RE: A Call To Conscience Chapter One

My friend Billy of The Orant recently asked his readers to join him in a personal effort to give up racism for lent. Knowing that prejudice is a malady of perception and that it is difficult to identify racism in oneself, Billy has posted a book list and asked his readers to each pick a book to reflect on and to let him know how it has challenged their perspectives. I picked, A Call to Conscience which is a collection of Martin Luther King Junior’s pivotal speeches. I’ve only read two of the eleven speeches, but I can see I won’t be able to fit my thoughts on the book into a single reflection, so I’ll be updating as I read through the book.

The first speech in the book was given at the inception of the Civil Right’s Movement. It is the address that King delivered to the Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA) at the start of the famous bus boycotts initiated by the arrest of Rosa Parks. Throughout the talk King encouraged his audience to stand united, he condemned violence and rumors of violence, and gave thanks to God that he lived in a nation that protected the freedoms of speech and assembly.

I was surprised to find that it was not just inspiring but also fun to read. The emotional interjections of those present at the historic meeting are recorded in the text, which makes it easy to imagine hearing King’s words delivered in a crowded meeting hall that simmered with emotion and energy. If I took one thing away from the MIA speech it is the following exhortation to keep God at the forefront and to be Christian in all our actions:

“May I say to you, my friends, as I come to a close, and just giving some idea of why we are assembled here, that we must keep--and I want to stress this, in all of our doings, in all of our deliberations here this evening and all of the week and while, --whatever we do--, we must keep God in the forefront. (Yeah) Let us be Christian in all of our actions. (That's right) But I want to tell you this evening that it is not enough for us to talk about love, love is one of the pivotal points of the Christian faith. There is another side called justice. And justice is really love in calculation. (All right) Justice is love correcting that which revolts against love. (Well)” –King 1955

Pray that we may we ever keep God at the forefront as we seek to correct that which revolts against love.

RE:Narrative Of The Life Of Frederick Douglas, An American Slave

Last month I read Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave and I am very glad I did. It is a short book of only about 100 pages but is very emotionally intense all the same. It tells in his own words, the story of a man born into bondage, who experienced an oppression unfathomable to my mind. Douglas writes, with gut wrenching honesty, about the corruption brought by slavery to the soul of slave holders, he writes with unparalleled eloquence about the power of literacy to free the human mind, and he writes, under the conviction of the Holy Spirit, about the discrepancies between the Christianity of Christ and the Christianity practised in the United States.

If you are unfamiliar with the book I give it my highest recommendation. A first hand account of a man raised as a slave offers marvellous insight into the human condition, the Gospel of Christ, the power of the written word. If you have a sensitive heart and cannot stand to read the whole bloody story I recommend chapter VII for its it's insights on the power of reading, chapter X which contains Fredrick Douglas' pivotal anagnorisis, and also the appendix, which contrasts Christianity and the religion of oppression.

The full text is available on Project Gutenberg.

Or available at Amazon.

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Blessed are the Persecuted - 2nd Tuesday Of Lent

Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. – Matthew 5:10

Two guys were waiting by my brother’s yellow truck. They pushed him and spat on him, while I’m sure he could’ve taken them both down, he stood and took their abuse until they got bored. My brother’s offence was a small bumper sticker he’d gotten to cover one that came on his truck. “Jesus” was all that the sticker said.

My brother doesn’t talk about that event. He brushed it off his shoulder, forgave the guys and to my knowledge he never looked back. I admire how he continued to witness by turning his cheek and be forgiving so readily. I’m sure it was hard. Jesus’ words here are a comfort if you are being hurt for living rightly. If you’ve ever had this experience you know what a comfort they are. I’ve met too many Christians who complain of what they call persecution, which is often only resentment they’ve earned from the people they’ve brow beaten.

Challenge:
Evaluate your heart; are you righteous when righteousness is unpopular? Do you show off when you do? Have you resented your persecutors instead of forgiving them? Jesus energetically desires to forgive all your sin, invite him to take it from you. God alone can make you righteous, depend on him and he will do it.

“Blessed is the man whose sin the LORD does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit.” –Psalm 32:2

Persecution

“Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (Matthew 5:10-12)

One morning while I sat in eighth grade history class, a group of misguided men, desperate to get into heaven, piloted a pair of airplanes into the World Trade Center towers. These men believed it was noble to be killed for their faith and that God would reward them. Instead of living right lives and turning the other cheeks to persecution, these men sought out a death they believed would bring a reward. They threw their lives away to hurt their enemies. Sadly I’ve met Christians with a similar attitude.

Many throw away their witness for the sake of baiting persecution. They brag about how angry people get with them, but being rejected is not the same as being persecuted. To share the rules of God without sharing love will guarantee persecution, but no reward from God. These evangelists speak harshly instead of with loving kindness and respect; they rejoice when their message is rejected flippantly, imagining they’ve earned a better resurrection.

To share Christ must be to share his selfless love. To preach without love is to preach something other than the gospel. If you share God’s word for social status, for self-improvement or to earn a better resurrection, you’ve missed the point. No such person belongs on a soapbox. They belong back at the foot of the cross. Only when pride and ambition have fallen off can such a person share the gospel in all its selfless, unconditional and life changing power.

Happy Holidays!

Yule tide is upon us again, a time of gifts, merriment, and stress. The American Psychology Association found that 8/10 Americans anticipate stress over the holidays (apa.org). Not that we need a study to tell us this. Sadly too much stress makes us moody and argumentative. There is one pointless argument I hear every year, and I’m asking you to help me end it.

Here’s a familiar scenario:

On a snowy street corner a smiling stranger wishes a passerby “Merry Christmas” only to be met with an icy “Happy Holidays” as the stranger sneers and rolls their eyes in disgust. Our hero's smile vanishes and is replaced, for the rest of the day, with resentment towards the “secularization” of their beloved Christmas. This is a sad scenario, but to be honest I have never met a person who got angry that I wished them a Merry Christmas. I’m certain it happens, but it has never happened to me.

I have seen Christians get angry about being wished a “Happy Holiday.” No year goes by that I don’t hear rants, sermons, and tantrums about how the word "Holiday". Whether it is a politician, an advertisement, or a relative someone will provide an excuse to complain that “Christmas” is being replaced by “Holiday.” This complaint is not helpful. It does not spark encouraging discussions or begin any argument worth having. I would rather hear a pagan solstice hymn than another complaint about how folks are greeting one another incorrectly.

By all means please keep the true meaning of Christmas alive. This is the perfect season to remember that Jesus said, “Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.” (Matt 5:39) Now if we can respond lovingly when evil people hit us, I’m confidant that we can respond lovingly when nice people wish us a “Happy Holiday.”

Here’s a neat idea if you feel strongly about wishing Merry Christmas, “Do everything without complaining or arguing” (Phil 2:14) Correcting people about their greeting is argumentative. Talking to other Christians about it is complaining. Please turn the other cheek, wish the Holiday Heretic a Merry Christmas, and praise God for the opportunity to love them. We’re not winning any hearts by carrying this argument any further.