Whereas "preachers" like Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson do their best to
perpetuate racial strife (in order to keep them in the spotlight and to
avoid having to get a real job in my humble opinion) I find it refre****ng
and encouraging that someone like Barry Robinson actually preaches for
solutions to end racism once and for all. Personally I believe Barry
Robinson is closer to the ideals Dr. Martin Luther King espoused rather
than
the two perpetuators of strife I reluctantly mentioned beforehand. And for
whatever it's worth, he mentions Wayne County, Mississippi in this sermon
which is where I grew up during my teenage years in the 1970s and frankly
racism was indeed prevalent in that extreme rural Mississippi County.
Regardless, I urge my Christian brethren to read this insightful and
relevant sermon. I found it encouraging and I hope you find it encouraging
as well.
May God bless,
Carl
my website -- http://www.nettally.com/saints/
my blog -- http://www.anniemayhem.com/cgi-bin/wordpress/
---
Mississippi's Greatest Sin
by Barry Robinson
1 Corinthians 14:8 says, "If the trumpet does not sound a clear call, who
will get ready for battle?" The church has been given the responsibility
to
boldly trumpet God's truth so that are society has an understanding of
what
is right and what is wrong. One of the reasons we have such moral chaos in
our society today is because the church has muted its trumpet.primarily
because the church has wimped out. We have refused to take a stand on
controversial issues and have neglected to proclaim God's truth as
revealed
in His word. Sometimes the truth is not popular, and sometimes the truth
hurts but nonetheless the church needs to stand up and speak out on these
moral issues. We have attempted to do that these past couple of weeks. We
have covered such topics as abortion and homo***uality, but this morning
we
come to a topic which I consider to be our state's greatest sin.no its not
gambling nor is it that the Bulldogs beat the Kentucky Wildcats in the '96
SEC college basketball champion****p game (although that comes close). No
the
sin that I am talking about is the sin of racism. The idea that one race
is
somehow superior to another simply because they are of a different color.
My first encounter with true racism came when I entered the sixth grade.
My
Dad had just retired from the military and he took a job in Greenville MS.
Since my brother, sister and I were all military brats, we had grown up in
primarily D.O.D. schools, where the cl***** were always intergraded and we
never knew much about racism at all, but that all changed when we got to
Greenville. The town itself was literally separated by a set of railroad
tracks, with one side being the black side of town and the other side the
white side. The first day of school, we went to a public school there and
I
was called for the first time in my life a Cracker. I had no idea what
that
meant but I knew it wasn't nice. My brother and I got off pretty easy, but
my sister was picked on the whole day and came home crying in tears. The
next day my dad took us to the school and told the principal there that he
was withdrawing all three of us, and then he told her that all that he had
taught his kids about not being racist her school had managed to undo in
one
day. The next day my dad enrolled us at the Christian school that was
right
behind our house, and there we found that the people were just as racist.
Although my Dad had a great paying job there, he quit and moved his family
back to his hometown primarily to avoid that racism, although we found it
to
be in Kentucky as well.
The problem of racism is as old as the history of man. In Exodus 1 the
Egyptians feared that the Israelites were growing to numerous and would
take
over, so they turned them into their slaves. 400 years later, after the
Israelites were freed from their bondage, they felt superior to all other
nations because they were God's chosen people. In Numbers 12, Moses
married
an Ethiopian woman who was more than likely black and Miriam and Aaron
opposed him because of it so Miriam was stricken by God with leprosy.
When we come to the New Testament, we see that racism still existed
between
the Jews and the Gentiles, bet was primarily strong between the Jewish
people and the Samaritans. Our text said that the Jews did not associate
with the Samaritans.
John 4:4 says, "Now he had to go through Samaria." Now most Jews would
have
avoided Samaria had any cost. But Jesus had to go there. The Samaritans
were
a mixed race, part Jew and part Gentile, that grew out of the Assyrian
captivity of the ten northern tribes in about 727 B.C. So intense was the
Jewish dislike of the Samaritans that some of the Pharisees actually
prayed
that no Samaritan would be raised in the resurrection! In John 8:48, When
His enemies wanted to call Jesus an insulting name, they called Him a
Samaritan. The Jews felt superior and looked down upon the Samaritans so
in
return the Samaritans reciprocated those feelings of racism of the Jews so
that the hatred was mutual. Now doesn't that sound arrogant and
ignorant.but
also doesn't sound familiar?
In an interview with Diane Sawyer on "Primetime Live" Billy Graham was
asked, "If you could wave your hand and make one problem in this world go
away, what would it be?" And without pausing for breath, he said, "Racial
division and strife."
Racism is a problem that exist all over the world but here in the U.S. it
is
primarily but not limited to a black and white issue. The U.S. has a jaded
history when it comes to this issue, from the issue of slavery to
segregation, to the Jim Crow laws, and even though great strides have been
made in civil rights legislation, racism still exists today in various
forms.
A number of months ago I participated in a funeral, and one of the other
officials offered me a ride to the graveside service, and while we rode in
the car he took it upon himself to inform me that all blacks wanted
welfare
checks and that there wasn't one good black preacher in all of Wayne
County.
That they were all crooks. Now I happen to know some mighty fine black
preachers in Wayne County, and I did my best to control my temper.I would
have hated to have got into a fight on my way to conduct a committal. Try
explaining that one to the family. But it goes to sow you it still exists
to
day.
Now there are some who try to use racism for all its worth. Politicians
will
often play the race card to garner votes. Others use it as an excuse for
bad
behavior. A couple of weeks back, wide receiver for the San Francisco
49ers
Terrell Owens upset a lot of people when he scored a touchdown, and then
celebrated by pulling a sharpie pen out of his sock and autographing the
ball right there in the end zone and then giving the ball to his financial
advisor. When he was criticized the next week for his action, he said that
the criticism was in reality racism. He said, "You have a white guy as an
announcer and a s****tscaster. Me, I'm black and we are more expressive
than
the white guys."
Now often white people will see something like that and will say that the
black community is overreacting.calling everything racist. But racism or
even just the perception of racism is still one of the nation's deepest
problems.
One book that has really helped me with this issue is a book that I read
this week entitled "Breaking Down Walls" and in the book the authors
describe the different ways that racism is defined. When Whites use the
word
racism for only extreme cir***stances, such as the Ku Klux Klan or the
skinheads, but the black community's definition of the word racism covers
a
very broad spectrum. And any action on the part of whites that is
different
because it is directed toward a black person, or any action that lessons a
black person's ability is racist. For example , to assume that a black man
wearing surgical scrubs and walking through a hospital corridor is an
orderly and not a doctor, to the black community that would be racist. Now
you might say, I don't understand how a person can be that sensitive.well
try to.
One of the great things about Jesus was that He knew what was in the heart
of man, and we need to try to understand what is in the heart of man, and
then be empathetic to that person. You might remember the uproar that was
caused in the 92 presidential election when Ross P***** addressed a black
crowd as "You people." To him it was nothing but to the crowd it appeared
that he was talking down to them. Try to understand how the shoe would
feel
on the other foot. A good example of this is an experience of mine when
our
high school wrestling team was traveling home from a tournament, and as
usual we all gathered at the back of the bus and one of my friends Robby
Higdon started telling jokes, and he told a joke that really belittled all
blacks, and another wrestler David McCann was there who happened to be one
of the only two black persons on the bus became furious.and Robby couldn't
understand why.nor did he try to. To him it was a funny joke, but to David
it was a racial taunt.
So what are the underlying causes of racism. There are many but let's look
at a few. The first cause is parental influence. Racism is a learned
behavior above all else. A baby doesn't come out saying let's go shave our
head and burn a cross, no someone has to teach them. And it doesn't have
to
be that extreme either. Kids are so innocent and loving, but they can by
parents be turned into racial bigots. I remember a person from our church
telling me about the time the saw a little kid point to a woman at
Wal-Mart
and say, "Mom look it's a n..r." Now that must have been humiliating for
the
woman who was called that name, as well for the mother, but the child
picked
the name up from someone. So what are you teaching your kids this morning,
that Jesus loves the little children all the little children of the world,
or only those who look like we do. Or on the other side, "Don't trust the
man, he's out to get you. They're all racist and you can't trust the first
one." And many kids are being programmed from home to be a bigot.
Many of you were raised that way, and you might say, "well, that's the way
I
was raised and I can't help it." You've been programmed that way, but as a
Christian.reprogram your thinking. Take a look at this world through the
eyes of Christ, and what do you see. You see that disciples who were
raised
to hate Samaritans saw a less than worthy woman at the well, but Jesus saw
a
person who mattered to God. Reprogram your mind to think like Christ. To
see
people like He sees them.
The second cause of racism is fear. Proverbs 29:25 says, "Fear of man will
prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is kept safe." And we
tend to fear that which we don't understand or that which is different
than
us. And you'll hear people say, "They're taking over. They're taking all
of
our jobs," or "There trying to hold us down, take away our rights." and we
get so caught up in the fear that we never look beyond the skin color to
see
the man. And when we do that we fall victim to stereotyping a person. Even
before we know them, we judge them. He's black. He must be lazy, on dope,
on
welfare and a burden to society. He's white. He must be a racist bigot who
wants to do away with everyone else. And he can't jump nor dance. That's
prejudice. You've prejudged the person before you even know them.
But the third reason and the main reason is that it's in our sinful
nature.
James 4:1 says, "What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they
come
from your desires that battle within you?" It's in our sinful nature to
want
to say that we are better than someone else, to feel superior. To find one
way to look down on someone else and at the same time build ourselves up.
Galatians 6:3 says, "If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing,
he
deceives himself." Bottom line is this. Racism is sinful. Dr, Tony Evans
is
a wonderful pastor once said, "Racism is not a bad habit, it is not a
mistake, it is a sin. And the answer is not sociology but it is theology."
And we as a church should be setting the example for this world.
So what should our response be to racism. First, we must confess our sin.
We
often don't think of ourselves as being racist, but the truth is that in
one
form or another we all are.yet that is still no excuse. Raleigh Wa****ngton
is a black preacher in Chicago who preaches at a racially mixed church,
and
he said that racism is not a matter of skin, but of sin.and when he said
that he was addressing the black community. You see, racism exist on both
sides, and that's why its so im****tant for both parties to come to the
table, and confess their sins. A while back, Sonny Shaw of our church made
my day when he told me about his racist views, and how one night the Lord
really convicted him of those views, so he laid them all out on the altar.
That's what we all need to do. To come before God and confess our sins,
and
He will forgive us of all our unrighteousness.
Next we need to recognize that reconciliation is God's will. Jesus had to
go
through Samaria, why? Because the Samaritans mattered to God. You see,
Jesus
not only came to reconcile man to God, but also to reconcile us to each
other. Jesus said that the world will know that we are His disciples if we
love one another. Now do you think He meant, only those of the same color?
I
don't think so.
I want to give you a view scriptures here. In Acts 10:34 Peter sees that
Gentiles were to be included in the church. It reads, "Then Peter began to
speak: "I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but
accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right." The next
one is Galatians 3:28 reads, 'There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor
free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." Now there are
many more, but the point is that we are one body.one church and Sunday
morning should not be the most segregated hour of the week.
You know Heaven isn't going to be segregated. We are told that people from
all tribes and nations will be there, and we often pray "You're Kingdom
come, You're will be done on earth as it is in Heaven." So let's get
started. I understand that many of you refuse to go to cluster events
because of the involvement of the black Methodist churches in Wayne
County.
Well, if you won't sing with them on earth how then do you suppose to sing
with them in Heaven? Will there be a black choir and a white choir and a
Mexican choir and a Asian choir? Of course not. And think about how the
secular world, who is so eagerly trying to achieve racial unity would
react
when they see Christians coming together of all nations and tribes, and of
all colors and races.what a testimony to the love of Christ and the
fellow****p of His disciples.
And lastly, build Positive relation****ps. Jesus just didn't say to this
Samaritan woman, "hey." He struck up a conversation, got to know her,
spent
time there, in fact it says He spent two days there. He took the time to
build the relation****p. Now this is hard for many of you. Whites are tired
of being labeled a racist, blacks are tired of racism and being treated
different, and everybody is bitter, but Ephesians 4:31 tells us to "Get
rid
of all bitterness". We need to forgive each other and forgive our past
failures and injustices and be reconciled to each other and to God.
I love the story in the Old Testament of Joseph. He was sold into slavery
by
his brothers, then rose to power, but when the op****tunity arose to punish
his brothers he refused, and instead showed grace and welcomed them into
the
land saying, "What you meant for harm, God meant for good." And Joseph was
reconciled to his brothers.
Now some of you might say, "I have a right to be bitter! I was a victim of
racism, or I was called a racist. I have a right to be bitter." And you
very
well may, but you know what, when you became a Christian, you laid down
your
rights and surrendered them to Christ. The bible says that Love keeps no
record of wrong doing. So don't play the race card, play the grace card.
Many of you might remember what it was like when the schools first became
intergraded and bussing was used to do this. In many areas, national
guardsman were called in to keep the peace on the school buses. One mother
during this time sent her 1st grade daughter to school on such a bus, and
when the girl got home, she told her mom, "Mom, I sat next to a black girl
on the bus today." Her mom not really knowing what to expect asked, "Well,
how'd it go?" She said, "We were both so scared, we just held hands the
whole time." This world is a scary place, and we need all Christians to
come
together and hold hands and pray.this is not a time to be divided.
One of the most remarkable services I have ever attended was a service
that
was not only intergraded, but also had many denominations represented.
Halfway through the service, a black Pentecostal preacher got up and told
everybody to stand and turn to the person next to you and hold hands.now
this was new to a Methodist.but I turned and I was holding hands with AME2
Adams, a black man onboard our ****p, and as we were told to sing this
song,
"The Jesus in me loves the Jesus in you, and the Jesus in you loves the
Jesus in me." And he was really dancing to it to. Then the song goes,
"It's
so easy, it's so easy to love one another." And I remember thinking, what
could make a white Methodist hold hands and love a black Pentecostal
man.simple. The Jesus in me loves the Jesus in you, regardless of the
color
of your skin. As it should be.
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