If some of my "old South" friends were to have read my last post I would suppose they might call me a "blacks lover". Only they may have used the "n" word instead. It's still used a fair amount in all white company at least in this part of the South.
Am I?? You bet, I'm guilty as charged. I'm a lover of the red and yellow man as well. And the brown. I am fascinated by the amazing ethnic variety that populates this globe.
Several weeks ago we were at the Sight and Sound Theatre in Lancaster, PA to take in the "Jonah" presentation. Such a mix of people from all parts of the world! We talked with a quiet, reserved exceptionally beautiful young mother of Indian (India Indian) descent as she took care of her young child while the rest of her family was taking in the presentation before ours. The man who sat in the seat beside me was from the Dominican Republic. When I asked him his nationality he said first of all he was a citizen of heaven. We had a lively conversation with some Coptic Christian young ladies with Egyptian roots who sat behind us. I kept thinking of the verse,"Out of every kindred, tongue and nation".
When "white" people think of themselves as superior, they are missing out on so much of what other people and cultures have to offer them. Frankly, sometimes I think "white" is just pretty downright boring!
Last post I was deploring the wrongs committed by the white race. So does the black community have any problems? You better believe they do, I just happen to think you should talk about your own problems first.
The black community has especially big time problems in the area of family life. I don't remember the figure, but well over half of black births are to unmarried moms. There seems to be a thing of almost bragging rights with some black men over how many children they have by however many different women. Hmmm. Sounds awful similar to some of those old plantation owners, doesn't it?
The bottom line is that the human race,( all branches) has big time problems. Martin Luther King's efforts eventually changed the laws but didn't really change the hearts of men. I'm glad the slavery of the old South is gone; but there are many forms of slavery today that aren't as obvious. The slavery of materialism.The slavery of addictions. The slavery of lust. All very devastating but not cured by any law you might pass.
There is only one Deliverer I know of who can make a real difference and break down the barriers between people groups. And that would be Jesus Christ and His gospel.
You do see the barriers breaking down more and more the last number of years. But sad to say, it seems mostly to be happening among the low morality crowd. I wish the church could have been on the leading edge instead.
I am sort of proud of our church in this regard. We had an interracial marriage in our church over 30 years ago already. We have quite a variety of skin tones among us on any given Sunday. A little dash of Haitian, Guatemalan, Belizian, Cuban, and American black-Native American genetics help add some spice to the mix. Give us several more generations and we may blend up to a delightful shade of brown.
I have this vision of the church, while respecting and celebrating each culture represented therein; having a "kingdom culture" that supercedes them all. Binding us all together into one family.
After all, that's what heaven will be like. We better be getting used to it.
No comments:
Post a Comment