Having Faith in His Virtue

How Sin Reigns

The Law of Man and the Law of God

Mr. Randy Neugebauer, the Texas twister let all of us know how he feels about healthcare reform.  He called Mr. Bart Stupak, a devout Catholic and congressman of Michigan a “baby killer,” on the floor of the United States House of Representatives.  It seems he did so because Stupak forced the president to write an executive order that spells out that the healthcare plan will not permit federal dollars to perform an abortion.  After the floor outburst the righteous and pious Neugebauer makes an apology and a campaign ad soliciting dollars for reelection.  Am I missing something here?

By the way these fellows are all “bible totters.”  But Apostle Paul writes to the Ephesians, “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion that it may give grace to those who hear – and do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” (4:29-30). “You will recognize them by their fruits,” Jesus said (Matthew 7:16). Taking these two biblical truths together, we learn to listen closely to what some say about others; it may help us discern human motivations and agendas, and determine whether they are ethical or unethical.  You see most people cannot understand everything in the 2,000 pages healthcare bill, but they can determine hatred, bigotry and other tawdry behaviors.  There is a way to make our point known but discrediting someone’s character does not seem to be the optimum approach.  One of my favorite passages of scripture says:

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things” (Phil. 4:8)

The Paradox of Being a slave to sin

Fast forward – Mrs. Obama ceremoniously arrives into her box; she appears hesitant and resistant to customary applause, a bit tepid in my view.  “Madam Speaker, the President of the United States.”  The man comes down the aisle.  They stand and clap but we feel the tension and terse sentiments in the atmosphere.  He shakes their hands and move toward the lecture to address us; what will he say? Cont….

An Appeal for a New Humanity

The most interesting was Mr. Spock, he was a new creation.  It seems that the writers and maybe the director thought he was out of date and maybe not appealing to the newest of audiences.  They may have thought you and I would overlook this and understand the market and culture and yes, that our political sensibilities have moved into the new times.

You may remember that Mr. Spock was the epitome of modernity.  He was logical and looked for exact answers to every situation.  He was nearly unfeeling.  He was unswerving.  But this Mr. Spock differs.  He was new.  He was physically attracted to an accommodating Aurora, the only major female character in the movie cast. ( I thought that they characterized  the black female  to seen well, fast and …)  I was not ready for that.  However, she was attractive and what ever sexual tension that occurred in the 1960’s between Kirk and she in the original television series, that was replaced with her outwardly emotional affection for Mr. Spock.  By no means did he object either.

In the final scenes the originial Mr. Spock, Leonard Nimoy, returns, well as, Mr. Spock, sort of….  You will have to see the movie.  But he explains to a younger version of himself, that he no longer must rationally think for answers but do what he feels.  You heard me!  Mr. Spock has now changed with the times.  He learns to have an appreciation for earthlings like James Kirk.  Kirk’s character is the model leader of the new age and he is an intuitive feeling leader who follows his instincts and hunches.  He breaks rule and seems to have a low regard for authority.  Does this sound familiar?

Here is the point, everyone who watches the film is introduced to post modernity.  Truth and feelings are subjective and the right answers are those that seem right to the group but mostly to the individual who feels a certain way at the time.  The movie is anti - epistimological (anti roots of absolute truth).  Star Trek 2009 is an example of our culture transforming from modernity (scientific or soft objective proofs) to postmodernity (subjective proofs).  Stunning and maybe a trope for our newest cultural beliefs.  I will say more later…

What is more, young African Americans, (18-35), are not doctrinal Christians, a direct result of Baptist’s not teaching biblical doctrine. Instead, they are pragmatic (Obama is pragmatic and tapped into this current need for religion and truth but not necessarily from a definable committed doctrinal sectarian worldview). After the dark night of discrimination and its socio-econcomic, political psychological effects, Young African Americans want what seems to work. They accept what Josiah Royce; the noted Christian pragmatist called the “Absolute Knower,” moreover “an actual infinite mind that encompasses the totality of all actual truths and possible errors.” See, Sources of Religious Insight, The Problem with Christianity and The Hope of the Great Community.

Later and as a more mature figure, Royce, who lost his friend William James and his eldest son Christopher to typhoid nearly at once, needed more than truth; he needed wisdom and understanding of truth. This seems to me, the core of what young African Americans need, they need and want truth beyond contradiction but wisdom and understanding of what otherwise maybe a stale, cold and benign set of facts that are verifiable. They want and need truth that brings life.

They accept that last weeks’ sermon will help them with last weeks’ challenges; but it will not fix all their needs. An effective sermon is not designed to address all of their needs. What is more, they do not necessarily appreciate traditional African American “blues – people” crescendo in a climax of a sermon. For them, a happy sermon ending is not needed if one is not warranted. They do want and need applicable truth or truth claims; they want and need to make sense out of their lives. “Jazz – people” are trying to make sense of the world through new and innovative vibes, rhythms and sounds.

They prefer brief worship services that are impactful. I have tried to persuade our church’s leaders, that a service longer than 75 minutes is too long for this generation; brevity is the genius of sublimity. In addition, most prefer simple worship styles that communicate a theme, a point to be made, for the day.

Dr. Warren Lewis’ Baptist Church culturally has had its memorial. It had a long and meaningful day, but today’s Baptist churches culturally must change. We are driving our young people into less significant churches, who concede doctrine for convenience or ignorance, or both. Some who rightly have interpreted the culture’s form over function willing manipulate the sheep. Therefore, Baptists must preach doctrinally, absolutely must! But with cultural sensitivity and savvy it must teach and preach doctrinally. The best way to do so is narrative- exposition. But it can do so with praise dancers, drummers, trumpeters, violinists, harpists and other instruments that accompany the organs and pianos.

They can preach and teach doctrinally but in shorter burst – worship services with sublime presentations of impactful brevity – form over function. They can focus on large issues like environment, “green is ethical” or women’s rights issues across the world and other impactful scenarios that people need answers. I am not necessarily a critic of my denomination I am critiquing it. I believe that theologically, it is among the strongest in Church history. To remain in that category, it cannot be a cultural phenomenon of the past only; but a viable force theologically well into the future by understanding the differences between culture and theological cardinal principles. Simply make it sublime and brief.

Racism has been our single defining experience.  Dr. Gardner C. Taylor once said that our founders were squeamish about the status of people of color, the notion of equality among people based on a notion of race was “like a serpent coiled beneath the constitutional convention table” during deliberation in Philadelphia, in the long ago. As a result, the founders cowardly embraced a three – fifths of a man (person), compromise defining African American humanity as debase to a larger world.  Since the beginning, this frames American socio-economic, socio-psychological and jurist –prudence culture and existence. 

Gradually this self – esteem condition is changing.  It is not over; but now African Americans are coming out of the dark night of slavery, and the condition of unmitigated pain and suffering the crime caused.  So gradual is this change, few African Americans realize the progress.  The election of Barack Obama to the presidency of the United States is an example.  Affirming Dr. King’s prophetic words in “I Have a Dream” the young and some intellectuals on the fringes, thought it possible initially.  Those same citizens are “jazz people.” 

That term simply indicates different feelings about the past.  Many have left it there – in the past.  They do not avoid their pain as much as they seek different ways to resolve painful experiences; instead, they choose to live in the now and the future.  In this instance, anti-epistomology or anti - knowledge of history may help them. If they do not claim their ancestors’ past narrative, it may free them to live a different kind of life. 

These are some of the reasons that African American Baptist’s culture needs to change and embrace new ways and methods for reaching people who know pain and suffering but solely not based on negative historical racial categories.  I will wrap this up next time…