Are Food Pantries Enough?

It seems to me that nowadays reformed evangelical churches are more involved in food pantries than any other type of mercy ministry.  Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t have any problems with food pantries.  It’s great that churches are involved in helping those who are less fortunate, especially those who don’t have anything to eat.  Think about the countless number of homeless men and women roaming our streets on the verge of starvation.  Yet the question I would like to raise is this, are food pantries enough? 

When it comes to mercy ministry in the church, I believe that food pantries are a good start, but it is not enough.  What happens after folks get fed?  Are they hearing the gospel?  Are they attending church, particularly the church of the one who feeds them?  I would guess that those whom churches feed through food pantries don’t end up attending those churches.  I would even go farther in surmising that those churches do not have any sort of evangelism or discipleship in mind.  Think about it.  Many reformed churches have members who want to get involved in some type of local mercy ministry, and food pantries are readily available to support and help serve.  I have served food in various food pantries, and the first thought that comes into my mind after I have finished is, “What a good thing I’ve done."  A sense of satisfaction in helping poorer people, gives me a good feeling inside.  But if I represent a church, is this enough?  I don’t think so.

The goal of every ministry should be the glory of God through the person and work of Jesus Christ.  John 1:14 (NASB) says, “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.”  The Son of God came as a man and dwelt among us, why?  John 1:11-12 (NASB) states, “He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him.  But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name.”  Jesus Christ came as a man and dwelt among us so that we might become children of God and joint heirs with Christ.  Romans 8:16-17 (NASB) says, “The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ…”   

The purpose of Jesus’ incarnational ministry was to make a people who were not a people, the people of God.  If the end of our mercy ministry is not this, to share the gospel of Jesus Christ and invite them into your church and thereby making them members of your church family, then we have not followed the model of Christ.  Christ not only feed the five thousand, but he desired that all men might become children of God.  We, in the reform tradition, know that Christ died for the elect.  Nevertheless, God still desires that all men be saved.  2 Peter 3:9 (NASB) says, "The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance."

Are the people we are feeding through pantries becoming members of our churches?  If not, then we need to rethink our strategies and look at Christ incarnational model of mercy ministry.

How the Seventh Day Adventist Church teaches us strategies of Urban Ministry

USA Today reported recently this year that the fastest growing denomination is the Seventh Day Adventist Church. A large part of this growth is due to the fact that Seventh Day Adventists give clear directions on how to follow the laws of God in every area of life. Strict observances to the dietary and moral laws are prerequisites for salvation. I believe that in addition to  the legalism that is preached in the Seventh Day Adventist Church, their view of man is the single most significant factor for their rapid growth in North America and all over the world. According to Ellen G. White, one of the founders of the Seventh Day Adventist Church, man is one in body, mind, and soul. Her monistic views helped to fuel the SDA Church's desire to use scripture to address the whole man, mind, body, and soul. Therefore their strict adherence to the Mosaic and dietary laws fit the monistic paradigm. God not only speaks to the spirit in holiness, but also to the mind in righteousness and the body in godliness.

The Reformed View of man seems to take on a dualistic understanding as described in the Westminster Confession of Faith and Louis Berkhof's Systematic Theology. The Westminster Confession of Faith states in Chapter XXXII - Of the State of Men After Death, and of the Resurrection of the Dead that the bodies of men, after death, return to the dust, and see corruption: but their souls, which neither die nor sleep, having an immortal substance, immediately return to God: the souls of the righteous, being then made perfect in holiness, are received into the highest heavens...and the souls of the wicked are cast into hell..." (p.96-97). Louis Berkhof wrote in his book Systematic Theology on the doctrine of man saying, “The prevailing representation of the nature of man in Scripture is clearly dichotomic." (p.192) Much of the churches view on the dualistic nature of man is influenced indirectly from the Greek philosophers who believed that all physical matter is evil/bad and metaphysical matter (the mind/soul) is good. We see these dualistic comparisons in the debates of many Christians on what is sacred and/or secular.

In the book Planting and Growing Urban Churches: From Dream to Reality, Craig W. Ellison said, "Because of our Greek-mindedness, we talk about spirit, mind, emotions, and body as though these intricately interrelated dimensions of the person can be separated and adequately addressed in isolation. We tend to have a segmented view of human beings...This is crucial to understand because our view of human nature significantly affects our practice of ministry. Ministry priorities and methods are established in relation to our concept of persons." (p.98) What an insight into our hearts! I agree with Ellison’s assessment. Because we as the church view man compartmentalized we seek to save man's soul, reform his mind, but neglect his body. When we look at the urban setting, one sees many churches like the Seventh Day Adventist, African Methodist Episcopal, Church of God in Christ, and African Methodist Episcopal Zion addressing the felt needs of their communities in a wholistic manner.

Where are the Reformed churches? Where is the PCA when it comes to addressing the felt needs of the surrounding community? If we want to reach people in the urban setting and even if we want to reach people in our suburban communities, then we must address their spiritual, emotional, mental, social, and physical needs with the gospel. Jesus even taught the disciples to pray in Matthew 6:11 "Give us this day our daily bread..." We need to be evangelistic. However, we must not limit our evangelism. We need to address the whole man with the gospel. We must be prepared to follow the Micah 6:8 model, which is to do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with our God. God is concerned not only with our souls, but He is concerned about how His people do justice, love mercy, and walk in humility before the whole world.

You're biased! I can prove it!

Think about an average day in your life…are you usually in control or does someone or something else exhibit control over you?  According to Harvard University's Scientists of Project Implicit, “Previous research has demonstrated that having people think about being in a position of power makes them stereotype more and prefer their own social groups relative to other groups.”  I recently took Harvard’s Implicit Association Test to measure my unconscious bias to thin people over overweight people.  Come to find out I do have an unconscious preference to thin people.  After that I decided to take a race test, by the same researches.  I discovered that 46% of test takers had an automatic association of good being a characteristic of white people and bad being a characteristic of black people.  If you don’t believe you have any bias or stereotypes, then click here to find out!

The fact that we all have unconscious thoughts, beliefs, and attitudes about different groups of people is very fascinating to me.  Studies show that by the time a child turns 3 years old, they have already developed racial prejudices and preferences.  In many ways we are products of our environment.  If a black person grew up in China seeing only Chinese people, speaking Chinese, participating in Chinese culture, watching and listening to Chinese media, then I believe that person would have a natural affinity to Chinese people and would unconsciously associate being good, successful, and acceptable with being Chinese.  Look inside your home.  What photos are visible, what kind of books do you read, what programs do you like to watch on tv, what culture do you celebrate, and what kind of friends do you let your children play with?  Like it or not, we all have deep hidden biases toward different ethnic groups and believe various stereotypes of others.  According to my IAT test results, I have a slight automatic preference for Light Skin compared to Dark Skin…and I’m black!  I was in the 16% by the way.  54% of those who took the test had a moderate to strong automatic preference to lighter skinned compared to darker skin. 

The question that plagues my mind is how do these types of biases affect the church?  One pastor confessed to me that the reason there are no blacks at his church is because his predominantly white congregation have sub conscious stereotypes about black people and vice versa.  What is a pastor to do?  Should he rush to immediately integrate his church so that he no longer becomes the subject of bloggers like myself?  Or should he try to get one black person to come and be satisfied with that?  I think the answer is a combination of many things.  By the way, some of my answers come from Randy Nabors, senior pastor of New City Fellowship, who has been doing cross cultural ministries for over 40 years.  Randy believes, and I agree, that the elders of a church should decide if it is in their mission to reach out to other ethnic groups in their community.  Also, churches need to find what they are good at and seek to use their unique skills and abilities to creatively and strategically reach out to those other groups.

There is not a church that has a one size fits all model of cross cultural racial reconciliation.  Churches must look at their environment, assess the needs, and meet those unique needs of their respective communities using their specific congregational skills.  The gospel of course is the fundamental motivation for this entire process.  We love because He first loved us and gave up His life as a ransom for many.  We must be willing to be incarnational when it comes to ministering to our community.  We must look at our own prejudices and biases and explore areas of our lives that unconsciously reinforce those biases and seek to root them out with the gospel.  For some of us that may mean mixing up our circle of friends, listening to media that reflects the beliefs of a specific ethnic group to understand “hot button” issues, reading books written by members of a different ethnic group than your own, allowing your children to play with kids that might not necessarily be of the same culture or ethnicity.  This takes allot of work and prayer, but if we as a church are committed to this type of self examination and self reformation, then there is no telling how God can use us as a powerful testimony of His kingdom come and His will being done.

Read more about racial bias at ABC News

What do John Piper, C.J. Maheny, Ludacris, and Lupe Fiasco have in common?

Lecrae is one of the most recognized faces in the Reformed Hip Hop Movement.  Lecrae, Trip Lee, KB, Tedashii, Pro, and Andy Mineo are all apart of the 116 Clique, which is taken from the passage in Romans 1:16 that says, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek” (ESV)  Lecrae confessed that the 116 Clique, all members of Reach Records, is a movement.  He said in an interview, “…we’re a movement.  This isn’t some fly-by-night group of dudes rapping to sell records.  We really are a literal movement.  If we weren’t doing music, we’d still be trying to change communities and change people’s world by communicating who Jesus is.”

This “movement” has been praised by people like John Piper, C.J. Maheny, Ludacris, and Lupe Fiasco.  It has received acclaim not only from Reformed circles, but also from accomplished secular hip hop artist.  What Lecrae and his fellow artists are expressing is a biblical systematic worldview by means of hip hop, its medium.  These guys are modern day apologists of the faith.  I define an apologists as anyone who applies a biblical worldview systematically to all areas of life as Lacrae said it himself in an interview with Pastor Tim, the worship pastor at Mars Hill Church in Seattle.  He calls it lyrical theology, a phrase coined by Shai Linne, another reformed rapper.

I truly believe that without a systematic biblical worldview, evangelism suffers.  Everyone has a systematic presupposition that governs their life.  Before one can accept Jesus Christ, one must declare him as Lord and God.  One cannot reach this realization until one’s worldview about God, life, man, and nature are addressed.  Many people believe in Jesus, but they don’t believe that He is God.  If Jesus isn’t God, then all revelation from God is suspect.  The corollary affects are devastating.  Man and God are on par with each other.  God no longer becomes the all sovereign one.  His power is limited, and therefore unable to have dominion over a totally sin depraved humanity. 

We can all learn from Lecrae’s method, in terms of apologetically reaching the culture around us.   Since we as Christians claim to have a biblical world view, then we should not shy away from opportunities to make God’s glory known, particularly in the realm of the arts as expressed through hip hop.  I conclude with a final quote from Lecrae…

“I’m authentically Hip Hop.  I’m part of the culture.  It’s what I know.  It’s what I was raised in, but I’m authentically Christian too…so I’m not gone shy away from that.  I’m just talking about what goes on in real life…like the devastation that happened in Haiti, how I feel about it and God’s perspective on it.” 

UC Berkeley bake sale sparks debate on Affirmative Action

I'm sure most of you have heard the story about the "Increase Diversity Bake Sale" at the University of California at Berkeley.  The bake sale was created by the Berkeley College Republicans, an on campus student club, to raise awareness about issues of Affirmative Action in College Admissions. According to Shawn Lewis, the President of the Berkeley College Republicans, "This event is in response to SB 185, a bill passed by the California legislature an on the desk of Gov. Jerry Brown.  It would allow the UC and CSU systems to consider race and other factors in college admissions decisions, in direct defiance of the will of the voters with proposition 209.  After UC Berkeley student government endorsed the bill, we decided a response was needed.  Thus this bake sale was formulated.  Participants will be offered a discount based on their race and gender.  If preferences based on skin color are ok for college admissions, they should be ok for other aspects of life.  We agree that the event is inherently racist, but that is the point.  It is no more racist than giving an individual an advantage in college admissions based solely on their race and gender."

Shawn raises awareness about a discussion that has been going on ever since Affirmative Action policies were issued in the 1960's by President John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson. The idea behind Affirmative Action is to level the playing field so that underrepresented ethnic groups have an opportunity to gain access into the same schools and businesses as the majority white culture.  Is this fair?  Should ethnic groups gain access to institutions because of their ethnicity?  How should the church respond to this issue, especially when a majority white denomination like the PCA is asked to reach out to different ethnic groups.

I spoke with someone in a predominantly white PCA church and asked if they have a desire to reach out to African Americans in their community, if there are any (some churches don't have any African Americans in their community).  The person responded by saying that their church isn't reaching out to African Americans and aren't trying to.  Now, that's fine if that particular church doesn't have any African Americans in their community, but is it ok if that community does have a significant amount of African Americans?  First of all, not many churches equally represent their community's demographics anyway; and this person's church should not feel guilty because there are no black people in the pews ( and the same can go for other ethnic groups as well).  I believe the underlining issue is that of the role of the church in a community.

The church should not adopt political policies because they are convenient.  The UC Berkeley Bake Sale proves that the practice of Affirmative Action has been abused, but I totally disagree with the way that this point was carried out.  Inciting controversy is not a good way to start any debate about issues of race and gender.  The real issue in this whole talk about Affirmative Action in College Admissions today (I say today because the cultural issues in the 50's and 60's where issues of racial discrimination when it came to accepting underrepresented ethnic groups in higher education) is the poor condition of public school education in this country.  Minority ethnic groups are well represented in public schools, however since many of these schools fail to properly educate these children, many kids don't have an opportunity to attend a good college.  And so the government enacts educational Affirmative Action policies to help answer the problem.

Now let's take this issue to the church.  I believe that churches should make an effort to reach out to their communities, no matter what condition it is in or no matter who lives in them, in order that the kingdom of Jesus Christ might have the dominion over every nook and cranny. 2 Corinthians 10:4-5 says, "For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds.  We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ." Our goal in the church is not racial reconciliation or racial equality, although they can be used as a means to an end; yet our goal to spread the truth of Christ.  Jesus answers Pilate's question about his kingship in John 18:38 by saying, "You say correctly that I am a king.  For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth.  Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice."

Political Discourse in the Church: A Hindrance to Evangelism?

Today I heard fellow brothers in Christ talking about the upcoming 2012 elections, and was intrigued about how passionate the discussion got about who to vote for and how President Obama is doing a poor job.  Now, I have no problem with people expressing their opinion of the President or what their particular political views are, but I do have a problem with the way those views are expressed.  Many Christians, knowingly or unknowingly, condemn others for having different political views from them.  This type of judgmental expression only divides people, and ultimately, I think hinders a Christian's witness in a world looking for leadership. 

Now, I’m not saying we need to be tolerant and mix our faith with those of other religions and sing kumbeya.  What I am saying is that we as the church need to be wise in how we express our views among other Christians and those who are non-Christian.  The danger we face as a church is a sense of elitism, elevating our own personal political views, which breeds an heir of prideful posturing that I believe is not of God.  The scripture says in Matthew 10:16 that we need to be wise as serpents but gentle as doves. 

Do you think anyone would want to visit your church if everyone publicly and openly condemned a particular party?  We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers.  We wrestle against evil spiritual forces that have infiltrated both Democratic and Republican parties.  Just because one belongs to one particular political side doesn’t mean that they are immune to being used by the enemy to steal, kill, and destroy. 

The church must not align themselves with a particular party, because we in turn exclude others from seeing and hearing the gospel of Jesus Christ lived out in a community united in Christ.  Personally, I am an independent because I don’t believe that I should be confined to a party without looking at both sides.  Politicians are chameleons, in my opinion.  They pander to whomever to get the most votes.  How can you tell if a politician is a Christian anyway?  Do you look at his family life?  Many politicians on both sides seem to fail on this point.  Just look at the all of this past year’s sex scandals and affairs.  Do you listen to see if they pray and go to church?  Well anyone can profess to be a Christian, pray, and go to church.  Many Christians assumed that President Obama was a Muslim, even though he professed to be a Christian, prayed, and went to church.

Now, I can write a book about different political policies, but my purpose is to get the church to see that there is a time and place for everything.  We need to have more discussions about politics.  Christians pursuing a political career need to understand how to see their party through a biblical worldview.  We need more godly people in both the Democratic and Republican parties.  God is sovereign.  He chose Saul to lead the people of Israel even when they rejected Him as their king.  The people of Israel in 1 Samuel 7 and 8 wanted to have a king like the other pagan nations.  And God’s plan can still be seen through Israel’s rebellion; for through king David, the Messiah was born.  

Churches, the Last Frontier for Race Relations – Part 3

Let’s say that we finally solve all the problems of race relations in the church.  Everyone feels completely comfortable with each other.  There are equal representations of black, white, Hispanic, and Asians.  Socio-economic classes and ethnic cultures do not divide us but unite us.  What songs shall we sing to celebrate the great work of Christ to bring every tongue and tribe together?  And how shall we sing those songs?

Music defines cultures and people groups.  Jamaicans have Reggae, Latinos have Salsa, and Americans have Rock and Roll.  What is music?  It’s a language that we all know.  It is beauty made audible.  It’s the heart reaching to the mind.  It is heaven’s gift to mankind.  We cannot escape music, for it plays in the background of our lives.  I heard a professional opera singer tell me that singing is nothing but sustained speech.  Singing makes music communicable.  Yet part of the paradox in the uniformity of music is its diversity of voices.  We each have our own voice, and we all want to be heard.  If the church of Jesus Christ is to ever be a place where race meets grace, then this paradox of unity within diversity must coexist and coalesce, there is no either or. 

Churches split over this very issue.  What style of music speaks to the broadest group of people?  This issue becomes especially difficult if your congregation represents many cultures.  Do we allow drum, clapping, and self expression and sacrifice the comfort of some of the congregation’s members?  African Americans don’t feel comfortable in an all white PCA praise and worship service because everyone seems so subdued and fears spontaneity.  White Americans feel uncomfortable in multi ethnic PCA churches because there isn’t a sense of order, structure, and consistency of theme within praise and worship services.  And both white and black Americans feel uncomfortable in a Korean PCA church where everyone is singing in another language!  What is the ultimate answer to put all worries to rest when it comes to race relations and church music?  Do we have to give up our cultural musical heritage in order to sing next to someone who looks different than me?

First let me say that the object of our worship (God) does not have a preference of worship style, as long as it is directed to Him and brings His Son, Jesus Christ glory.  Scripture teaches us that Jesus is highly exalted above all things.  Philippians 2:9-11 says, “Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”  We would do well to exalt Jesus as Lord in our praise and worship services and invite others to do the same.  When it comes to the proper style of music in a worship service, the exaltation of Christ should guide our focus with the utmost humility.  I must say it again; the exaltation of Jesus Christ should guide our focus with the utmost humility. 

Worship is not about us, for we are the worshipers.  Worship is about God.  We sing to God for God’s glory and our enjoyment.  How do we do this?  Well, I believe we must do it with a heart of love…and not just any kind of love, but Christ’s love working in us.  Jesus said in Matthew 22:37-40, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.  This is the first and great commandment.  And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.  On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”  Loving our neighbors must be our next priority in the worship of God.  We cannot worship God fully until our neighbor has been loved completely.  So let’s change our question from what style is the best style for race relations in the church to, how can we honor God (Father, Son, and Spirit) and respect our neighbor when choosing which type of songs to sing and what style to sing it in?

Some might argue that classical music is the best style for worship services because it is timeless and reaches a broad group of people groups.  I agree that classical music is timeless, but I do not believe that it resonates with every culture in the same way that their indigenous style of music does.  I mean think about, I grew up in the Bahamian culture where the junkanoo and calypso rhythm dominated every aspect of music.  If you want to communicate to the heart of a Bahamian, play some junkanoo music and give them a whistle…then WATCH OUT!  Cuz dey ga break it down bey! (Bahamian slang)  One cannot impose their own cultural style of music on everyone else and expect for them to enjoy it like they do.  One cannot assume that their particular cultural style speaks to the heart of everyone.  I like classical music, but that doesn’t mean that every Bahamian will like it, especially in a worship context.  I also like Bahamian junkanoo music, but that doesn’t mean that everyone in my church in Chattanooga will like it.  Again, I revert to my aforementioned point about honoring God and respecting our neighbors when it comes to this topic. 

If one’s church is a missional church trying to reach out to other cultures, then that church should be sensitive to the cultural styles of music represented in the congregation.  If one’s church is not trying to reach out to other people groups, but is focused on their own cultural traditions (most churches are like this) then they shouldn’t feel forced to have music that does not resonate with their members.  For example, a white church should not feel guilty if they don’t have hard core, foot stompin, black gospel music; and similarly, a black church should not feel guilty if they don’t have Handel’s Messiah every Christmas with a full orchestra.  Please don’t miss the point though.  I do encourage churches that are homogenous to branch out to other people groups, especially if you are a missional church that seeks to be cross cultural.  But not all churches are missional, cross cultural churches…I’ll deal with that issue in my next blog :)

Churches, the Last Frontier for Race Relations – Part 2

Pastor Rodney Woo of Wilcrest Baptist Church in Houston, TX who is half Chinese and half white, grew up in a black neighborhood, went to an all white church and married his Hispanic childhood sweetheart said in an interview with PBS, “When we started a lot of people were going, ‘Ah, this is making me feel uncomfortable.’ Whether the kids were in the nursery together, or their kids were in the young group, a lot of parents were fearful that their kids might start dating somebody that was a different race.”  This is a fear among many church members that wish to minister to the community around them, particularly if that community is Hispanic, African American, or lower class whites.  It is a fear of racial and cultural proportions.

Now that America is becoming more multi-cultural, communities reflect immigrants from the Caribbean, Africa, Mexico, Central America, and Arab countries.  These communities are usually in the heart of the city, and are generally more impoverished communities than the surrounding suburbs.  Inherent in racial tensions is the sense of classicism, you can’t escape it.  In the modern world, the poor are mostly people of color that are brown and black.  Please do not get me wrong, there are many poor whites in our communities as well, and they should not be neglected; yet my point is this: if we can overcome our racial prejudices, then we will be able to abandon our cultural prejudices.  Race, I submit is a more powerful source of contention because it is easily identifiable.  One can readily tell if someone is black or white; it isn’t easy to tell if that black or white person is Bahamian, Salvadorian, Czech, Norwegian, Nigerian, or Australian.  Culture is not as easily identifiable, granted language differences is a major factor too.

The fears that exist in Pastor Woo’s church are natural fears.  No one should be ashamed about their concerns for their children.  Who will my children marry?  Will they take care of them?  Will they love them?  Will they be safe when they are away from the confines of our home?  All of these questions present legitimate fears.  But at some point every parent has to come face to face with these fears whether their children marry someone of a different race or the same race.  The first step to overcoming fear is to admit that you have them.  When we admit our fears, we realize how far we need to come to overcome them.  After we admit and identify our fears, we need to eventually face them.  Part of facing our fears is giving up a sense of control.  We must surrender our instinct to run away from our fears and trying to prolong the inevitable.  I John 4: 18 says, “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear…”

God has placed His affection upon His people.  Consequently, there is nothing that can separate us from the love of God.  Since this is true, we have nothing to fear because we know that God is sovereign above any fear we may possess.  His love frees us!  For freedom Christ has set us free.  Now that we are free, we, by Christ power are freeing agents of grace.  God has called us to preach the gospel to the poor, the widow, the orphan, the prisoner, and anyone who is held captive by sin.  Our children get front row seats to God’s magnificent work in our lives.  As parents, we are teachers and mentors of the next generation.  If our children congregate with other children of different races and one day fall in love with one of them, then we should not be afraid.  Our greatest fear should not be whether or not my child marries someone of a different race, yet our greatest concern should be whether that other child is freed by the gospel and is able to love your child with the same love that Christ has loved them.

Churches, the Last Frontier for Race Relations – Part 1

Dr. Michael Emerson, Professor of Sociology and director of the Center on Race, Religion, and Urban Life at Rice University, said in an interview with PBS, “We do not have an American culture. We have a white American culture and a black American culture. So when those two groups try to get together, [it’s] very difficult because they each feel like they have the right to their culture.”(http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/episodes/july-31-2009/interview-with-michael-emerson/1736/) 

What an insightful statement!  As I look at what it takes for PCA churches to reach out to African Americans in their communities, I realize that there is a formidable barrier that has been in place ever since the founding of this country.  Black and White Americans have a long and painful history of racism and distrust of each other.  Even after the Civil Rights Movement, race relations are still not what it should be, especially in the church.  We have elevated our ethnic cultures above the place of God.  The cultural expression of theology has been made more important than theology itself. 

If the church is ever to be one as Christ is one with the Father and the Spirit, then some serious changes have to be made.  Because of globalization, cultures are finding a common language to communicate with each other.  We are all users in the World Wide Web.  And so, to maintain a sense of cultural identity in a globalized market that seeks unilateral consistency, we hide are cultural biases, traditions, and expressions in the one untouchable place, the church.   

Businesses pride themselves in innovation and diversity.  Schools receive government grants on the amount of ethnically diverse students that attend, and boast about it on their websites.  Collectively there is a sense that we must reflect diversity in order to be on the cutting edge so that we can market to each other. Individually, however, there is an heir of sanctity to our own cultural identities.  What is the church to do amidst such obstacles?

First, let me suggest prayer.  Ephesians 3:20 says, “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us…”  What is the power that is at work in us?  Well, Romans 8:11 answers this question in this manner, “But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.”  So, to my brothers and sisters in Christ, I ask this one final question, where is our faith?   

Prayer gives an opportunity for the Triune God to flex His eternal muscles and make a public spectacle of all principalities and powers that seek to wreak havoc upon the kingdom of God by dividing and conquering.  We must understand that a house divided against itself cannot stand.  Let us stand as one in Christ, united by a common faith that is able to withstand any prejudice and divisive scheme.

Eeww...you're different than me!

A couple of weeks ago, I spoke with a PCA pastor who expressed his struggle of trying to get his congregation to understand the value of cross cultural ministry to African Americans.  He expressed how some of the church’s members are moving to other parts of their city in search of better schools and housing because of the influx of African Americans.  What is a pastor to do? 

We can all agree that we feel more comfortable with people that look like us and share our common interest, but what are we to do when the very people we are most uncomfortable with enter our neighborhoods?  Simply put, we love them.  We don’t turn them away.  We pursue them like Jesus pursued us. 

Trust me, it is extremely difficult to love someone who makes you uncomfortable.  That’s why we have Jesus.  Mark 8:34-35 says, “When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, ‘Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.  For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it.’”  God is calling His people to live a life that is different from those around us.  We as God’s people are called to do the hard things, like love those who make us uncomfortable so that the gospel may be preached and lived out.

Ephesians 2:19-22 says, “Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.”  God no longer dwells in temples made by men.  We who were once afar off from God have been brought near through Jesus Christ.  Do you see it?  God is calling His people, the church, to invite strangers and foreigners into your life so that they may see God’s Spirit dwelling in you for the purpose of grafting them into the household of faith.  God is building the temple, made without hands, so that those who are afar off, those who are different from you, those who make you uncomfortable, may be brought near. 

What profits a man to gain the world and all it comforts, and lose his very soul, which God’s kingdom is after? God wants souls.  He looks beyond race, gender, disabilities, and cultures.  He wants His people to reflect Him.

And so, to that pastor who is struggling with getting his congregation to do cross cultural ministry, I say remind them of how far off they were, how uncomfortable it was for Christ take on human flesh, and how badly God wants His people to reflect Him.  Yes, cross cultural ministry is hard, but God who is rich in mercy gave us His Son, who gives us the power through His Spirit to do what is hard…in fact God delights in His strength being made perfect in our weaknesses.

What does it mean to be a Reformed Bahamian American? (Part 3)

When I was first introduced to the Reformed faith, I was arrogant.  I admit it.  I laughed at people who didn’t see the Reformed perspective of salvation.  Anyone who believed in free will (meaning we choose God) rather than predestination (God chose us), I would argue with them.  I believed I had seen the light and was one of the “enlightened” ones.  I never said this, of course, but I thought it. 

Reform theology has a way of puffing up people’s minds in a way that makes them think that they are superior to other Christians who do not totally espouse to every doctrine of grace.  Because there is a systematic way of viewing the Bible through covenants, Reform theology may seem very formulaic and therefore be viewed as more right than other theologies that are not consistent all the way through.  What I mean by formulaic is the fact that one can have a blueprint or rule for looking at gospel, salvation, theology, church government, spiritual gifts, and the like.  Now, there is nothing wrong with having a biblical method of searching the scriptures.  The problem arises when we place supreme value upon our own interpretation of scripture over another’s.  Yes, we must tests the spirits and see if what we preach is biblical.  Yet we must also see that we carry our own biases when we look at scripture, whether they are cultural, ethnic, or historical.

The PCA (Presbyterian Church of America) had its origin in Southern states with a dominant white majority.  According the official PCA website(http://www.pcanet.org/general/history.htm), “[the PCA was]Organized at a constitutional assembly in December 1973, this church was first known as the National Presbyterian Church but changed its name in 1974 to Presbyterian Church in America (PCA).  It separated from the Presbyterian Church in the United States (Southern) in opposition to the long-developing theological liberalism which denied the deity of Jesus Christ and the inerrancy and authority of Scripture.  Additionally, the PCA held to the traditional position on the role of women in church offices.”

Before the PCA split from the PCA (USA) because of theological differences, the American Presbyterian church was involved in racism and all of its heinous practices as it relates to ethnic minorities.  Racism was part of the culture of that day, and it directly affected the Southern Presbyterian’s way of life.  Consequently, the PCA sent out a written apology to the General Assembly in 2002 see here: http://www.pcahistory.org/pca/race.html  

Naturally, during the beginning stages of the PCA, it was not multi-ethnic.  The PCA was and still is a predominantly conservative middle to upper class white evangelical denomination (yet there are a rising number of cultures entering the PCA such as Koreans, African-Americans, and Latinos) Why did God call my family from the Bahamas into such a seemingly cultural clash? 

I believe God is calling the church as a whole, whether PCA or not, to think outside the box.  The gospel has been opened to the Gentiles i.e. anyone who is not a Jew.  This is exciting news!  We must not think homogeneity but diversity and variety.  God is calling a people to Himself that represent every tribe, tongue, and nation.  The moment we think we have a patent on the gospel or His Holy Spirit; we miss what God has to offer and lose the fullness of His presence.   No wonder we are seeing a revival in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. 

I am proud to be born in the Bahamas, naturalized as an American citizen, and a member of the Presbyterian Church.  I see things differently.  I see God’s people as not defined to one particular group.  God is not only the God of the Bahamians, Americans, or Presbyterians, but He is also the God of the whole world.  He is far above anything that we can ever think, imagine, or conceive.  He is the I am that I am, the one who is present yesterday, today, and forever.