Brown Privilege ...

These days there is a good deal made about “white privilege”, at least if you tune in to the democratic party from time to time.  Being a member of that privileged category myself, I tend to think I am immune to seeing it in my life.  What I do see, is the transference of legacy from one generation to another.  If your great grandfather, and grandfather, and father all went to Harvard – chances are much better you will be joining them in attending that institution.  But if no one did, your odds at getting in fall as far as your wallet’s emptiness will permit.  I seem to remember applying to Harvard when I was graduating high school back in the days of covered wagon travel 😊.  I don’t remember being accepted.  But even if I were, my single mother’s finances permitted food on the table, not attendance at a school that even back then cost more than two fortunes to attend.  It would have been a privilege to be admitted, it also would have been a life sentence to the debt that would have gone with it.  Me being white, seems to have little to do with it.  Unless you think that “to dream” in my younger years, was the privilege after all.

But when you think about it.  We seem to measure privilege in monetary terms.  Harvard is a steppingstone to a better job, with higher pay.  It is a steppingstone to introductions to the elite of our nation.  To having friends that serve in the white house, or the senate, etc.  Money, power, influence – mostly all boil back down to money again.  If my grandfather had been rich, he would have passed that wealth to my father.  My father would have passed it to me.  I would pass it on to my children.  That kind of legacy, where wealth is transferred from one generation to the next, I have seen up close and personal in others.  That is real.  That is a privilege I understand.  Don’t get to participate in it mind you, but I understand it.  When someone from that legacy in motion of wealth falls on hard times – they are given special attention to rectify their problems.  Think about it.  When the rich get in trouble with the law, it is an entirely different experience than when the poor do.  Lawyers like Alan Dershowitz can talk his client out of nearly anything.  The lawyer you get at the public defender’s office is a 50/50 bet at best.  When the rich get sick – they fly in experts, or to experts at hospitals all over the world to seek treatment.  When you or I get sick – we go to whatever facility is closest that takes our version of insurance (if we have it).  That is two entirely different experiences based on privilege.

If we were however to lift our eyes from the things of this world that so demand our attention for a moment.  And begin to measure true privilege in spiritual matters we might have to turn our thinking on its head.  At least from a racial basis anyway.  Jews, Arabs, and people who in the days of Jesus originated from the middle east, in that specific geography – where not white – they were brown.  Various degrees of brown.  This means Jesus was not the Lilly white bread picture painted by most renaissance artists (who came from whiter countries).  Jesus too was middle eastern.  He was brown.  His disciples, men or women, were also brown.  Those tagged from Ethiopia, or perhaps Egypt, or areas to the south of there were likely black.  White folks were entirely absent from the hero list of these times.  They may well have been present as the enemies of the day in the form of Romans.  Yikes.  Not only were white folks not privileged to share lineage with Jesus, but instead were the ones helping to wipe out that lineage.  Sound typical, at least in a historical context?  Seems it takes us white folks a long time to get on the right side of history in any age.  That is not privilege, it is the willful lack of it.

When Jesus however looks at privilege (and He does), He does not define it based along racial lines either.  In fact He sort of bucks the norms of catering to the intelligentsia of His day.  And He does not look to the lineage of kings and the dynasties they fight to maintain.  He skips right past the “smart folks” from the Harvard’s of His day; and then wizzes right by the Kings of it, and settles in on His target.  Or rather His Father’s target – the babies.  Luke talks about just this very thing in his gospel letter, in chapter ten, picking up in verse 21 saying … “In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes: even so, Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight.”  Wow!  You will note Jesus does not mention that the revelations of wisdom regarding Himself and His Father were given specifically to brown people (even if that was the statistical result).  Nor did brown, or white, or black have any mention in the revelations being revealed.  But babies did.

There were Hebrew schools of the day, that prepared students by studying the Torah and the prophets every day.  But none of their attendees were gifted with these revelations.  Instead, relative babies were handed out the knowledge.  Fishermen.  Perhaps nearly illiterate.  Tradesmen.  People of the masses.  A women of former disrepute, and definitive demonic possession.  The blind, the lame, the healed, all considered blessed.  People who consistently knew they were not educated, or the smartest folks in the room.  People who knew their need where it comes to wisdom.  Babies.  The Father and the Son seem to always zero in on babies.  Babies are fully dependent.  They don’t carry out arguments about who is going to go to work today and earn the living for the family.  They don’t speak.  They don’t walk.  So none of their kind is prepared for providing anything.  They are instead blessed to be provided for.  That is supposed to be us.  Is it?

Jesus continues in verse 22 saying … “All things are delivered to me of my Father: and no man knoweth who the Son is, but the Father; and who the Father is, but the Son, and he to whom the Son will reveal him.”  And here is the entire Bible summed up in two sentences.  “All things”.  Not some of them.  Are already known by the Father, including the most important thing, the identity of the Son.  It is that knowledge that is shared by the Father God, with those babies standing around following Jesus, both men and women.  And as far as who the Father God is; that is a portrait only the Son Jesus Christ can truly reveal.  To know Jesus is to know the Father God.  To reject Jesus is to reject the Father who sent Him.  For most of us the picture of who the Father is, is a complete shrouded mystery.  We think of Him in terms of retribution, revenge, punishment, and judgment.  But the Father is NO DIFFERENT than the Son in “who” He is, or what He is like.  He loves.  He loves so hard, He was willing to give up His only Son for you or me.  Take Jesus out of the equation and the Father goes back to sheer mystery.  Don’t count on your intellect to reason you a definition – cause only babies truly get it.  You can forget your legacy of wealth to help you here, cause again, only the fully dependent even begin to understand.  The folks who think they “can take care of themselves” have no idea who God really is.

This kind of truth, was Truth for the ages.  Since Adam, mankind had longed to see it up close and in person.  But Adam would die before it came.  Abraham, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, Samson, David, and all the OT prophets would pass away before Jesus enters the scene.  Even Biblical heroes were not so blessed as to see Jesus for 4000+ years.  Jesus recognizes this as he continues in verse 23 saying … “And he turned him unto his disciples, and said privately, Blessed are the eyes which see the things that ye see: [verse 24] For I tell you, that many prophets and kings have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.”  Here Jesus lays out what real privilege is.  It has nothing to do with status.  No riches, or smarts, or even faith of the patriarchs gone by – it has to do with being babies who see their need, and cling to God to meet it.  Harvard would have netted me nothing with Jesus.  It might have even done damage to my faith in Him.  Legacy of wealth would have done nothing to recommend me to Jesus, it might have instead done damage to my ideas of self-reliance and kept me away from Jesus.  After all, why do the rich need anything from a Santa-clause God when they already have everything they want.  But Santa, is not who Jesus really is.

Babies however, are first in line at the privilege counter.  In times past brown babies had the advantage for many years, but eventually white babies were able to get in line when they finally started wanting to.  At this point in time however, we should not be thinking about this in racial terms at all.  But we should be thinking about it in the terms Jesus outlined for the favor of God the Father.  Are we self-aware enough to know our need?  Or have we determined we know everything we need to know, and have everything (even if only spiritual) we need to have.  As it turns out, I would love to be granted the privilege of knowing the identity of God the Father, and the Son.  If that means relinquishing all my acquired human wisdom for the doo-doo that it is; I am fine with that.  I understand that this wisdom is not a legacy I can pass on to my children, or have gifted to me by my parents.  It takes a one-on-one connection with Jesus – something that is just between Him and me.  My parents can point me to that, just like I hope to point my children to it.  But to grasp it, requires getting in baby mode, and submitting the core of who I am, to the One who is the source of all this Love and wisdom.  So much for Harvard, please enroll me in the cradle roll that Jesus leads.

 

Race, Culture, & Religion (part 3 of 3) ...

We have talked about getting past the differences that keep us apart from our history.  But we have failed to address the differences we inherit in gender, and in age.  To become one, we must begin to examine what influence our cultures and traditions have had on the roles of men and women, as well as, young and old within our churches.  This is the last great divide we face as people before true unity can be achieved.

Women’s work.  It is an old expression generally applied to traditional home-maker tasks like cooking, cleaning and raising children.  We are quick to condemn it but fail to look at how it originated.  A mere hundred plus years ago our entire economy was still largely based on agriculture.  Family farms far outnumbered city slickers though the trend was beginning to change even then.  Under an agriculturally dominated economy, a farm requires many people to tend it.  Entire families were effectively partners in maintaining the family enterprise. 

Children helped out during the summers (which is why schools let out for this 3 months period of time), and wives maintained the entire household (a full and equal partner with an equal share of the work) while husbands and sons tended the flocks and fields.  This was no small effort on anyone’s part.  Women of that day may be looked at now through feminist eyes and thought less of, but in point of fact, they were equal partners then, and they are equal partners now.  Wives and daughters benefited from the family incomes of the successful farms, and shared the hardships when success was elusive.  The same is true today.

What has changed in an industrial followed by a services based / knowledge based economy is our immense ability travel and variety in task types.  Services now exist as entire industries such as accounting, consulting, and marketing that could not have survived a mere hundred plus years ago (at least on this scale).  This variety and this mobility changes the options both men and women have in supporting a family.  It creates a new ‘partnership’ required for success.  The old expression ‘women’s work’ now applies to every known form of generating income, nearly even the presidency of the United States (go Hillary).

Women are every bit as capable as men, every bit as smart, cunning, honorable or treacherous.  They have a few unique inherent strengths, and weaknesses as do men.  But most every job a man can do today, a woman can also do.  So why do we cling to segregation of roles within the body of the church?  It begins with historical biases founded on sexual differences.  We picture the typical women as ‘mom’ meaning, more nurturing, more protective, more consoling, than a man.  We picture the typical man as ‘dad’ meaning, a natural leader, the final authority in a argument, aggressive, risk takers, etc..  Our images of humans based on sexual gender plainly ignore the strengths of the individual. 

There are some men who are anything but aggressive, alpha male, leaders, who regularly take risks, hunt and conquer.  That does not make them any less than other men (though popular convention may disagree).  It merely makes them different.  I know a few men who are very sensitive, artistic, consoling, and nurturing and no, they are not all gay.  I know a few women who are natural leaders, fighters, thinkers, and conquerors (go Hillary) and that does not make them gay, or less than other more feminine supportive types either.  Just different.  Each person containing a unique set of strengths and weaknesses, some influenced by gender and hormones, some completely independent of tradition thinking or stereotypes. 

Because of our traditional thinking we have assigned tasks to men and to women based on gender rather than based on their spiritual gifts and abilities.  Any person who can speak well in public, inspire enthusiasm of an audience, demand attention to each word from careful articulation and excellent delivery – may well be qualified to preach.  Note I did not say any man, I said any person.  I also did not say, any straight heterosexual person, I said any person.  Sexual orientation outside of the ‘norm’ may be considered a lifelong struggle, but should be looked at no differently than the person or preacher who struggles with pride, or other forms of sexual misconduct. 

We all struggle.  No sin is different.  Men and women struggle with similar things – evil.  So who are we to limit who can preach based on our own perceptions of gender appropriate, or sexual preference?  Do we not deny God in this way, effectively rejecting HIS gifts of the Spirit to be able to preach?  There is no perfect preacher in this world.  Every one of them struggle with sins.  It is not up to us to judge their sins, but the content of the words they proclaim.  Do they preach forgiveness, hope, unconditional love, and the repentance of sins?  Or do they espouse lies for truth, evil for good, judgment from the pulpit and comparison with others?  By their fruits you shall know them, meaning, by their lives and acts of love and kindness it is easy to see who knows God and who does not.  Yourself included.

Duties within the body of Christ (the church) should be assigned based on the skills and abilities and willingness of the worshipper to serve.  The Gifts of the Spirit are to be cherished.  They are to be valued.  They are given for the edification of the church.  They are Christ’s parting gifts to us as He ascended to His Father.  We should relish what the Holy Spirit does in the life of anyone who is willing to serve.  We should not judge others based on our own foolish historical bias, but we should instead embrace others and cherish the gifts they choose to share with us.  No one who wishes to serve should be turned away.  Not ever.  I do not care how long they have been a Christian, whether it be 5 minutes, or 5 decades, those who wish to serve should serve.  To deny the Holy Spirit His work is to embrace sin that may not be forgiven.  It is dangerous ground to offend the vehicle of our Salvation by rejecting the work He does within us and those around us.

But to fully embrace this concept we must also overcome our historical prejudices about age and wisdom.  It is true that older people have the benefit of experience, and the wisdom (or sorrow) that comes from seeing many things.  It is also true that youth have more energy, tend to seek truth and ignore lies, and want to understand everything at a deeper level than they do today.  Youth question everything.  To assign roles within the body based on age, is to AGAIN ignore the work of the Holy Spirit.  It may be that a prophet is raised up within the body who is a mere teenager (anyone ever heard of Ellen G. White in the 1800’s, or perhaps Samuel of the old testament Israel).  They were mere children when first receiving the call, but the call was real, and work that followed is a testament to itself.  Youth is no barrier to service.  Nor is old age.

For us to assume leadership does not belong in the hands of the youth because they are young is to deny the very words of Christ himself who said … “let the children come unto me” and “you must become like little children in order to be saved”.  Note the absolute dependence little children have to exist and their complete comfort with this concept.  For protection they run to dad, for love to mom, for fun to each other.  So should we run to God for protection, for love, and for fun.  Christ did not say wait until they grow up before they come close to me.  He welcomed them immediately.  He did not say to them you need to grow up and become more adult like.  He said to adults to surrender their will and become more child like.  To exclude children from service paying no mind to their spiritual gifts is yet another apostasy.

We are limited by our bodies.  We are limited by our illness’s be they physical or spiritual.  We are limited by our pride.  Don’t we have enough limitations we self impose without adding to them gender bias, age bias, racial bias, and judgment of others?  Despite our infirmities, the Holy Spirit is gracious enough to place gifts within us.  Talents, skills, aptitudes, and abilities that are purely gifts from God – like all things we can choose to misuse them, use them for selfish gain and ignore service to others – or we could employ them for the benefit of man.  Choose to serve.  And reject no man, woman, child, or elderly statesperson who wishes to serve.  There is room for all.  And there is NEED of ALL.  The body is incomplete if you choose not to serve your portion.  The work is not left to others, but to everyone.  The work is not reserved for adults.  It is for everyone.  It is for you.  It is for me. 

Let us find a way to change our thinking.  Let us find a way to embrace those differences between us and value them rather than judge them.  Let us find a way to serve and accept the service of ALL who embrace it.  This is the pure will of the Father.  This is how true UNITY can be achieved, and perhaps in no other way…

Race, Culture, & Religion (part 2 of 3) ...

Embracing diversity seems like an easy enough answer to develop unity within the Christian community, so why hasn’t it happened already?  Why does it continue to be so elusive?  Are we really so enslaved to our cultural preferences that we are incapable of learning new behavior, or appreciating something outside of our norms?  Why does voluntary segregation persist when mandatory segregation has been outlawed so long ago?

Separate but equal?  How do I equate the value of one worship style to another.  What is it about worship that reaches the core of who you are and blesses you.  This is where differences really begin to matter.  To say that all “black” churches are alike is every bit as foolish as assuming all “white” churches worship the same way.  There are degrees of variation along common themes.  But these little variations are enough to segregate membership by choice. 

For instance, there are many churches who enjoy the practice of “worship” music.  This sub-genre of Christian music tends to have repetitive verses, simple themes, and is usually sung with many instruments including guitars, drums, sometimes a saxophone or two.  It is generally lively, heartfelt, and has become so common, many professional Christian recording artists release a “worship” album even if this is not their natural style.  You know it when you see it.  However, there still exist today, more culturally conservative churches that “frown” on contemporary music.  For them, only hymns or classical offerings are preferred.  Drums or electric guitars are not even permitted in the building, let alone tolerated in the forefront of a service.  A person visiting both of these styles of churches would walk away with radically different experiences (in style).

But what is important to the worshipper?  Is it the style?  What if one of these churches was filled with people who genuinely loved you.  I am not talking about Jesus-freaks that pledge their love to you on a whim, and follow it up with only more empty words.  Nor am I talking about people screaming out messages of “love” to those contemplating abortion outside of a clinic or two.  I am talking about genuine Christians who are really connected with Christ.  People who are able to overlook your imperfections and love you right where you are, right how you are.  People who will not participate in your sin, nor will they judge you for it.  They simply care about you, pray for you, talk to you, and be there for you consistently.  The kind of crowd you could ask to help you move apartments, and 50 people would show up without a second request.  Yup, those kind of people, REAL Christians.  What if this is what you encountered when walking through the doors of the sanctuary?  Would it change your perceptions about the value of style?

And in truth, are not we all seeking to find this group of people?  Don’t we long to hang out with them?  And isn’t it sad that we cannot find them.  Might be that because we don’t see them in the mirror, we don’t see them in the aisles and on the pews.  But Love is the base common denominator of all churches purporting to follow Christ.  And isn’t it interesting that no worship “style” has yet to produce a congregation of our mythical lofty aspirations.  There may be a church like this somewhere, but I doubt “worship” music or traditional “hymns” are the reason it flourishes.  No, it is the Love that is distinct.  The sermons become incidental, as the life of its members do the testifying.  The music is silent, when it is unconditional Love that reaches out to each human heart, bonds us, brings us before the throne in humility.  When REAL worship is present, style matters almost for nothing at all.

So why has style kept us so separate for so long, when in truth it is so unimportant?  Distraction.  Evil diverts our minds from truth and substance by focusing our attention on delivery, wording, and sour notes.  We fail to exhibit the unconditional Love we seek, because we are too distracted by the clapping of hands, stomping of feet, or tone of the preacher.  We sit sedate in our pews, being quiet, when we should be weeping aloud for the pain of the neighbor who sits immediately to our right.  But we hold our tears and our tongues, and fail to even take interest in our neighbor’s pain.  Or we get so wrapped up in the joy of the Spirit that we forget not only our own troubles, but those of our neighbor who for the moment seems to have forgotten his.  In either case, through unbridled expressions of joy, or quiet (and therefore “reverent”) complacent disinterest, we ignore completely the life of our neighbor to our immediate right. 

Congregations grow large and impersonal.  We are able to safely mask our pain, and hide in the vast numbers of those who sit near us in church.  And in so doing style helps us not at all.  Ambivalence has replaced Love as our common denominator.  Self interest has replaced self-less-ness in service.  And the delivery method holds all of our attention, rather than the content of what is being delivered.  We begin to cling to cherished traditions ignoring completely the true “temperature” of our church and ourselves.  It is we who are the problem.  It is we who hold our wisdom of choices, and preferences in the style of worship in such high regard that we have no NEED to seek out anything different – especially in ourselves.  It is we who choose this pattern.  It is we.

I am white.  But I yearn for; no, even stronger stated; I am in desperate NEED of, the emotional commitment of my black brothers and sisters in the faith who fear not to show the world what they feel about their Lord.  I must learn to open my mouth and let His praise flow out.  I must follow the example of my brothers of another culture and learn to be Loud for the Lord.  I have come to truly enjoy the music of every Christian culture, ethnicity, genre, and background.  I must take what I have found in music, and apply it to preaching, teaching, and service. 

I am white.  But I yearn for, and desire more than I can communicate, the sense of community that my Hispanic brothers and sisters in the faith have developed.  That sense of family that is SO gracious to accept me, and my lack of language skills, and treat me as if I were born of their blood line, not just as the adopted child I truly am.  I must unlearn my sense of independence and self-reliance and instead begin to look at my brothers and sisters as the family they have truly chosen to be, my family.  I must honor their choice and acceptance by returning it completely without pause, hesitation, or self-consideration.

I am white.  But I long to find myself the simple humble servant that many of my Asian brothers and sisters set so wonderful an example of in my journey.  I must learn to keep my need for recognition and gratitude completely subjected, and allow my service for others to be its own reward.  I must learn NOT to seek attention, but be content with honorable service and performance of even the simplest of the tasks set in front of me.  I aspire to become more than I am, and my Asian brothers and sisters have helped me along the way.  I see the differences in me through them, and I realize how far from the Kingdom I truly am.

When you stop looking and focusing so much on the style, and start searching for the meaning in the differences, it does not take long to learn to appreciate your brethren of other cultures.  When you are able to forego the notion of cultural superiority and adopt the truth of cultural humility you can begin to see truth all around you.  It is evil that keeps us so focused on differences as being the source of problems, rather than a method of finding truth.  It is evil that raises the idea that everything you need to know, can be found in one church, in one congregation, in one style of worship.  God is bigger than that.  God is better than that.  He can be found outside the walls you erect to separate you from others.  He can be found in the basic expression of unconditional Love for another.  He can be found in every “black” church in America, or the world.  He can be found in every “white” church, every “Hispanic” church, every “Asian” church.  It is not the buildings that contain our God.  It is the hearts of His believers.

If we, are the reason for the voluntary segregation of our religious culture and style of worship, then “we” must end the problem in ourselves first.  We must take our pride, our traditions, and our preferences themselves to God and in humility accept His changes in us.  We will be better off because of it.  But it begins with a recognition that this problem is not in the hearts of others so much as it lays in our own hearts.  We must ask God to begin by changing us, not others.  And only then can we begin to see over our differences, and become one church united under the banner of Christ.

Race, Culture, & Religion (part 1 of 3) ...

The last time that man stood completely united towards a particular goal it was against the will of God.  Probably not a big surprise given the condition of our world and our natures, however, God had to introduce a few divisions among us in language and ethnicity at the building of the tower of Babel, to teach us humility without having to destroy us yet again. 

Despite God’s promise we decided to take out an insurance policy against a future world-sized flood by building our own protective tower.  It was a remarkably dim idea, but managed to capture the attention of everyone in the day.  Once we changed, some of us darker, some lighter, and most with different dialects unable to clearly communicate with each other, we grouped together and began to migrate away from each other across the new face of the world.  A series of small communities that would evolve into the nation states of the world we know today.  This is the origin of racial differences within man.  And these differences continue today.

But Christ came to unite us.  Does that not imply that there should be no more differences between the brotherhood of man who carry the Christian banner?  Should we not be able to rise above the influence of culture and the bigotry of history, and form a united front in the name of Christ?  While on the topic it is also worth addressing the concept of chauvinism.  Are men and women equal in the site of God, and is not the history of subservience of women culturally induced and not scripturally mandated?  It’s worth a look.

Senator Obama has had his share of difficulties recently because he attended a “black” church in Chicago with a somewhat controversial preacher who was a close friend.  Think of the implications of this phenomenon.  In order to obtain the votes needed to win a ‘general’ election, the preacher selection of our democratic candidate must NOT be controversial.  The preacher must not make inflammatory statements, or hold unusual beliefs.  Christianity is not something the world loves to embrace, it teaches love to respond to hate, love to respond to enemies.  People decry Jeremiah Wright for making statements of consequence, or allegations of responsibility.  But no-one embraces the idea of praying for Osama Bin Laden, and sending only love in his direction.  It is interesting what we in the collective determine is ‘extreme’ speech.

But Jeremiah Wright is held in lower regard as well due to a long standing difference in worship style based on cultural differences.  “White” worship services and “Black” worship services have always been as different as the people who are involved in them.  Loud boisterous music and speech is not a usual part of traditional white worship.  Participation in most white church audiences is sedate at best.  Clapping has been introduced to show approval, but in general a quiet (and therefore presumed reverent) view of worship has been the fare for generations.  Rhythm has no place in the pulpit in “white” churches or does it? 

In general “black” churches have expressed the feelings and emotions of its people.  Preferring not to be bound by time constraints, preferring to be immaculately dressed, and keeping with intense emotional music and sermons; rhythm is no stranger to the pulpit or the choir in a typical “black” church.  These singular differences have been so pronounced throughout our history that we have elected to segregate at worship times each week to avoid conflict.  Although both types of churches promote love, and Christ as our singular savior; we maintain different views steeped in culture about what is acceptable forms of worship, and appearance before God.

The biggest crime of “white” missionary America, and of missionaries all through history, has been the indoctrination of culture and cultural habits OVER the pure Word of God.  We have not been content to share ONLY the gospel, we also feel incomplete without condemning every ‘foreign’ aspect of every culture on earth, attempting to make only a traditional conservative view of worship the accepted form before God.  Dress, music, order of service, and style of preaching have been boxed and shipped and demanded of new converts as the ONLY way to address the new found God.  Nudity, rhythm, dance, and emotion have been condemned as mere tools of the devil.  The term ‘savage’ was applied to those with less clothing than we, and deeper communal love than we have ever shown.  Savages it turns out, historically, have always been the well clothed invaders, not the less-so indigenous peoples.

Talk about your catch-22; for years those who craved truth and were hungry to learn of a Savior God who loves them and would even die to save them – had to accept “white” traditionalism along with the truth.  They were taught that deviation from the traditions was tantamount to rejection of the gospel.  But where in scripture does the great commission state “go in the world and teach them the gospel” somehow adding “and make sure you enforce strict worship standards along the lines of your supreme cultural understanding”.  I don’t think so.  Cultural differences are to be expected, and nowhere advised to be destroyed.  It is our arrogance at work again.  It is the insidious nature of pride to believe your worship style is “the” only worship style God prefers.

But can’t culture conflict with God you ask?  What happens when it does?  The problem with the premise of this statement is the viewpoint from which it is often asked.  We think ourselves fit judges of others actions and behaviors.  We are not.  And far worse, we know and care even less about motive.  Take for instance the idea of Nude Dancing as an example.  How many Christians are ready this morning to strip it all off, down to their birthday suit, and dance before the Lord, in FULL view of everyone?  Ready set go.  I don’t see you dancing …  Your look of relative horror at my suggestion ignores that King David of Israel of old, did exactly this.  In fact, he did it in front of the Ark of God (you remember, the box of solid gold, containing the original 10 commandments).  He did it all the way into the city of Jerusalem.  And He did it to humble himself in front of God.  David was the king.  He had excellent clothing that few could afford.  He had jewels and wealth, and prominence.  He debased himself in public to show that no-one should stand proud before God; that we are all, even a king, humbled by the creator of the universe.  And God accepted his worship and loved him all the more for it.

We have taught natives to get dressed, and wear their best clothing to come to church.  This lies in stark contrast to the word of God.  Nowhere does it say we should take pride in our clothing or appearance.  We should be putting off our jewelry, and our pride.  We should be clean before God, both physically and spiritually through the process of salvation, but not well adorned.  Even in heaven we wear only robes of light, not ornate clothing, designed by fashion consultants, and costing more than others can afford.  Taking pride in anything, is taking sin into our hearts, souls, and minds.  David’s act of humility was not an overall endorsement of naked dancing, it was a condemnation of our ‘standards’ of worship style, and a revelation of motive over deed.

The other portion of David’s act that is often overlooked in all the nudity is the dancing.  All throughout the Bible, believers have danced for joy before the Lord.  I doubt this dancing resembled the grinding, dry humping, that is designed to replicate and then induce sexual behavior.  But it was also unlikely ballet either.  Using your own judgment you can imagine that dancing was simply a physical expression of joy, a reaction to happiness accompanied by music.  However traditional “white” culture, you know the repressed one that comes from the pilgrims who founded this nation, put quite the damper on dancing (and in fact on joy in church).  It is a wonder that God’s honor survives at all in the face of the teachings that have been passed off in His name.  God does not strive for the absence of joy in His service, or the inability to express that joy physically.  These are traits of the evil one.  God longs for us to actually KNOW the joy of serving Him, and longs for us to enjoy that service, and express ourselves accordingly.

In order to ever reunite Christians under one banner, even within a singular denomination, we must begin by undoing the crimes of the past.  As each snowflake is different, each fingerprint unique, each flower somehow beautiful – we must learn to see our differences as a thing of beauty and enrichment, not as absolutes.  We must begin to embrace the different, and become enriched by it, not disgusted by it.  There is some value in the style of “white” religion, it is not all to be avoided.  But it is not all to be thought of as the complete capture of acceptance before God.  We will discuss unity further in our next entries …