. To deny that would be to deny my Spiritual Father. Caring for Christian people and causes does not exclude me from caring about Black people or causes.
Many of the underlying issues facing Black Christians in America stem from abuse heaped on black people that was justified through misuse of Scripture. Even "good people" carry misconceptions of blacks that make them uncomfortable with having a black son in law, boss, neighbor or Savior. Many Americans carry this misconception of America as this inherently good land worthy of praise. They have chosen to forget that this land was built on the misfortune of enslaved people. As Habakkuk 2:12 states, it is a land built with bloodshed and established on injustice. The passage of time does not change injustice to justice. It does not change inequality to equality. It does not change heartache to triumph and it does not right wrongs. Blacks have sacrificed more for this country than any other race; watering the earth with our tears and our blood both in times of war and in times of peace. I do not condone riots of any kind, but the idea that we are somehow wrong to protest is often based either in the belief that we have nothing to protest or we do not have the right to protest.
It's especially ironic when you consider that most Americans who were shocked and outraged at the actions of athletes kneeling for the anthem have spent the last 8 years disrespecting both the President and the First Lady. Somehow disrespecting the flag and the anthem are shockingly disgraceful, but disrespecting the man who led America and his family is patriotic.
While some of the issues stem from slavery, others stem from a variety of other sources; including anger, lies, deceit, and jealousy. In Genesis 4 we see that Adam had 2 sons; Cain and Abel. Each of these sons was to bring forth an offering to the Lord. Abel's was pleasing to God, but Cain's was not. Instead of presenting a pleasing offering to God, Cain was overcome with anger and jealousy. That led him to murder his brother. Unfortunately, pleasing God often means angering others. Abel was killed by his brother. Jesus was killed by his own people. John was also poisoned by his people, and Peter and Paul suffered at the hands of their people.
In some ways I believe that this anger and jealousy stems from conviction. 2 Corinthians 7:10 says that Godly sorrow brings about repentance. When we let our light shine in this world there are some who become ashamed with their deeds. That shame can lead to repentance, but it can also lead to anger. Jesus tells us in John 15:18 that "If the world hates us to remember that it hated him first." Following Jesus will make you enemies, and some of those enemies will share the same bloodlines, and skin tones.
I am a Black Christian. I don't deny it. I don't apologize for it. God made me black and he saved my soul. If any of that bothers you then I suggest you take it up with Him.
