Breaking the color barrier
It's saddening for me to think that the words spoken by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr concerning the most segregated time in America as Sunday morning, 11am still ringing true in the 21st century.
Sure, we pat ourselves on the back when we make attempts at racial reconciliation, or tell others they need to be engaging in that as well, but the thing to think about is this: is it forced because we are trying to look racially sensitive, or does it come from within?
That's a sticky thing to think about because we know we should be colorblind, but is it out of a sense of looking the part, or is it a genuine embracing of the Biblical principal of humanity?
One thing to look at would be the makeup of one of the Churches in Acts.
Acts 13:1 Now there were in the church at Antioch prophets and teachers, Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen a member of the court of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.
Barnabas= wealthy Levite from Cyprus.
Simeon= Black man. That's what Niger means.
Lucius of Cyrene. Where's Cyrene? North Africa, so he's black or Egyptian looking.
Manaen= man who was a member of the household which persecuted the Jews and crucified Christ.
Saul= former Pharisee from Tarsius, a Jew who is a Roman citizen.
Does it get much more ecclectic than that?
In Acts we get a hint of what the gospel does to the Church, it doesn't divide, it unites and breaks barriers. And it doesn't break barriers by force or against the will, it does it in a way that seems natural. The Gospel is transformational in that respect, and we must pray for it to continue to transform our lives.
Book of the day A Mighty Long Journey: Reflections on Racial Reconciliation by Timothy George.
Sure, we pat ourselves on the back when we make attempts at racial reconciliation, or tell others they need to be engaging in that as well, but the thing to think about is this: is it forced because we are trying to look racially sensitive, or does it come from within?
That's a sticky thing to think about because we know we should be colorblind, but is it out of a sense of looking the part, or is it a genuine embracing of the Biblical principal of humanity?
One thing to look at would be the makeup of one of the Churches in Acts.
Acts 13:1 Now there were in the church at Antioch prophets and teachers, Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen a member of the court of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.
Barnabas= wealthy Levite from Cyprus.
Simeon= Black man. That's what Niger means.
Lucius of Cyrene. Where's Cyrene? North Africa, so he's black or Egyptian looking.
Manaen= man who was a member of the household which persecuted the Jews and crucified Christ.
Saul= former Pharisee from Tarsius, a Jew who is a Roman citizen.
Does it get much more ecclectic than that?
In Acts we get a hint of what the gospel does to the Church, it doesn't divide, it unites and breaks barriers. And it doesn't break barriers by force or against the will, it does it in a way that seems natural. The Gospel is transformational in that respect, and we must pray for it to continue to transform our lives.
Book of the day A Mighty Long Journey: Reflections on Racial Reconciliation by Timothy George.
posted by Bobby's blog at 3:28 PM
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