True or False: Is Christianity the White Man's Religion?

I have always been puzzled by this because first Jesus Christ is not white, He's Jewish and second the first Christ followers were not white they were Jewish. In the climate of society Jews are often the targets of white supremacists so as I have said this association has always puzzled me.

The term white man's religion came about because of Christianity's popularity in Europe which is predominately white. However, that in no way means that it is the religion of white people or that it is only for white people.

In fact during Jesus' day the term "white people" didn't exist. You were categorized based on your country of origin (Midianite, Cushite, Canaanite) and honestly most of the people during Jesus' time including Jesus himself had brown skin. This is the Middle East we are talking about not Europe. These are farmers, carpenters, laborers who spent many hours in the hot sun we are talking about. The question was not what shade of white you were but what shade of brown.

Furthermore, the only distinction God talks about in the Bible is Jew and Gentile. And a Gentile is basically anyone that is not Jewish. So that includes Blacks, Whites, Asians, Hispanics, Natives, etc. If you weren't/aren't a Jew, your a Gentile. Which God then says in Galatians 3:28-29 (MSG),

"In Christ’s family there can be no division into Jew and non-Jew, slave and free, male and female. Among us you are all equal. That is, we are all in a common relationship with Jesus Christ. Also, since you are Christ’s family, then you are Abraham’s famous “descendant,” heirs according to the covenant promises."

So where did this idea come from then? Sin. Is the short answer. Religion has often been used as a tool of oppression and control. How do you oppress and control? Division. You make one group of people feel superior to another and you can effectively control and oppress. All religions have been used this way at some point in history. If you read the Bible it is clear that God is about unity and love, not division and hate.

However, flawed sinful people take bits and pieces of the truth to convince people of their lies. Trying to tell a White Supremacist that Jesus was a Jew is an arduous task. Even though it is clearly in the Word, they have so bought into this "Jesus is white" lie, their whole lives would fall apart if they accept the truth because accepting the truth means accepting the ugliness they've perpetrated or worse cause them to reject that which has become part of their identity.

That is why it is critically important that you read the Word of God for yourself. You know the people I don't debate with? People who tell me what the Bible says even though they have never cracked its pages. I cannot have a discussion with you about God's Word if you have never read it because all you are doing is regurgitating what someone else has said about God's Word. How do you know that what they told you is the truth?

God says very clearly in the Bible, not everyone that talks about Me knows Me.

“Knowing the correct password—saying ‘Master, Master,’ for instance—isn’t going to get you anywhere with me. What is required is serious obedience—doing what my Father wills. I can see it now—at the Final Judgment thousands strutting up to me and saying, ‘Master, we preached the Message, we bashed the demons, our God-sponsored projects had everyone talking.’ And do you know what I am going to say? ‘You missed the boat. All you did was use me to make yourselves important. You don’t impress me one bit. You’re out of here.’

-Matthew 7:21-23 (MSG)

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As this is Black History month I leave you with this food for thought on this topic. The most dangerous thing that the master allowed the slaves to do was not just read but allow them to read the Bible for themselves. Nate Turner, Harriet Tubman, and others are a perfect example of this. When they were allowed to read the Bible for themselves and not just forced to believe what the master wanted them to believe that is when they learned who God truly was. That is when they knew they were meant to be free and demanded it. That is when they rebelled. They knew that God would deliver them just like He delivered the children of Israel from the Egyptians.

Christianity has NEVER been a faith for one group of people it has ALWAYS been about each and everyone of us being able to have a personal RELATIONSHIP with God. It is about us giving our brokenness and emptiness and oppression and overall bad stuff to Him so that we know we are not alone.

The slaves realized by reading God's Word they were not alone and that God was not some Great White man in the sky but that He was GREATER and STRONGER than this white man who was oppressing them on earth.

READ THE WORD FOR YOURSELF 

The Unlikely Missionary

DHW

Additional Resources

Is Christianity a white man's religion?

IT’S NOT THE WHITE MAN’S RELIGION (Highly Recommended)

Lies Hip Hop Told Me: Christianity is the White Man's Religion (Highly Recommended)

THE TRUTH ABOUT JESUS (Highly Recommended)

Praise Break! I Must Tell Jesus

I must tell Jesus all my trials.

I can not bear these burdens alone.

In my distress he, He kindly will help me.

He ever loves and cares for his own.

You don't have to worry, no. Your burdens you won't bear alone. Even in the darkest night, he's sure to be your guiding light.

Cry Out for Justice

I know alot of people question why God allows things to happen. I've said this before and I'll probably say it again, many times. Its because He has given us free will. He gives us the ability to choose whether we want Him in our lives or not. That does not mean that God won't stop things from happening. He will, but we have to ask.

Ask and it will be given to you; For everyone who asks receives;

Matthew 7:7-8

If you don't ask you can't receive and in these times especially where families are being ripped apart, lives are being lost and rights are being stripped away we need not just speak out and against injustice but in that same voice ask that God mete out His justice for the injustices being rendered.

In my distress I called to the Lord;

I cried to my God for help.

From his temple he heard my voice;

my cry came before him, into his ears.

Psalm 18:6

This should be an audible prayer. A prayer deep in the soul that forces you to speak aloud as you voice your requests to God. A voice to express your passion. A prayer that can make you lose your voice. That is how serious this must be for you.

God tells us to cry out for justice and to keep crying out. To pray without ceasing. The hardest fought battles are won in prayer. This is not a race but a marathon as African Americans know quite well. We cannot grow weary in well doing for the harvest we stand to gain is great.

In Luke 18, Jesus tells the story of the widow who stood before this judge who by his own admission said he cared nothing for God or the people. Every time the widow stood before him he would deny her request. However, she kept coming back until finally he got fed up but her persistence and granted her request.

The point Jesus was making was that if someone who didn't give a crap would mete our justice how much more would God do if we implore Him the way this widow did with this judge? Where is our persistence? 

Now is the time that we stand firm in the power and sovereignty of God, the creator of ALL things. Just like the people of Israel called out to God for deliverance from the Egyptians so much we cry out to God. Day and Night. Fervently. Consistently. With Power.

The Unlikely Missionary

DHW

What Does the Bible Say About Slavery?

It is Black History Month in America and Canada and at least in America slavery is still a hot button issue in this country. So I thought that I would talk today about in the Bible and all the misconceptions people have about God and slavery.

Whenever man creates a system it is inherently flawed. Man is not perfect. Man is sinful and therefore nothing created by man will be perfect or done correctly. Man created slavery. For this reason God created guidelines for how a slave was supposed to be treated because He knew we would mess it up.

FYI: Just because God allows something to happen doesn't mean that is His ideal. Just because He does not come out and condemn it doesn't mean He is condoning it. Because He has given us free will He doesn't intervene unless we ask Him to.

Many great people of God in the Bible had slaves. Abraham in particular. If we look however at how Abraham treated his slaves we get the closest representation of what God wanted the master/slave relationship to look like.

The most important thing to understand about slavery in the ancient times was that it was mostly economic. There was no slave trade or selling of bodies. It was you Joe owed Thomas money but you couldn't pay Thomas back so you became his slave until your debt was repaid. This mirror nothing of the slavery that occurred in America.

The other form was through battle and this was usually because of nation takeover. I.e. the numerous times in the Bible when the people of Israel got taken over by another nation and enslaved.

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God gave the people of Israel very specific instructions about how slaves were to be treated. And it resembles NOTHING like the slavery that was perpetrated in America.

In Exodus 21 God gave these instructions:

For Male Slaves
(Exodus 21:1-6)

First, slavery was not supposed to be permanent. It was to last for six years. In the seventh year your debt is considered repaid and you are free to go. Unless the slave wanted to pledge permanent servitude.

Second, slaves are to be treated as a member of your household. This basically means like a brother or member of your family. They are to be fed, clothed and taken care of.

Third, if bodily harm was done to your slave there were consequences. If you kill your slave you are to be put to death for their death is to be avenged. If you caused them to lose a limb or part of their body they were to be set free.

For Female Slaves
(Exodus 21:7-11)

It was a little different for women. It was still debt motivated but you would be given as a wife to cover the debt of your family. If this was the case there were also very specific instructions.

If her future husband is not please with her for whatever reason he has to redeem her, which means allowing her family to buy her back. He cannot sell her.

If she is for the man's son the father is to treat her as his own daughter. Feeding her, clothing her and taking care of her as he would his daughter in his household.

If the man marries someone else his responsibility to the slave wife is not canceled out. He must continue to take care of her. Feeding her, clothing her and fulfilling his martial duty to her.

And if these things are not done she is to be set free and the debt canceled.

In Deuteronomy 15:12-15 God gave an update to his instructions:

Both men and women who worked for six years would be set free in the seventh, their debt canceled and they with a severance package if you will to start their life.

God adds that this should be done because the children of Israel were once slaves in Egypt and knowing how that feels they should want to bless these individuals.

Then in the New Testament, in both Ephesians 6:9 and Colossians 4:1:

God says to masters to treat their slaves with consideration. Do not threaten them and do not abuse them because we all live under the same God and He views us all the same.

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For the slave masters that tried to justify the treatment of American slaves and slaves today with the Bible they clearly did not read Exodus 21:16 which says,

"Whoever steals a man and sells him, and anyone found in possession of him, shall be put to death."

This is not God condoning this type of slavery. This is Him condemning it. In ancient times individuals went into slavery they were not kidnapped and sold into it. In ancient times slaves were not raped and beaten without impunity. In ancient times slaves were not held until death unless they chose to be.

Trying to equate biblical slavery with American slavery is a comparison of apples and oranges however because evil men used the Bible to justify enslavement people make that connection.

God's recurrent theme throughout the Bible is to love God and love people. Everything about American slavery runs counter to that. In the Bible God is basically  saying if you must have slaves because this is your way of paying off debts follow these rules and treat your slaves as you would treat a family member because before me you are equals. Then once the debt is repaid let them go.

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Many would say, well why did God let slavery happen in the first place? Lets give credit where credit is due. God did not enslave Africans, European men did. And like I said above we are granted free will. It is what makes us human. If God intervened in every aspect of our lives it would be as if we are puppets and that is not free will. However, when the slaves read God's word and cried out for deliverance God heard their cry and answered their prayers. He didn't do a grand show like many of us would like. It start out as grassroot movements. He empowered people like Harriet Tubman, Nat Turner and others to know that what the "white" man said about the Bible wasn't true and that God made them free and He gave them the strength to fight for that freedom.

God has been, is, and always will be a loving God. Whether we want to believe that to be true doesn't make it any less true. As I listen to the many negro spirituals that are remnants of my ancestors lives I know that many of them knew this to be true and I stand firm in that legacy.

The Unlikely Missionary

DHW

Further Resources

https://www.gotquestions.org/Bible-slavery.html

https://answersingenesis.org/bible-questions/doesnt-the-bible-support-slavery/

http://www.godandscience.org/apologetics/slavery_bible.html

Happy Valentine's Day

No matter what today remember,

you are loved!

God took the time to form you in your mother's womb and breathe life in you and opened up your eyes today to see another day. Everyday is not easy but there is not a day that goes by that you are not loved and adored by your Creator.

Be blessed and be love today.

The Unlikely Missionary

DHW

The Love Chapter

1 Corinthians 13:3-10 (MSG)

3-7 If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don’t love, I’ve gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I’m bankrupt without love.

Love never gives up.

Love cares more for others than for self.

Love doesn’t want what it doesn’t have.

Love doesn’t strut,

Doesn’t have a swelled head,

Doesn’t force itself on others,

Isn’t always “me first,”

Doesn’t fly off the handle,

Doesn’t keep score of the sins of others,

Doesn’t revel when others grovel,

Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,

Puts up with anything,

Trusts God always,

Always looks for the best,

Never looks back,

But keeps going to the end.

8-10 Love never dies. Inspired speech will be over some day; praying in tongues will end; understanding will reach its limit. We know only a portion of the truth, and what we say about God is always incomplete. But when the Complete arrives, our incompletes will be canceled.

The Unlikely Missionary

DHW

God May Asks Wives to Submit but Husbands, God Asks You for Much More

Men love to tell their wives that God says to submit to their husbands. This is absolutely true and we'll discuss why in a moment. But they ALWAYS gloss over the mandate that God gives them.

It says, husbands love your wives as Christ loved the church and laid down his LIFE for it (Eph 5:24). It goes on further to say that men should love their wives as they love their own bodies, and to love his wife even as he loves himself (v28).

So yes, while God tells us ladies to submit He also tells husbands that their responsibility to their wives is to literally exchange their life for hers if necessary and to love her the exact same way that you love yourself for, no man has EVER yet hated his own flesh (v29). If you are not familiar with the sacrifice that Jesus made for us see here.

I love how the Message lays out the passage this comes from. It reads,

Ephesians 5:22-33The Message (MSG)

22-24 Wives, understand and support your husbands in ways that show your support for Christ. The husband provides leadership to his wife the way Christ does to his church, not by domineering but by cherishing. So just as the church submits to Christ as he exercises such leadership, wives should likewise submit to their husbands.

25-28 Husbands, go all out in your love for your wives, exactly as Christ did for the church—a love marked by giving, not getting. Christ’s love makes the church whole. His words evoke her beauty. Everything he does and says is designed to bring the best out of her, dressing her in dazzling white silk, radiant with holiness. And that is how husbands ought to love their wives. They’re really doing themselves a favor—since they’re already “one” in marriage.

29-33 No one abuses his own body, does he? No, he feeds and pampers it. That’s how Christ treats us, the church, since we are part of his body. And this is why a man leaves father and mother and cherishes his wife. No longer two, they become “one flesh.” This is a huge mystery, and I don’t pretend to understand it all. What is clearest to me is the way Christ treats the church. And this provides a good picture of how each husband is to treat his wife, loving himself in loving her, and how each wife is to honor her husband.

Ladies, now that we have context it makes perfect sense why we are to submit. Because our husbands are our protection (physically, emotionally, spiritually, mentally) and our covering like Christ is for the church. Submitting doesn't mean they tell us what to do, what to wear, who we can look at, who our friends can be. That is not love and that is not of God. We submit in order to receive the fullness of the love that is supposed to exist in a marriage just like as Christians we submit to God to receive the fullness of the love God has for us and the life He wants us to have. There are too many stories in the Bible of husbands who loved, cherished and revered their wives for me to believe that God would sanction any abuse of a husband to a wife.

See Hannah, Esther, Ruth

In God's economy submitting does not mean a loss of power or equality and definitely is not grounds for abuse. Especially not if He is calling husbands to be willing to die for their wives and love them as much as they love themselves.

To my fellow Christians: To those of you who use this verse to shame women into staying with their abusive spouses. SHAME ON YOU! Abuse is not of God and I don't know any man who would stand by and let themselves be beaten, belittled, and/or dominated. If they wouldn't do it to themselves they shouldn't be doing it to their wives. That is God's mandate.

So men of God I invite you again to read this passage of scripture and examine yourself instead of trying to use God's Word to rule over someone else.

The Unlikely Missionary

DHW

God Will NOT Be Mocked

If the reports of Trump at the National Prayer Breakfast are true, which knowing him I believe them to be, I issue a stiff warning to my brothers and sisters in Christ.

Galatians 6:7-8 says,

Don’t be misled: No one makes a fool of God. What a person plants, he will harvest. The person who plants selfishness, ignoring the needs of others—ignoring God!—harvests a crop of weeds. All he’ll have to show for his life is weeds! But the one who plants in response to God, letting God’s Spirit do the growth work in him, harvests a crop of real life, eternal life.

To sit by and watch a man - who has shown no care or reverence for God, who clearly serves mammon (money) and has no concept of love your neighbor as yourself - on a national stage ask for prayer for the ratings of a TV show, God will deal most harshly with you. He is, each and everyday making a mockery of who God is. 

If I didn't know who Christ is and Trump was my introduction I would run far away from Christ because I would think he was an uncaring, misogynistic, money-hungry, bigot which is the furthest thing from the truth. 

If your blood doesn't boil because of what He has done so far or at this what will cause you to stand up for what is right in the sight of God? 

What we plant we will harvest. If we sit by and allow hate, fear, intolerance, selfishness and persecution to take hold and take root we will reap those things on ourselves. Our silence is support. Our statements, our photo-ops if not in condemnation of these things is support and the sowing and watering of these seeds. We are supposed to be the salt of the earth not the ones taking on the taste of the world.

What we fail to realize as Christians is God does not need us to put His Word forth. However, he will remove those who profess Him but hinder His work and His Word from going forth. He has done it before and He will not hesitate to do it again. 

We are afraid of the wrong people and things. We are afraid of liberals who threaten our supposed ideals. We are afraid of people of other faiths. We are afraid of losing the lifestyle we have become accustomed to. We are afraid of things that are no match for the power of God. So instead of standing strong in knowing that no matter what happens God is still in control we cast the teachings of God aside to further our own agendas driven by fear? God is still God regardless of what laws are passed or who is elected. 

Remember that because we know God and His Word we are judged when we cast it aside in favor of worldly pursuits. Aligning yourself with someone because of political affiliation without looking at their character is foolish especially when you allegiance should ALWAYS be to God first.

My mother, always quoted James 4:17 to me as a child and still does now that I am an adult. It says, He that knoweth to do good and doeth it not to HIM it is sin. Not everything is sin to everybody. The minute you gain knowledge of a wrong if you do it anyway it becomes sin to you. My fellow brothers and sisters we know deep down that Trump doesn't represent God in anyway but we have so puffed ourselves up, we are so full of our own self-importance and the need to be right that we have become blinded to our own sin.

The Message puts James 4:16-17 this way,

As it is, you are full of your grandiose selves. All such vaunting self-importance is evil. In fact, if you know the right thing to do and don’t do it, that, for you, is evil.

Love God and Love your neighbor as yourself could not be more clear. And God said there is no other commandment greater than these. We could argue positions all day but if you know that is what God has commanded us to do and you ain't doing it, to you IT IS SIN.

Trust me people. When God says He will not be mocked, He will not be mocked. And I would fear that much more than anything else.

To my fellow Christians who are standing up for what is right and condemning the evils and injustices that are being put forth keep doing so. Keep praying, keep loving, keep being a beacon for those who are hurting. We are needed now more than ever. Do not be lulled to sleep by those trying to normalize ill treatment of people. We all answer to God for the things we do and don't do. I remind myself that Jesus didn't stay silent when He saw injustice so we must not either.

The Unlikely Missionary

DHW

Love God, Love People

In light of what has been transpired I think we just need to be reminded of this sentiment,

Love God, Love People

Israel Houghton is a favorite artist of mine and this song is just a great summation that we just need to love each other. It has a great beat too.

So enjoy today's praise break.

The Unlikely Missionary,

DHW