Jesus Be Black, Yo
Published May 07, 2008
Aren't those the founding principles of this country?
Wright's theology, then, is about convergence, not separation—because the Black church, as he has it, has been separated from the white church, always. When he says that Sunday at 11:00am is the most segregated hour in America, who would legitimately argue this? Whites and African Americans don't mingle in their mainstream worship.
It's likely that, despite their God being white to begin with, Caucasians are perhaps afraid of the intensity of the African American religious experience. And this separation has led not just to differences but to inequalities and misperceptions, according to Wright.
The whole point of Wright's opening comment was to declare the historical "apartness" of the black church in this country, deplore its treatment and yet glorify its grittiness. Then he's out to draw differences in us all, while not vilifying them—simply acknowledging them. Difference is not deficiency, and the goal should not be homogeneity but a respect for those differences.
Here is Wright's closing point:
"Reconciliation means we embrace our individual rich histories, all of them. We retain who we are as persons of different cultures, while acknowledging that those of other cultures are not superior or inferior to us. They are just different from us.
"We root out any teaching of superiority, inferiority, hatred, or prejudice.
"And we recognize for the first time in modern history in the West that the other who stands before us with a different color of skin, a different texture of hair, different music, different preaching styles, and different dance moves, that other is one of God’s children just as we are, no better, no worse, prone to error and in need of forgiveness, just as we are."
I quote heavily from the Reverend's remarks because that is what's missing in most of the analysis I read.
In this country we either can't handle the truth or we handle it differently in public than we do in private (which is more of less saying the same thing.) We won't acknowledge what's obvious because it scares us; it rattles to the point of instability and fear the little cages most of us spend our lives in. (Truth, I know, is a dangerous word, and I use it cautiously and with some hesitation.)
Leaving the truth aside for a moment let's get back to the blog in question. Reference is made to Wright's infamous sermon, post 9/11—now we're into the Q/A—in which he said that the attacks against the World Trade Centers represented "the chickens coming home to roost."
Asked about this at the National Press Club, whether he now disavows it. He said he was only quoting the Iraqi ambassador (he probably did soft-pedal here) and then proceeded to cite scripture—Matt: 7:12—to the effect that Jesus said do unto others as you would have them do unto you. You know, treat people the way you want to be treated. TOA has a problem with this response: "Not quite backing away from his post 9/11 sermon, is it?"
- Jesus Be Black, Yo
- Published: May 07, 2008
- Type: Opinion
- Section: Politics
- Writer: Stephen Foster
- Stephen Foster's BC Writer page
- Stephen Foster's personal site
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I read this article in its entirety, Stephen.
First of all, if you view G-d as merely a man, however superior His powers might be, you've bought into the Greek worship of idols. The title of your article and your assumptions within it detail clearly one reason why Christianity is abhorrent to most Jews.
G-d is not a mere man to be assigned a skin color. The Creator of the universe is beyond the imagination of all men, and for a mere man to look directly into the face of G-d is to invite death. The appropriate term in English is ineffable. If you don't know what it means, find an unabridged dictionary (preferably a ten kilo tome you have to work to lift) and look it up.
Second of all, while most of your article deals with the experience of black Americans, something I can comment on only minimally, the last page deals with Zionism and Judaism. As a Jew living in liberated Samaria, I know quite a bit about both.
I suggest that fools like Louis Farrakhan and Jeremiah Wright know nothing about either Judaism or Zionism.
Judaism is a nationality and a religion, based on three Covenants with G-d.
1. The descendants of Abraham through his son Isaac and grandson Jacob are granted the right to live in the Land of Israel in perpetuity, to worship there and carry out the commandments of G-d there.
2. The Children of Israel are granted a Torah, a guide to holiness, that they are to follow and guard scrupulously; this Torah is our guide to being holy in a holy Land, and we are charged with being as holy as the Land we are granted.
3. The Children of Israel, chosen to guard this guide have the task of teaching mankind (when it is ready to be taught) the Seven Laws of Noah, universal laws of civilization.
In ancient days, our people were governed by a Sanhedrin, a court of 71 judges, an institution that was established in the days of wandering the desert before the conquest of the Land under yehoshu'a (Joshua) ben nun.
A little under two thousand years ago, the last sovereign Jewish entity in this country (until the present State) was destroyed by the Roman savages after a rebellion against pagan rule. The city of Jerusalem was burned to the ground, along with the Temple of hordos (Herod), thousands died, thousands more were taken as slaves and a six hundred year genocide was started against the Jewish people in this Land.
The remnant of the Sanhedrin snuck out to the city of Yavne to try and figure out what to do to save our people.
The only weapons they had were words.
So they constructed a liturgy of prayer to remind every Jew of what had been lost to the Roman savages in tens of generations of exile that were to come.
Central to this liturgy is the 'amidá, a standing prayer recited silently three times daily.
From its text:
There is more, of course, a great deal more, all recited standing at attention, but the point is to remind every Jew, every Child of Israel who recites the 'amidá who he or she really is and where his or her ultimate loyalty must lie.
The difference between a believing Jew and a non-believing Jew is how seriously he takes what he says to G-d three times daily; and what he does to make those prayers a reality.
It is from this 'amidá that Zionism gets its concepts. But Zionism is a mere movement of secular Jews to establish a state. Having established that State, Zionism accomplished its purpose, and as events have shown over the last twenty years, has lost its way. Zionism, as a movement, is basically over.
The next step in the evolution of the Jewish nation is to turn this country into a truly G-d centered country, instead of the pathetic imitation of the pagan west it is now.
Neither Louis Farrakhan nor Jeremiah Wright have any understanding of this: most American Jews like the "Obnoxious American" (who is not obnoxious at all) don't understand this either.
But pay attention to what I write. Your elections are pretty much your affair, but at least you now have a real concept of who and what the Children of Israel are.