Racism In America: From Ferguson To NYC

In 2007, The Lord spoke to me and told me that he was about to raise up Barrack Obama to expose racism in America.  As a result of sharing this I have been accused of being a liberal, a democrat, and told that if I support our President in prayer that I somehow am supportive of his liberal policies.  I have been cut off by some, disrespected by others, and have had people walk out of my speaking engagements  - all because I said, "The Lord showed me that he was putting Barrack Obama in the Whitehouse to expose racism." It is deplorable for Christians to engage in showing the kind of disrespect they have shown toward our President when scriputres are so clear about praying for those who are in authority and not speaking evil of those in authority (See Romans 13:1-5; I Tim. 2:1-2;  2 Pet. 2:10).  Let me be clear, I am not a democrat or republican.  In fact, for the sake of those who want to know I am a member of the only Christian party in America "The Constitution Party." (see http://www.constitutionparty.com/our-principles/seven-principles ) It is my personal opinion that neither Republican or Democratic parties represent a Christian perspective nor reflect or uphold my personal values.  Enough said!  Now to those friends of mine across the world reading my blog you may not understand the historical background to my nation's racism - but historically The United States was built on a foundation of slavery.  As a result, racism is systemic in all our national insitutions.  Just ask all of our national African-American Christian leaders their perspective. (See http://jonathanmerritt.religionnews.com/2014/12/05/eric-garner-black-christians-react-anger )  Accord- ing to Jonathan Merritt, "It's high time white Christians listen to our black brothers and sisters."

I am interested in Racial Reconciliation and "The Healing Of Our Land."  Since 1980, I have dedicated my life to "strategic prayer" initiatives based on, 2 Chronicles 7:14,  by serving as a mobilization coordinator for Washington For Jesus 1980, 1988, 1996. The Call DC 2000, and America For Jesus 1982, 2004, and 2012 in Philadelphia.  I have been researching, digging through archives of primary documents, and finding long lost histories of our nation.  I have worked with historians like the late Peter Marshall, David Manuel (authors of the "Light And The Glory) and earned a MA in Church History guided by a leading "Puritan" scholar named Dr. Elizabeth Norbeck - all just to examine the roots causes of our current day problems in America. These "roots" are very deep and found in historical materials 150 years before our country became a nation.  I have really become incensed that our national history books and Christian leaders have ignored the long trail of unrighteous history that was perpetrated by the church from the Euro-centric colonialization of our nation through our modern history - all in the name of Jesus.  II Chronicles 7:14 is a call not to the American government nor our state legislators - it's a call to "God's people." The sin of slavery, racism, and division lays at the feet of The American Church - of all denominations and post denominations.  Some would challenge this thought by excusing themselves for what our church fore-fathers did.  But, let's be clear... what ran in them runs in us today!  The evidence is our refusal to obey God's word, repent, and come along side in the First Nations and African American struggle for Justice.  I am appauled that many white Christians turn a blind eye to the issue of "injustice" and the "White Euro-centric" American Church's unrighteous history. We need to stop reading history from a position of priviledge and see the historical perspectives of our First Nations and African American borthers and sisters. Why should our First Nations believe in a government that has broken more than 300 treaties?  Why should African Americans trust a system of broken promises.  It's all a matter of trust. We really need to engage ourselves in the work of justice in order to bring about the "The Healing Of Our Land."  Some may think God is on their side of history but a cursory reading of scripture demonstrates that God is a God of Justice and is on the side of the oppressed (See Luke 4:18). 

Recently, I asked a dear friend of mine who is a member of the Leni-Lenape tribe what does reconciliation and justice look like to you.  He said, "Well, you white people love coming to ask forgiveness and reconciliation of the First Nations people.  We come along and participate with you. However, you go home, feeling good about what you've done, and we get to go back to the same injustices we have always faced.  "Nothing has changed!"  Recently, another First Nations friend said to me that he called all the First Nation Christian Leaders he knew and asked them if there had been any changes in their lives as a result of participating in "acts of reconciliation" with those who sought "reconciliation."  ALL OF THEM - said, "NO!"  Why?  Maybe its because we blatently fail to understand to key scriptures:

I Sam. 16:7  "The LORD does not look at the things people look at. 

People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." 

Psalm 66:18

"If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me."

I Cor. 12:25-26

"So that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it."

In all these attempts to "repent, forgive, and pray for the healing of our nation" the racial divide is greater than ever.  Why?  Because many who came to Washington For Jesus, America For Jesus, The Call DC, and Promise Keepers failed to keep their "promises."  The Lord looked into our hearts, that have regarded inquity and he paid no attention to us because we refuse to come along those members of the Body of Christ who are suffering under the hand of injustice and fight with them.  How is it that we think it's okay for us to live in a land that was dispossessed and stolen by Euro-centric colonizers and dehumanized both First Nations and African-american people without entering into the work of justice?

Levitcus 19:15 

"Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism 

to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly." 

All the while, Christian leaders have been fighting against abortion... has anyone stopped and looked at the "roots" and come along side of those communities ensnared by The American Church's particpation in "The Doctrine Of Discovery?" (See http://www.doctrineofdiscovery.org ).  has the Euro-centric church come along side of our African American brothers and sisters in Christ to help strengthen the family unit or continued to perpetuate the breakdown of the African American communities?               


(See http://www.newrepublic.com/article/politics/91931/michele-bachmann-rick-santorum-slavery-families) Has the Euro-centric American Church come along side of our African American faith communities to address the genocide of African American children or remained indifferent to it family needs? (See http://www.blackgenocide.org/black.html )  Has the Euro-centric American Church addressed how to bring transformation to bring about the prison reform necessary that results in African-American men between the ages of 20 and 39 accounting for nearly one third of all sentenced prisoners? (See http://reimaginerpe.org/node/856 )  Right now, our nation is faced with systemic problems of "racial profiling, incareration, and killing unarmed African Americans from Ferguson to NYC.  These are questions that must be addressed and explored from a Kingdom Of God perspective rather than the usual white-american defensive discourse.   I am disquisted by former Mayor Rudy Giulani's comments made on NBC's "Meet The Press."  He said to his African American counterpart, "The white police officers won't be there if you weren't killing each other." I guess the most recent case being discussed in New York City about a police officer "choking" an unarmed African American man to death fits his perspective.  Where is the American Church in this discussion?  Talking about the glory?  Making declarations of revival?  Nice idea... but there will be no revival without "JUSTICE!"

Micah 6:8

He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord requires of you 

but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

Isaiah 1:17

Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; 

bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow's cause.

Proverbs 24:24-25

Whoever says to the wicked, “You are in the right,” will be cursed by peoples, abhorred by nations, but those who rebuke the wicked will have delight, and a good blessing will come upon them.

God has not called his people to side with a republican view or a democratic view.  He has called us to hold a kingdom view.  Racism is a sin.  To not "Do Justice" is disobedience to what the Lord Requires of all of us.  It is easy to stand in a place of white priviledge and bury our heads in the sand but God is calling all of us to end injustice.  Isa. 59:4 says when "No one calls for justice; no one pleads a case with integrity. They rely on empty arguments, they utter lies; they conceive trouble and give birth to evil." Do you know what it is life to be a member of a "First-Nations" Christian Community?  Do you know what it is like to be an African-American Christian?  Hispanic or Asian? Most white Christians don't even have more than one or two African American Christians as friends.  Have you asked them "How They See America from their perspective?"  Would you believe them?  Do you understand the modern plight of the "First Nations" people?  Too many are more worried about Israel and the plight of the Jewish nation than they are our own.  Too many "white" christians want to bless Israel but stick their head in the sand when it comes to the injustices systemic in the church.  GOD WILL NOT BLESS AMERICA,  EVEN IF WE BLESS ISRAEL,  WHEN WE FAIL TO OBEY GOD'S  CALL TO DO THE WORK OF JUSTICE IN OUR OWN NATION.  That's why II Chronicles 7:14 needs to be re-examined and bring us to a different place than where we have been as a Christian people.  Christian's planted a cross in Cape Henry, Virginia under the guidance of the Doctrine Of Discovery. Christians tried to enslave "First Nations" tribes who fought back and then called for the introduction of African slave because the natives would not cooperate.  Christians built a nation on "Slavery" and tried to de-culturalize and dehumanized both First Nations and African Americans.  Christians made "blacks sit on the back of the bus" and "relegated First Nations to reservations" and in the recent words of one Christian leader:  "Why do we have to reent to "THEM" again?"  Maybe its because we never truly repented in the first place. 

A missionary to a Spanish-speaking country discovered to his amazement that the Bible is full of talk about justice. The English word “justice” doesn’t occur in the King James Version of the New Testament; the Greek word for justice and righteousness is always translated as “righteousness”. I guess the KING JAMES translators knew they were being paid by a king! Better to talk about being righteous than seeking justice. But the two can’t be separated.