Lament: Wright Beats Wrong

Lament: Wright Beats Wrong: “Not God BLESS America, God DAMN America!” – Rev. Dr.  Jeremiah A. Wright Mr. Ricketts and other conservatives, hell bent on ...

Wright Beats Wrong

“Not God BLESS America, God DAMN America!”

– Rev. Dr.  Jeremiah A. Wright

Mr. Ricketts and other conservatives, hell bent on making President Obama a one term president, want to turn the clock back four years and essentially put the Black Church back on “front street” by reminding America (mostly white America) that evil continues to lurk in the hearts of all Black people as manifested in those 6000 people plus a president, that would dare follow the teachings of a distinguished Black theologian such as Jeremiah Wright. The only advice I have for him is this, “it did not work then and it will not work now!”

Certainly it comes as no surprise that the 2012 presidential campaign season has begun in earnest now that former Governor Mitt Romney has all but officially been declared the GOP endorsed candidate to face President Barak Obama in the November election. It should also be expected that the two sides will employ every possible tactic (both positive and negative) to expose their opponent’s shortcomings and character flaws in and effort to distract the public from seeing their own weaknesses and vulnerabilities. 

But what has caught me and over a million other Americans from both sides of the divide, completely off-guard is the recent revelation that the most conservative wing of the GOP, via the super PAC Ending Spending Action Fund (ESAF), had planned to spend more than 10 million dollars on an advertising campaign that would resurrect the Rev. Jeremiah Wright reminding the voters of the relationship between the President and his former Pastor.

Then, to add insult to injury, the chief backer and 10 million dollar contributor of this proposed schemes turns out to be Chicago’s very own (by way of Nebraska) Joe  Ricketts, a major player with the Chicago Cubs organization and ultra-conservative billionaire businessman. Not only has this latest news destroyed any hope I might have had about not seeing my blood pressure rise daily with the political lobs and distorted records of two men I now respect, but given Mr. Ricketts relationship with my favorite baseball team, I can’t see how I can ever enter the “friendly confines of Wrigley Field” without thinking that my admission dollars could be supporting the race baiting, Black Theology hating, anti-Christian promoting, fear mongering politics of hatred being used to turn people against President Obama.

If it were possible to put politics aside, this issue raises several significant questions for me. As an African American Pastor, person of deep faith, former member of Trinity United Church of Christ, and as one that faced his own controversial scandal when I came out about my sexual orientation to my African-American Baptist congregation, I am left to wonder “Are we our Pastor’s Keeper?” 

President Obama did not create Black Theology, but rather it has emerged as an opportunity for Black people to reflect theologically about our day to day struggles of living in these yet to be called United States of America. Rev. Wright, like many Black preachers was articulating the view that America, with all of its blessings, gifts and liberties, is no more exempt from its role in creating world problems as it is in creating solutions to those problems. Can it be implied that the views of the Pastor represent the views of every member of the congregation every Sunday? The underlying issue in the Rev. Wright controversy is that White America actually became witness to what happens in many Black churches each Sunday. 

Black Theology is powerful and is best understood, not in the context of what White people want to hear, but as a means to empower, enlighten and energize those that have been historically downtrodden and excluded, providing a spiritual context for world events in language that Black people not only understand but can apply to our daily lives.

While I in no way purport to be a baseball expert, I have watched enough games to know that how a player starts the game sets the tone for the remaining nine innings. It is unfortunate that the political right, in their opening pitch, has chosen to put such a strong negative spin to the ball. Why start a new campaign season with the same divisive tactics that assisted you in a losing season four years ago? This is the reason why the starting pitcher cannot open two consecutive games. It’s good that Mr. Ricketts and his 10 million dollar bull pin are rethinking their game plan and realize that Americans, even the ones still struggling to accept the leadership of an African-American Commander-In-Chief, want to watch a fair game. Why not let those on the field play and leave the race baiting, hate provoking strategies in the Peanut Gallery.

Lament: Obama on the DL

Lament: Obama on the DL: "The only way to get equality is for two people to get the same thing at the same time at the same place.”        –   Thurgood Marshall   ...

Obama on the DL

"The only way to get equality is for two people to get the same thing at the same time at the same place.”      – Thurgood Marshall                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

As I think about the recent scuttle-butt surrounding comments Vice President Biden made regarding his position on same-sex marriage, I am reminded of the sassy retort that was often used on the streets and playgrounds growing up in my mostly African-American community in Colorado Springs “My mama didn’t raise no fool!” This line was used when someone tried to make you believe something that was obviously false or to thwart a plan that would set you up to make a fool of yourself in public.

This childhood scene immediately came to mind on the heels of Biden’s saying during a recent taping of Meet the Press, “I am absolutely comfortable with the fact that men marrying men, women marrying women, and heterosexual men and women marrying another are entitled to the same rights.” This simple statement created a political fire-storm regarding whether or not President Obama would soon come out in favor of same-sex marriage during the 2012 Presidential Campaign. There are some who believe that it was a vice presidential gaff that has put Obama in a precarious spot and will force his hand on a decision while others believe it was a well planned and executed move to prepare the public for Obama’s eventual “about-face” on the issue and his presidential endorsement of same-sex unions.

While this subject has once again captivated the media and all the pundits, I can end the debate with one simple assertion that “Mama Obama didn’t raise no fool!” Come on now people, someone as smart, tactical and articulate as President Obama would never allow any member of his team to make such a bold statement with out a bigger purpose at work.

 

It was also no coincidence that less than 24 hours after Biden’s statement, Secretary of Education, Arnie Duncan, goes on television and makes a similar statement of support for gay marriage! Unless there has been a complete and utter breakdown in President Obama’s ability to manage his staff (which is highly unlikely) the only other conclusion is that our Commander-In-Chief is ready to “come out” and support marriage in all of its various configurations. 

Before celebrating his finding the pot of gold at the end of this political rainbow, the question has to be addressed why he was on the “down-low” (DL) in the first place?  I think the answer to that question is simple. The only way for “Candidate Obama” to become “Second Term President Obama” is to make good on his promise to one of his largest voting bases he has and that is the LGBTQ community. Everyone knows that once he is set for four more years, he will be free to “set the captives free” and come out on a number of issues but specifically, equal rights and same-sex marriage.

It is incomprehensible for me to believe that the same man who brought hope, vision and a “yes we can” attitude to the White House; the same man that ended “Don’t Ask/Don’t Tell” in the military; and the same man that everyday demonstrates the enormous weight of being the First African-American President, to now say “no we can’t” as a nation guarantees justice and equality for all. Biden and Duncan have only prepped the closet door to be flung open as our President comes out and does what he knows to be right for this one nation, under God. Congratulations, Mr. President!

Black While Hooded

 “One of the burdens of being a black male is carrying the heavy weight of other people’s suspicions.” J. Capehart, Washington Post

"I live here! I am Benjamin from the third floor," I screamed as I was beaten down to the floor.


It was Saturday, December 16, 2011, amidst the crowded streets of holiday lights and party goers looking to celebrate the season with friends and family, a dark skinned African-American male was spotted gaining entry into a secure north side condominium complex where the units are estimated to be more than a half million dollars. Residents sleep secure knowing the building is adequately protected by the latest technology and neighbors are ever vigilant in keeping their eyes open for any strange and unusual behavior.

On this weekend night, less than a week away from Christmas the building was full of guests waiting to be rung into the building and residents coming and going unaware of the Black gentleman in the lobby that seemed curiously out of place in this particular building. He was dressed for the weather and wearing a hooded sweatshirt that obscured his face from full view.  On the other hand, with a warm smile and proper greeting, he appeared to be pleasant and courteous enough to be given the benefit of the doubt amongst the expectant guests waiting at the locked security door.

Josh was excited to get his annual holiday bash started and decided to personally go down to the lobby and welcome his guests as opposed to ringing them in via his home telephone which is connected to the state of the art building security system. As he happily approached the transparent glass doors where he recognized the beaming faces of his dearest friends, he immediately noticed the dark faced man hiding in his hood amongst his cheery cheeked friends bearing pretty wrapped packages and poorly disguised bottles of wine and Champaign. Josh knew that his building was a target for burglary and vandalism given the uneven demographics of the neighborhood, especially those areas yet to be properly gentrified by the wave of incoming young urban professionals and latter career execs who used city living to exorcize their mid-life suburban crisis. Josh also knew that not all the members of his waiting party was in the building to celebrate the season.

 

With the stage set and the script already written, Josh meticulously opens the door in a way that allows all of those that belong in the building through the door, but when the apparent stranger tries to enter with the arrogance of a dues paying homeowner, Josh immediately launches into action and confronts the stranger by saying “Not you!” As the stranger attempts to claim residency in the building, Josh confidently replies back “Who the fuck are you!” and acting on his instincts, shoves the perceived interloper in the chest, knocking him down to the ground while his guests gasp in horror and surprise at the aggressive actions of their otherwise mild mannered friend and young father. The look in their eyes communicated how unbelievable this entire scene was which was unfolding quickly, but seemingly in slow motion, before them.

 

So lost in the moment was Josh and his visitors that they almost failed to hear the Black man scream as he was falling “Josh, I live here! I am Benjamin from the third floor.”

Stand Your Ground

“On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand—all other ground is sinking sand, all other ground is sinking ground.” 

 

The old American adage of crime and punishment which believes that justice is only served when we apply literally the biblical passage, “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth,” will eventually leave us all blind, toothless and even further removed from God.

All over the country countless individuals are ‘standing their ground’ in protest against the killing of Trayvon Martin, a 17-year old African American in Sanford, Florida. These protests are calling for the arrest of George Zimmerman, a white Hispanic, who claims he acted in self-defense, using Florida’s “Stand Your Ground Law” as justification in killing the young teen. But the burning question for me seems to be “On whose ground was Mr. Zimmerman standing?”

The “Stand Your Ground Law” was passed in 21 states, to include Florida, in the last few years giving persons the benefit of the doubt for killing if it is self-defense. But in order for one to stand one’s ground, one must be sure that they have a ground on which to stand. The reality is, with such a law on the books one would almost have to be attacked or shot or knifed before they could claim self-defense against another individual. This is further complicated by the fact that when the law is applied, there is usually only one victim left to justify the killing because “dead men tell no tales.”

Mr. Zimmerman, a member of a neighborhood watch patrol in this middle-class gated Florida community explains his actions by saying Mr. Martin looked suspicious and out of character in this particular neighborhood because of his attire. Apparently, Trayvon was wearing a hooded shirt often referred to as a hoodie! But what is even more disturbing in this particular case is that when the police arrived on the scene, at no time did they restrain or treat Mr. Zimmerman like a suspect in a homicide. As a matter of fact after brief questioning on the scene Mr.Zimmerman was free to go and to this date has not been detained or faced any consequences as a suspect in the shooting.

In essence, a 17 year old African-American “man-child” was killed simply because of what he was wearing and the perception it created for an overzealous neighborhood white-Hispanic vigilante who was warned by the 911 operator not to pursue the youth. The writing staff of Law and Order could not have created a better script to illustrate all that is wrong in society today!  

Just because a person looks a certain way, behaves or has a certain look is not a license to attack and kill. The code language that has developed when we think someone is out to inflict harm is that the person “had a suspicious look.” In many cases the look is African American, young and male.  On Wednesday evening a Million Hoodie March was held in New York, and the participants donned sweatshirt hoodies in solidarity to putting an end to racial profiling and supporting the arrest and filing of charges against the white-Hispanic Zimmerman. 

Closer to home in Chicago last weekend, amidst spring-like temperatures, 49 people were shot resulting in 10 deaths from gun violence. All of humanity is at risk here, our communities are unsafe and states like Florida are responsible for creating laws that continue to perpetuate suspicion and distrust of our neighbors and fellow citizens. After all, justice is only served when there are plucked eyes and pulled teeth. 

Of course, these are not isolated cases and certainly not limited to Sanford, Florida or Chicago, Illinois. All over the country individuals are ‘standing their ground’. In fact, the real ground that we should be standing on comes in the words of Trayvon’s mother, Sybrina Fulton as she talks of her sons killing during the New York protest, “This is not a black and white thing—this is about a right or wrong thing.” 

As a person of deep faith, doing what is right over what is wrong is always rock-solid ground on which we can all stand. May each of us seek to stand on such ground, and in so doing draw us closer to each other and to God. Amen.

Photos of Trayvon Martin

War is HELL?

 “Everybody talkin' 'bout heav'n ain't goin' there…” -Spirituals as expressions of protest

Lament: Christ and the Missionary Position

Lament: Christ and the Missionary Position:   “Nobody dies from a lack of sex. It’s a lack of love we die from.”  -Anonymous  The body of Christ, the church, whose mission is t...

Christ and the Missionary Position

 “Nobody dies from a lack of sex. It’s a lack of love we die from.” -Anonymous 

The body of Christ, the church, whose mission is to be an agent of healing in the world, is in need of its own healing—sexual healing.

While sexuality is one of the hottest topics in our society, whether it’s concerning too much sex on television, if sex education should exist within the classroom, or the genetic engineering to pre-determine the gender or sex of an unborn child; it seems that it rarely comes up in the church. The only exception, quite often is when it is aimed at demonizing homosexuals during the quarterly gay bashing sermon. Then we spend an inordinate amount of time talking about the “sin” of sex and sexuality rather than talking about the importance of the body of Christ liberating itself and others to a deeper understanding of the intersection of spirituality and sexuality. This synergy brings strength to developing responsible and healthy sexual relationships and practices with one another.

During the Last Supper, Christ says to his disciples, “This is my body…” Perhaps this was one of Christ’s ways of opening up conversations with us about our own bodies. By pointing to his body, he infers that we can pay attention to our bodies; our eating, drinking, urinating, defecating, sexual, sensual, erotic and messy bodies. When we own and embrace our bodies, in all of its beauty and fullness—including the sexual, pleasurable, and sensual—our bodies become precious receptacles for God’s revelation and healing.

Some have suggested that we in the church are “erotic-phobic”. As people of faith we are fearful of eros, (the human yearning for sexual love and desire) with its sensual and sexual aspects. Yet, the Bible contains a book, the Song of Songs/Solomon that is visually vivid in its descriptions of the human form and how spiritually sensual the acknowledgement of the body can be.

Pope John Paul II even speaks of the way in which the lovers in the Song provide a true and liberating vision of the love that results when men and women allow the divine fire of agape to penetrate and permeate eros. Of course I believe, and have personally experienced, that God also allows that same desire to be experienced, not only amongst heterosexuals, but also same sex-couples. Love is not exclusive to heterosexuals, despite what we may have been taught which privileges heterosexuals and it oppresses homosexuals.

Eroticism, at its best, is where we learn that pleasure, whether hetero or homo, can be holy. The burden of responsible humanity is to acknowledge that while sex is good, it is not God. Erotic expression is personal and interpersonal, but not a private affair because our bodies do not belong to us, but rather we are stewards of our erotic power, gifted to us by the Creator.

In their new and controversial book, Real Marriage: The Truth about Sex, Friendship, and Life Together Mark and Grace Driscoll openly share how they have struggled in their marriage and how they have found healing through the only reliable source: The Bible.

While there are many that feel the book is yet another example of how a man, who was not having enough sex, uses the Bible (and the Songs of Songs) to influence his wife into changing her attitudes and behaviors, to meet his needs; it does openly address the role of sensuality and sexual expression between a married man and woman who claim Christianity and are committed to each other in both bond and spirit.

I reject, however, their definition and assertion that those two people have to be both a man and a woman and married. Good grief, can’t we all enjoy the love that God grants us through the body?  It is the mandate of the church to make love! When was the last time you made love in your church or at the very least learned how to?

Maybe more churches need to sing out of the Erotic Theologian, Marvin Gaye’s song book and recognize that Sexual Healing is something that’s good for... all those in body of Christ.

Lament: How Gay can become the new Black

Lament: How Gay can become the new Black: "When black church leaders fail to recognize the everyday, ordinary existence of African American gays and lesbians in the church and t...

How Gay can become the new Black

 "When black church leaders fail to recognize the everyday, ordinary existence of African American gays and lesbians in the church and the community, at work and play, in family life and in the pews, they vitiate the forms of generative care and creativity that same-sex loving members cultivate in the black cultural life and in the black church.” -Victor Anderson

Maryland has become the 8^thstate in the U.S. to legalize gay marriage. Marriage equality is clearly moving forward in civil society. Is the Black Church going to move forward as well? There are signs, as Vanderbilt Ethicist Victor Anderson observes, that it may not.


If the Black Church continues to actively oppose marriage equality, can it continue to claim “All are welcome in God’s house” as church banners often proclaim. These banners are deceptive, because there is “fine print” that’s not even written on the banner, but part of the practice. The hidden print reads, “welcome includes adulterer, ex-convict, drug user/abuser, prostitute, thief, murderer, and all other children of God EXCEPT for gays and lesbians!”


Who could imagine that when the Apostle Paul, in Romans, asks the question, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ,” it could be the Church, and certainly the Black Church, given the history of our own oppression in this country, to be the institution separating some from the love of Christ. But that is often the state of things today.


In the Black Church it seems that one can be almost anything and accepted, as long as you are not an avowed homosexual. In 2006, after serving a Baptist congregation for more than 15-years, I resigned and came out. After I spoke truth to the congregation, a well-respected deacon approached me and said, “Pastor, I always knew you were gay, but I am mad as hell you told us!” Gay pastor seeks wholeness Since that time I was completely cut-off from that congregation.


I acknowledge that the Black church is not a monolithic institution and there are several Black Churches who are working hard to address oppression as it relates to its LGBT population. But a majority of African American church leaders are not willing to extend the liberties of civil rights to their LGBT congregants. Those same brothers and sisters that faithfully come to church, support it with their tithes and offering each week, serve the congregation’s committees and ministries, sing in choirs, teach Sunday school and sit attentively in the pews like others seeking the face of God for themselves.


The Black Church gets in its own way! The very cycle of naming and blaming marginalized people for causing their own misfortunes, discrimination and sense of worthlessness are the same tactics used to justify the mistreatment and institutionalized racism against Black people not so long ago in the United States. The saddest fact of all is that in both cases, the Bible has been the chief weapon used to justify why it is okay to believe that All humankind are NOT created equally and therefore should be limited in their access to fair treatment and respect, both in and outside of the church!

Led by the example of Jesus, the Black Church is called to be a witness and an offering to people of all backgrounds, which must include people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender. This is how gay can become the new Black. There can be no real freedom until we are all free.  In order to offer empowerment and wholeness to all the people we serve, the Black Church must understand its position toward sexuality and homosexuality in terms of the ministry of Jesus, who’s Holy Spirit offers us freedom from the social boundaries and stereotypes that limit our experience as human beings.


When we decide that we are committed to the struggle for the freedom and rights of all persons in community, then we will better understand the double oppression of African American gays and lesbians in a racist and heterosexist culture.  By denying and/or condemning the issue of homosexuality in the Black Church, we are failing to minister to a significant portion of our people.


While the spotlight in Maryland may well be on the Black Church, and as Black America stands at the precipice, given the ills that plague our community, may we add to the litany of our concerns our prophetic claims as the Black Church and community for the next generation of LGBT people that are growing among us?

Gospel According to MD

“I apologize for participating in this conspiracy of silence.”

–Rev. Delman Coates, 2012

As a Black/male/Christian/gay/preacher/pastor, what I find most frustrating is that many Black congregations were places of refuge and safety from the violence and mistreatment done to African American people during Jim Crow and our struggle for civil rights.  Both of which I might add, were opposed by the white majority on the belief that God did not create all men and women equal—and they used the Bible to justify that position.  Of course, now, you cannot find one Black congregation that would accept such tenets.  We condemn slavery, as well as the separation of races and consider them to be great evils. Yet, these historical precedents are no different than the experiences LGBT people face in our society today.

The Bible, as I teach and preach from it, is not meant to be God, but to lead people into relationship with God. Unfortunately, in the traditional African-American church, it has morphed into the single largest weapon used to keep LGBT men and women from living before God whole and fully human.

In a recent article published in the Washington Post, a prominent African-American Maryland  pastor, Delman Coates of Mount Enon Baptist Church, spoke up then out in support of the Same Sex Marriage Bill in his home state. Coates is quoted as saying, “Gays and lesbians are a part of our communities, they are a part of our families, [they are] a part of our church families. I believe the church ought to be a place where all people, regardless of their lifestyle, ought to be welcome.”

While Black churches are far from monolithic, and certainly not on this issue, most progressive conversations regarding the right of same gender loving couples to openly acknowledge and affirm their love and relationships in the Church has been silenced. Silenced under the literal interpretations of the Bible and what some think it says about homosexuality, marriage and sin.

To believe that LGBT people are created in the image and likeness of God and worship as such in the historical Black church is not only unlikely but close to impossible. Homophobia in the Black church has outlasted slavery, Jim Crow, the Civil Rights Movement, Don’t Ask-Don’t Tell and even the election of the first African-American President of the United States of America.     

While Coates may not have it totally right, as he wrongly asserts that homosexuality is a “lifestyle” choice, he is headed in the right direction with such a bold and courageous declaration. His statement is more congruent with what it truly means to capture the essence of African religion which is pragmatic, informative and communal—where everyone has a soul and religion permeates all dimensions of our lives and strengthens our humanity.

We, as Black gay men and women, are being characterized as the ‘great evil’, and denied civil and human rights because of biblical [mis]interpretations, based on fear, hate, ignorance and prejudice. How is it that those being most oppressed in society are perceived to have the power necessary to destroy the entire institution of marriage simply because they want to openly affirm their love for their same gendered partner with God’s blessing in the church?

We who claim spirituality, shaped not only by our American history but also by our African past, must become a people willing to engage the Bible not as God but as a pathway to better know a loving God. A puritan morality that gave our community the idea that the only moral sexual position was the “missionary position” has done as much to demean God’s rich gift of sexual expression and the belief that love is God’s gift to all humankind.

Washington Post article, “Speaking out for same-sex marriage law, black minister stands apart”

Back on Top

"Perhaps the whole root of our trouble, the human trouble, is that we will sacrifice all the beauty of our lives, will imprison ourselves in totems, taboos, crosses, blood sacrifices, steeples, mosques, races, armies, flags, nations, in order to deny the fact of death, which is the only fact we have." —James Baldwin Imagine my surprise and disbelief last week when out of the blue I received a text message from a friend asking me if I could confirm the news about Whitney Houston’s passing. No sooner than I turned on the television, did I see the "breaking news" story that singer/actress Whitney Houston was dead at the age of 48. One has to understand that this was not just another celebrity death, but she was an icon of my generation and someone that guided my early adult years with her tremendous vocal talents and stunning beauty. In the days that followed, I struggled, as a person of faith, to find the greater meaning in her short life and sudden death. It was far too easy to blame all of this on her history of drug abuse and poor choices. If life suddenly took everyone who refused to say "no" to drugs and alcohol or chose the wrong partner to marry, the world would be scarcely populated and those left on earth would never be able to reach the high notes that Houston did in so many of her number one hit songs. The larger questions seem to be, in the case of Whitney, if she is of lesser value because of how she died or simply because she is dead? Is death for her the end or the beginning? Or put another way; is death her ultimate punishment or her ultimate healing? The answers to these questions will largely depend on what one believes about death. Good Morning America reported this week that Whitney may be worth more in death than she was while alive. According to experts her estate is set to gross more than 10 million dollars in record sales in these weeks following her passing.

Death, for me, is not the end, but another leg of the journey in life that leads to ultimate healing. Death is the one thing we can surely count on and yet, it is the very thing that we spend our lives trying to avoid. I remain confident as life makes way to death the presence of God was with Houston in life, and continues to be with her through death. We, who remain, are also in the presence of God as we journey through this aspect of life toward our very own death. I am reminded of the words of the Apostle Paul, “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” It is likely that Whitney understood this theological tension regarding the journey of life to death as she belted out that short, yet prophetic rendition of Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah in 1993 with Barbara Walters. One only calls on Jehovah, when one understands the struggles, stresses, and pain that life presents with belief Jehovah will respond to that call.

Tomorrow Whitney’s family will hold a private funeral at the New Hope Baptist Church in New Jersey. This will be their final farewell to a daughter, mother, sister, and friend. In respecting the pain of her family who in death has lost a loved one, all can take comfort in the words from the Apostle Paul who knew death in life, “To be absent from the body, is to be present with the Lord,” which allows Whitney to once again be free and back on top of the only chart that really matters.

Good Morning America report

Barbara Walters Special interview with Whitney Houston

Back Where Taken

Is it just me or does anyone else’s palms get sweaty and heart begins to beat faster when they hear one of the wise men otherwise known as the GOP Presidential Candidates… tell their supporters and the world that we have to “Take Our Country Back” if we are to save this great nation from disaster!  I mean really!  Take it where?  From whom are we taking it?  Who exactly is the “we” that will do the taking? More to the point, who will be taken?  I am not ready to go BACK, and especially until I have these questions answered by someone other than a privileged politician who wants my support!

Coincidentally, just a few weeks ago, the question was posed to me, “Wouldn’t you have loved to live back in the 1950’s?” Of course the answer to that question for me is, “NO!” As an African American male, born in the early 60’s, in the shadows of Jim Crow, segregation and the Civil Rights Movement; the very last thing I want to do is go BACK to a day when Black people were treated as second class citizens waging a fight for equal rights. “Take us back where, where we were taken?”

If their distorted reporting regarding President Obama’s performance as Commander and Chief is to be believed, one would assume we were better off before he came into office in 2008. Sound familiar? The children of Israel suffered from the same plight of romanticizing their former days of captivity, complaining to their leader, Moses, as they wondered around for 40-years in the wilderness; but at least Moses was given time and opportunity to get the people on the road to the Promised Land before they began to whine about their former days. In our country’s case, we hadn’t even stowed the patriotic buntings and memorabilia from our 44^th President’s historic inauguration before critics proclaimed him a “one term president.” Our battle cry for Hope and Change had been swept away as fast as the ticker-tape pieces littering Pennsylvania Avenue.

So while we cannot be certain of what direction the future of this country could or should take, our spiritual minds, coupled with pure common sense must prevent us from believing that our future lies behind in the past.  The problems that the Lot’s ran into in biblical days, was despite God’s call for Lot, his wife, and his family to move to a unknown and unfamiliar place that God would create for them and not look back; Mrs. Lot, like our wise men, held on to romanticized, nostalgic but inaccurate memories of days gone by and made a foolish attempt to revisit, if for only a moment, that place which God was to destroy. In turn, she paid the ultimate price by becoming a pillar of salt. 

Rather than using a contextual frame-work of blue or red state, let us seek to embrace a color, creed or context that propels the yet to be ”United” States of America forward in a progressive and inclusive manner  allowing us to draw on our God-given co-creative abilities to navigate to places yet unchartered but assuredly ahead and not behind us.

The Bigger Game

“We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever effects one directly, affects all indirectly;”


If there is any prophetic truth in the words of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and I tend to believe there are, what say ye, then, as American Airlines plans to eliminate 13,000 workers, or 16% of its workface on the eve of the biggest single sporting event of the year known as the Super Bowl.  What should a football game, with expected revenues to exceed 250 million dollars generating more than 170 million in ad sales for CBS, matter to those airline employees negatively affected by a weak economy and fierce market competition?

With the tragic news of American Airlines, dislocated employees and their families are devastated about an uncertain future and having their livelihoods threatened. While at the same time, thousands of cheering fans and spectators find their way, mostly via air travel, to the Super Bowl game and all of it’s lavish parties, half-time performances, and over-priced memorabilia.  Can this be the network of mutuality Dr. King speaks about?

In the US, we boast of being a great nation, but yet there is strong disconnect between the haves—those who live in extravagance, abundance, lavishness and consumption on an almost obscene scale; and the have-nots—those who have little or nothing and want for more necessity than desire. Perhaps we don’t realize in the midst of this widening gap, poor people like nice things too, but often live lives without the basic resources for existence.  If we want to comfort ourselves with the motto: “In God We Trust,” in a nation that has been rescued from economic collapse, it seems the very least we can do in gratitude to God, is to work toward a more just society by caring for the most vulnerable among us. I become very concerned, and with good reason, when I hear Republican Presidential Candidate, Mitt Romney, say, “I’m not concerned about the very poor we have a safety net there…” I say to Mr. Romney, it is the least of these that we ought to be most concerned. If we are not concerned about them, we are just playing the game that allows the rich to keep getting richer and the poor to become more disenfranchised.

In just a few short days, we will sing America’s Anthem,“The Star Spangled Banner,” and with the flag waving and our hands pressed against our hearts, Super Bowl XLVI, will kickoff.  As the first whistle blows, may it also be an invitation for us to remember, with beer in one hand and remote in the other, the most important goal we must score in the land of the free and the home of the brave, to excogitate opportunities for all of us to thrive together weaving ourselves into a single pattern of destiny where each thread enhances the beauty and texture of the other creating a seamless garment.

Stay tuned

For many years I have been encouraged to become a blogger. Well, stay tuned. It's about to take off!!!