This house is falling... or is it? (Part 2)

If you haven't already done so, I suggest that you read yesterday's post here first before continuing with this article.

I’m on a roll now, so let’s not stop there. Harry R. Jackson, Jr. wrote a thought-provoking article in the same issue of Charisma magazine titled, “The Changing Black Vote.” Historically, black people have largely voted Democrat as opposed to Republican. This is in large part due to the fact that the Democratic Party seemed more humane and more committed to helping remove the ‘burden’ from the backs of black families. The ‘politics’ of Christianity have taken on an almost ‘comical’ expression that would suggest that to be Christian is to be Republican… if you’re white. On the other hand, to be Christian is to be Democrat, if you’re black. Since Obama’s historic nomination as Presidential Candidate for the Democratic Party, there has been a groundswell of support among blacks (including Christians) across the globe, primarily because America has taken strides towards potentially electing her first black president. Recently, in keeping with this trend of unquestioning support, Nigeria’s beleaguered Director General of the Nigeria Stock Exchange (NSE), Ndidi Okereke, foolishly embarked on a fund-raising campaign for Obama, to help elect him into the office of President of the U.S.A. (I should state here that Obama’s campaign has strongly denounced any connection with Ms. Okereke, or indeed any need for her funds or any other assistance). She did all of this while serving in a highly sensitive, financially related, appointed office in Nigeria. Impartial? Hardly so. Such foolishness portends nothing good for a nation that needs to take an impartial observer status in the politics of the USA. It would appear however, that, many of us have thrown all caution to the wind, and placed our brains on temporary hiatus, simply so that a black man can be elected president. Sadly, any issues that would seem to compromise our values as Christians are swiftly relegated to the back seat of common sense. Apparently it is more important to put a black man in the White House than it is to uphold our Christian values. Hear what Jackson has to say about this:

“I am deeply troubled by the pro-abortion, pro-gay marriage, tax-and-spend policies of the Democrats. And a lot of people in our community feel as I do. Consequently, there is a new dynamic in our midst: a new surge of African American political activism with strong conservative roots—a movement that is drawing its energy from the conservative moral values of the new black church.”

D. L. Foster also added his voice to the conversation when he stated in his Charisma magazine article;

“Equally alarming is the way black churches have opened their pulpits to Obama despite his embrace of homosexuality…. While delivering a speech at a church event honoring Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday, Obama chided the black community for not embracing homosexuals. He later called Romans 1 an “obscure passage” that had no bearing on Christian beliefs concerning same –sex relationships….Granted, Obama is at the center of an unprecedented moment in U.S. history. But do we as black Christians put our beliefs on the back burner just to get an African-American in the Oval Office? In the last several years we’ve seen the advance of gay rights lead to the suppression of religious liberty. Increasingly, believing that homosexuality is a sin is being equated with bigotry.”

Foster precedes his summation with the story of a United Methodist pastor in Houston who, having endorsed Obama, faced criticism from homosexual activists for having an “overcoming ministry” listed on his church’s website. The pastor informed the gay activists that “he didn’t know his church operated such an outreach.” He later told a political website “[name of ministry] is not a ministry of the church. It is not supported financially by the church. It is not located at the church. That is pretty much where I am with it.” According to the article, the ministry has since been “scrubbed” from the church’s website. I'll conclude this series tomorrow. Meanwhile, remember that we have an enemy that isn't flesh and blood, and the means of our warfare is spiritual not physical.