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Topic: What Does The Church Have To Offer Black People
Once again God has blessed us to see another month which has been set aside to celebrate Black history. The real truth of the matter is, that if you want to know about your history, do not depend on the school system to enlighten you. Schools have a curriculum , which has only enough room for a watered down version of black achievements in our Nation’s history. There has also been some tampering with the evidence with respect to what the Bible has to say about black people. It is believed that one of the many reasons black people in America are dealt with so unfairly is that those who deal with us, are of the opinion that our race is a cursed race. For many years men have debated as to what really happened in Noah’s tent, and who was actually cursed as a result of their actions. Many scholars of Western Christianity have take the view that is was Ham and his black descendants who were cursed. The ridiculous reasons given went from one extreme to another. Some claimed that Ham took advantage of his drunken father Noah and had a homosexual relationship with him. Others said that Ham enjoyed watching his father naked and made jokes about it to his brothers.
Whatever the reason given, their wrong conclusions have had a devastating affect on the Black race over the years. This alleged curse has been uses as legal grounds to outlaw marriages between Blacks and Whites. Others have used it to deny Blacks positions they were qualified to hold, and still others used the curse theory to justify using Blacks as slaves. This so-called "Curse on Ham" was the inspiration and justification for the mistreatment of Blacks in this Country. It inspired new laws limiting a variety of opportunities to Blacks, while justifying city, state, and federal governments to permit separate restrooms, restaurants, schools and drinking fountains. There was a set of facilities for Blacks and another set of facilities for everyone else. The "Curse Theory" also inspired new studies and research to see why Blacks were inferior. It justified intensive joke telling and other inhumane treatment directed towards blacks, who felt that there was no end to their nightmare. The sad commentary my brothers and sisters, is that this alleged "Curse Theory" was started by White Bible believing Christians, who in turn introduced this theory to the rest of society. Without any evidence nor one ounce of proof they introduced this theory based solely on circumstantial evidence. Their story was persuasive enough to convince even Blacks themselves that they were indeed the descendants of a cursed people. How could they get away with this, you might ask? By spending millions of dollars, these White Bible believers were able to influence scholars from major Christian publishers to interpret, twist and stretch the meaning of the Scriptures. Then this alleged "Curse Theory" became so mainstream that many of the top Encyclopedias adopted it. The general feeling was that if it’s in the encyclopedia, it must be true, and worst yet, there were no Blacks at the time to challenge the authority of the encyclopedia. As if that’s not bad enough, many of our Black Churches today have either dodged or ignored issues of Blacks in Biblical history; while many of her followers unconsciously assume that all Bible characters were persons with Caucasian features.
This is evidenced and reflected in the illustrations of most Sunday School and Christian Education materials. Virtually none of these illustrations remotely resemble Blacks and very few resemble Jews. These characters usually always have European features. So then my brothers and sisters, it’s going to be up to the Black Church to challenge those alleged theories which have been adulterated and complicated, whose efforts were designed to make the Black Man look and feel inferior. Now that the month of February has been set aside for the observance of Black History, we ought to thank God for one Carter Godwin Woodson who is the author of this great celebration. Woodson was a true historian. Born in 1875 in Buckingham County, Virginia, He entered high school at the age of 20, and taught elementary school for two years after his graduation. Woodson later studied at Berea College, the University of Chicago, and Harvard University where he received His Ph.D. in 1912. He went on to become Dean of the School of Liberal Arts at Howard University from 1919 to 1920; and of West Virginia Institute (now known as West Virginia State College) from 1920 to 1922 Woodson’s life’s work was devoted to making the world see the Black Man as a participant rather than as a lay figure in history. So we ought to thank God for Mr. Woodson who pioneered this month as a time for Black people everywhere to reflect on our past, while contemplating changes for our future.. Somebody once said that if you want to change things, the best place to start, is with the one that you see in your mirror.
One thing that you don’t ever want to change, and that is, your relationship with Jesus Christ who is the head, and we are members of, His body the Church. The Black Church has been allegorically the "Balm in Gilead" for Blacks in America. It came into existence when Rev. Richard Allen decided not to put up with racism any longer. And since that time, the Black community has relied heavily upon it’s Church as a source of spiritual strength, encouragement, and the development of it’s leaders. After the family, the Black Church ranks uppermost as the one institution that still is intact and fully functioning within today’s Black community. The Church is the whole body of believers both in heaven and on earth. It is the Spiritual body of Christ in which there is no place for unbelievers. The Church on earth is the militant Church, which is called upon to engage in the holy war.
The Church in heaven is the triumphant Church, in which the cross is exchanged for a crown. The Church is and organism as well as an organization. It is an organization in that it must have administrators and offices, for the administration of the Word and the Sacraments, and in certain forms of Church government. It is an organism because it is alive and brings forth life in the form of the new birth which enables true believers to surrender their will to the will of God, while at the same time stand in opposition to the world. The Church is united, it is holy and it is universal. The Church is not the building, but it is the believers who occupy the building. The Church is where the preacher stands preaching Jesus who was crucified, died, was buried, and rose from the dead; charismaticly pleading for the souls of the sinners. The faith of our forefathers had in their Church and their religion, enabled them to carry on in spite of obstacles and in spite of opposition. They could carry their cross with a smile and look ahead and see that God had already given them the victory. To them their Church was their life and it was a privilege to worship and to serve the Lord. They knew and they had a personal relationship with Jesus, and that they could talk to Him anytime in prayer. And when this life was over, there was a better place waiting for them on the other side. If we as a people are going to make it we must do as our forefathers who passed on the legacy that the Church is the best place to be. In the Church there is eternal security. Once you are saved, you can never become unsaved. You may turn your back and walk away from the Church, but you can never walk away from God.
A song writer once wrote "I want Jesus to walk with me, all along this pilgrim journey, I want Jesus to walk with me". When He save, He saves to the uttermost. But let me hurry on to a close. The Psalmist say in Psalms 68:31, that Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hand unto God. The word Ethiopia in the text means Black people and not the geographical region. Black people will soon stretch out their hand unto God. After the death burial and resurrection of Jesus, Ethiopians embraced Christianity. The Kings of Ethiopia would use military power to protect their Christian neighbors. They once worshipped in African tradition with dance and drum beat, but evolved to the Christian practices of prayer, consecration, purity and Bible study, as well as the practices of fasting and denying the flesh. In their artistic depiction of Biblical characters such as Adam and Eve, Abraham and others, were depicted as Ethiopians with afro hair styles and ebony complexions. And that included the One whose hair was like lambs wool, His feet like polished brass, His eyes like flames of fire, His voice sounded like many waters, His right hand held seven stars, out of His went a sharp two edged sword, His countenance was bright as the sun, He’s Alpha and Omega, the first and the last, He’s the one that liveth and was dead, and behold is alive for evermore. What does the Church have to offer Black people? "Jesus"