America, A will to Stand

After the response of my first blog titled “Why I am no longer an African American”, I have discovered that there are many in this country who desire not to walk in the shadows of our past. In the past couple of weeks, the people of this great nation has watched the liberal left incite racial tensions like many have not experienced in a long time. It appears that now everything is a ploy for race baiting and the stirring of racial tensions. How can the evil face of racism be so intensified in one of the most racially accepting times in our country’s history? There is a very identifiable source to the racial tensions that are constantly arising. Race baiting can only be deployed on those who have a dysfunctional disposition toward it. In this cycle, race baiting is to liberal blacks as strong drink is to an alcoholic.

White liberals have convinced those in the black community that their hatred toward white Christian Evangelicals is justifiable. Can racism be justifiable? Many radical blacks from the 1960’s who are still stuck in the past obviously think so. As we think about the cycle of racism in this country there has existed a cycle of justifying ones hatred toward another. First the slave becomes equal to the free man, receiving land and opportunities equal to the free man. This develops a spirit of racism on the justification that blacks were inferior and therefore did not deserve equal rights. This attitude was held and even encouraged by some churches. I wonder if the churches back then had Bibles to read from and if they had Bibles did they contain passages of Scripture like those found in John 3:16-17, which says,

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. 17"For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him."

These Scriptures do not make any mention of conditions that would negate God’s extension of grace. It does not say “unless”, “except”, “in the even of”, or any other phrase, word or terms that would cause those reading it to give claim to any justification. God’s Word said that He sent Jesus into the “world” to save “whosoever”. This does not give reference to ethnicity, race, age, gender, economic status, educational accomplishments, physical stature or any of the superficial categorizing that happens as humans relate to each other. However, the racism that arose after the period of Emancipation, appear justifiable to those who embraced it. This type of reasoning kept many conditions of segregation alive and well in our country until the radical 1960’s. As Americans became more knowledgeable, the attitude about racism changed and many whites would take to the streets with Dr. King in an effort to eradicate racism in the United States during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960’s.

I am mainly speaking about black and white Americans in this post but there are many races of people that can be place in this same case against Americans, specifically white Evangelical Americans. There are other races that may seem that they are justified in their hate toward another group because _________. Japanese can hate Americans because of what happened at Hiroshima. Jews can hate Germans because of what happened at the Holocaust. Mexicans can hate Americans because of what happened at the Spanish American war, and so forth and so on. Everyone has their justifications for hating the next group, but is it right? Before I changed my life in 1992, I felt I could as well justify my dislikes for whites. However, as I was discipled in the ways of Christ I discovered a host of problems that were arising due to my way of thinking. 1 John 4 was a book that changed my life in many ways. Today, I am perplexed at how so many people were able to by pass this and many more passages of Scriptures that would destroy anyone’s justification of hating another person. In 1 John 4:19-21, it says,

"If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can[c] he love God whom he has not seen? 21 And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also."

These Scriptures leave no room for justifications. If we love God, we “must” love our brothers and sisters also. Could God be talking about our blood relatives in this Scripture? No he is talking about any human being. One may ask, “what if the person did something so horrible that forgiveness is not possible?” If someone killed my ancestors because they did not like them, could that be justifiable? How about if they lynched 100 black people, that would make it bad enough to not love and to not forgive, right? God made sure He took care of every situation when He provided this Scripture in Matthew 6:14-16,

“For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”

Furthermore God says, this in 2 Corinthians 5:17,
17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”

As I grew in my faith and was presented with each of these passages of Scripture, my entire viewpoint about people changed. Just these passages of Scripture left me with no defense of the grudges I once held against whites. I was stripped completely and was left with only one choice; love with a sincere heart. I had to find a way to live out the Word of God in loving others, even those I once believed I could not love. As I continued to step out and befriend others especially whites, I discovered the most beautiful thing of all. I could love anyone, if I allowed my heart to. If I extended a hand of grace instead of a fist of hatred, lives could be change and new relationships could be built. I loved this new world that I began to exist in. The more I reached out the farther I parted with those old ways of hatred. Today, I could not comprehend how a person can hate someone because of race or be unforgiving because of a past hurt.

As I watch the President’s supporters and his Administration throw up the issue of race at every opportunity available, I understand why. White liberals know that black racist hold on to their racism because they deem it justifiable. Blacks are falsely reminded that it is the white Christian that caused them the pain they endured. They neglect to also remind these same blacks that white liberals of today’s where those Christians who held racist feeling during those dark days. They neglect to inform them that there were two groups of white Christians. The Republican who held to Christian values as those of conservatives today, and the Democrat Christians who embraced Jim Crow laws. During the 1960’s when race relations were the worst, liberal whites discovered their golden goose, when Republicans oppose Affirmative Action.

Republicans desired different ways of obtaining equal employment opportunities but Democrats saw something different; the black vote. The opposition of Republicans to Affirmative Action provided Democrats with their perfect setting for race baiting and justifiable racism against Conservative whites. Black leaders felt that the Democrat Party was embracing their cause for social justice and funneled these race baiting ideologies through the black church. Black Church leaders saw an opportunity to gain a voice and power during these times and obliged this message instead of spreading the reconciliatory message of the Gospel and extend God’s love and the right hand of fellowship to all.

In the many encouraging responses to “Why I am no longer an African American”, I noticed a distinct pattern arising. Everyone who responded positively was Conservative or referred to themselves as Conservative Christians, and the few that responded negatively were liberals. Liberals can not bear the thought of their race baiting tactics not working. They must work in order to keep this country divided and the black vote in tact. But the process has begun and we who embrace the principles of America will not be lead astray by race baiting. Race may be a driving force for the racist liberal but it will no longer divide Americans. Those of us, who has chosen to stand together, have left behind our justifications and we embrace each other as one people. Racism and race baiting, may work in the world where liberals live. But as the spirit of America returns, we will overcome this enemy within. This enemy that wishes to divide and conquer, will only bring us closer together.

My hope is that blacks that have been chained by the so-called justifications of racial hatred will realize their error, for there is no justification for racism, it is wrong no matter what reason you may have for it. The enemy is not an American brother or sister but the hatred that has kept us apart. Think about it.