Compassion and Poverty

I recently wrote a piece for a collaboration between the Central Union Mission in Washington, DC and Nyack College's DC Campus. Check out my piece, as well as others, at http://missiondc.org/blog

Revelation 1:14 and Black Jesus

As I'm working through the Book of Revelation for my sermon series, I remembered and tracked down this scene from the old Good Times television show. Consistent with his aspects of his character on the show, the young man who played Michael Evans attended a church in Brooklyn, NY whose pastor taught that Jesus was Black largely based on the vision found in Revelation 1, especially verse 14. I heard that pastor speak on different occasions when I was a young man growing up in New York (I am about the same age as the actor who played Michael).

The image of a Black Jesus is scandalous to many. Of course, I do not believe that good exegesis of the vision in Revelation 1 leads us to conclude anything about the nationality, ethnicity, or race of Jesus. But certainly the other picture of Jesus that was hanging on the wall in the video clip -- the common one of blonde, blue-eyed Jesus -- needs to be criticized and viewed as scandalous as well. That traditional picture does not help when it comes to historicity, and it certainly is not a helpful picture when it comes to theology or mission.

Theologian James Cone wrote this several years ago:

To suggest that Christ has taken on a black skin is not a theological emotionalism.

If the church is a continuation of the Incarnation, and if the Church and Christ are

where the oppressed are free, then Christ and his Church must identify totally with

the oppressed to the extent that they too suffer for the same reasons persons are

enslaved. In America, blacks are oppressed because of their blackness. It would seem

then, that emancipation could only be realized by Christ and his Church becoming

black. Thinking of Christ as nonblack in the twentieth century is as theologically

impossible as thinking of him as non-Jewish in the first century.

(James R. Cone, "The White Church and Black Power" in Black Theology: A Documentary History; Vol 1: 1966-1979; pp. 70-71)

While we may not agree with Cone on all his theological views, he offers us a good challenge. The point is that Jesus identifies with oppressed people. And isn't that happening in Revelation? The vision in Revelation 1 is of the Lord among the lampstands, i.e., among his churches (Rev 1:20). He is right in the midst of his people! The letters to the 7 churches found in chapters 2 & 3 of Revelation depict a Lord who identifies with people who face great tribulation and are the objects of oppression. The historical Jesus may not have been African American, but from what we know of his teachings, the darker-skinned people of the world -- many of whom have faced and still face oppression -- can find a Savior who relates to them and maybe even looks more like them than do their oppressors.

The Bible and Jazz

As an amateur saxophonist and flutist, I have an appreciation for various musicals forms - including jazz. I've recently returned from a great time in New Orleans for the Society of Biblical Literature. This is an annual event featuring academic papers and discussions from scholars and students in Biblical Studies and related disciplines. As an urban pastor with a doctorate in Biblical Studies, I enjoyed the event and the venue.

During the African American BIblical Hermeneutics section, there was a paper presented by Kirk Lyons of Union Theological Seminary entitled "A Jazz Hermenuetic: Reading Paul, Hearing Trane 'A Love Supreme.'" Lyons used jazz as a metaphor for biblical interpretation. Indeed, the analogy is apt, especially when one considers how a New Testament writer "riffs" on an Old Testament passage or theme. Lyons noted how Theolonius Monk's "Round Midnight" has been re-worked to the point where the re-working has practically become the new standard. This type of re-working might be seen in Paul's "riff" on the Hagar/Sarah story from Genesis found in Galatians.

I was particularly appreciative of the presentations that acknowledged the pain that New Orleans faced during and after Hurricane Katrina. One of my daughters and I went on a work trip to New Orleans back in 2006 and it was good to be back in the city. And having the Saints on a winning streak isn't bad either!

Reclaiming Territory

Saturday night I was part of a group of people -- mostly very young people -- who went on a prayer walk in the Anacostia neighborhood of Washington, DC. That neighborhood is not far from my home and has been the scene of several shootings in recent days. In fact, a young African American man who had just moved to the community was shot in the early evening just a couple weeks ago. It must have been a case of mistaken identity because this young man was no gangbanger! He had just returned from serving as a missionary in China (how many African Americans do you know who can speak Mandarin?) He moved into a small apartment building owned by a ministry called Little Lights that serves children in DC. The young man's injuries are not life-threatening, but the shooting was a sober reminder of what life can be like, even for those who seek to serve God with their whole lives.

I was proud of the young people who claimed their community for the Lord Jesus Christ! They would not let acts of wickedness deter them from serving. Even the young man who had recently been shot came to pray -- while on his crutches! I encourage all urban Christians to continue to reclaim their communities for the Lord. We cannot cower in fear but must continue to share Good News and work for peace and justice. Our most basic work is that of prayer:

For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places (Ephesians 6:12)

kinder and gentler?

Maybe some conservatives shouldn't have been so upset that the President gave a nationally televised speech to school children. It appears that even legislators could use the simple lessons one learns in grade school!

I hope that everyone -- even politically conservative Christians -- have a problem with a legislator calling the President of the United States a liar on national television during the president's speech! Many of us were taught by our parents, our grandparents, Sunday School teachers and even secular school teachers to respect people in authority, even when we disagree with them.

It's About Power!

Unfortunately when discussing matters of race and class, too many Christians fall into the trap of thinking that the issues are about personal prejudices. They tend to oversimplify discussions about racism, choosing to focus on anecdotes of who has caused whom pain. When it comes to analyzing why congregations tend to be segregated Christians offer explanations that suggest the main issue is that of different worship styles -- an easy possible answer but not the real answer!

Many well-meaning Christians try to highlight multi-cultural, or interracial congregations, suggesting that they provide models for integrating Christians in America. But we should not be so hasty! Having served as a pastor in a congregation that viewed itself as ethnically diverse, the question is not one of what the website looks like, or whose faces are in the literature; the question is: "with whom does the power rest?" The power rests with those who can advance the mission of the congregation, or more sadly, who can thwart that mission, even without holding any office in the church. Typically, even in multicultural congregations, that power rests with white people. Even in churches with pastors who belong to an ethnic minority group, it is white people who set the church's agenda. Blacks and other minorities are more likely to defer to whites in order to keep the church "multi-ethnic" because the threat of whites leaving is more of a concern than the threat of minorities leaving the church.

In her book, The Elusive Dream: The Power of Race in Interracial Churches, Dr. Korie L. Edwards does an excellent job of discussing the issue of power and privilege without oversimplifying the topic and reducing it to one of who gets to sing their songs and when. Dr. Edwards does focus on one congregation, but uses data from national surveys to bolster her observations about "Crosstown Community Church," the pseudonym for a church with an evangelical African American pastor who was educated at Dallas Theological Seminary and clearly trained under Dr. Tony Evans. That "interracial" congregation typifies the problem: Minorities are the ones who have to make adjustments for the sake of the interracial image; whites have the power. As Dr. Edwards puts it: "I propose that interracial churches work, that is remain racially integrated, to the extent that they are first comfortable places for whites to attend" (p. 6). As the book jacket notes, interracial churches cause African Americans, for example, to "conform to white expectations in church just as they do elsewhere."

I am grateful for Dr. Edwards's analysis and hope that it can help more Christians to understand that power and privilege are the real issues at work in churches, no matter how much we sing about the love of Jesus. When it comes down to it, those with power in society wield the most power in church as well.