Face to Face with Self

There is an ole saying among Blacks: Whites do it, so let’s do it. Consequently, all Black people understand that we have been spiritually and socially conditioned to imitate Whites. Imitation can be suicide. Whites brought Black people from Africa to a foreign land flowing with milk and honey and socially conditioned Black people to imitate them. In most instances Black people imitate Whites, even to the degree that many Black people indulge in self-hatred, because many Whites hate Black people.

This insane ungodliness must cease and desist because Black people are only destroying themselves spiritually, mentally, and physically, especially with Black-on-Black crime. Sadly, Black people will kill each other before God gets the news. Black people, you are not the problem, systematized institutional racism is the problem. No individual chooses his or her skin color. Skin color is the will of God. The slave chains have been off Black bodies since January 1, 1863, but some Black people still have invisible chains on their minds. In fact, some Black people are more hateful and destructive towards other Black people than Whites, because they have been socialized and baptized in self-hatred. Even when Black people elect Black politicians to public political offices, the benefits are minimal, only public imagery. Unfortunately, Whites and other minorities usually benefit the most from Black politicians being in public offices. Therefore, Black people must cease and desist from simply blaming Whites for all of their institutional social problems and begin holding each other socio-economically accountable. The primary objective of this editorial is not to emasculate Black people, but to inspire and enlighten Black people to engage in self-introspection, and if we are honest with ourselves, we will not like what we see and learn.

First, let’s take a spiritual and socio-economic look at our families. Family is the basis of society as well as community, and Black families are in absolute disarray. Seventy-three percent of all Black families have no male role model (father) in the home. Secondly, let’s take a hard long look at our institutional churches. Sadly, even when Black people go to worship God in most Black churches, they do not always encounter the unadulterated Gospel of Jesus Christ. Instead, they encounter the Prosperity Gospel, and no one, but the Pastor and church leaders are experiencing prosperity. What a shame! The editorial writer purely from observation has noted that Christian Right Evangelicals teach and preach an exclusion doctrine based upon racial status and socio-economic status. This exclusionary doctrine is not of God. On the other hand, Christian Left Evangelicals teach and preach an inclusion doctrine that is grounded in a spiritual understanding that the Pastor is at the center of the church, not God nor Jesus or the Holy Spirit.

Too many pastoral leaders discipline parishioners from the pulpit, as well as request additional need for financial assistance for the church development, without any substantive documentation. To add insult to injury, too many pastoral leaders believe that the only prayers God answers are theirs.

Pastoral sermons oftentimes do not address relevant 21st century family Christian concerns and experiences. Far too often pastoral leaders preach and teach about hell, death, and the grave, rather than how to live. Individuals need to know and learn how to live, not how to die. Of course, this is not all Black churches, but one Black church is one too many. This social commentary is not designed to tarnish how Black people feel about themselves and Black churches. The objective is to spiritually highlight what has happened to the Black race, and how we can right the spiritual, and socio-economic conditions in the Black community. Thus, the only way we can correct the spiritual and socio-economic conditions plaguing the Black community is by telling each other God’s unadulterated truth, and by embracing the spiritual tenets of the Bible: The Word of God.

There is no such thing as White ice and Black ice as all ice freezes at (32) degrees. It is a spiritual imperative that Black families and Black churches work in spiritual harmony and tandem with each other to make life worth living, not just for us, but for the future, our children. Our children are our future. Black people must spiritually understand that prayer changes things because prayer is self-introspection.

Thirdly let’s take a hard long look at our educational institutions. The state of educational development of our children is deplorable and way out in left field. Educational development is of the utmost spiritual importance, but at the same time, we must acknowledge that one side does not fit all children in terms of educational development, because of individual differences and specialized needs. Individualized instruction is the key to effective educational development. Therefore, “Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners” (1 Corinthians 15: 33). This is precisely why self-discipline in the word of God is of the utmost spiritual importance for wholesome personal development.

Lastly, socio-economically Black people are almost totally institutionally dependent upon others for their basic survival needs, food, clothing, and shelter. Black people, we are in a hellish predicament in a society that is oriented towards institutional racism, and the writer of this editorial is only a spiritual voice crying in the wilderness of ignorance of God. “Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he” (Proverbs: 29: 18). It’s getting right with God’s time! Amen.