Even "more"

In his book, Obama mentions one of the values of Trinity Church. For Trinity church, their values cross the racial divide and deal with “African American” issues in addition to those commonly associated with the church and Christianity. Whether or not you believe this is right or not you must read on because there is a lesson in this for all of us and it is my hope you can grasp it. Speaking of one of the values from the black value system, Obama writes:

‘A Disavowal of the Pursuit of Middleclassness’, the heading read. ‘While it is permissible to chase middleincomeness with all our might,’ the text stated those blessed with the talent or good fortune to achieve success in the American mainstream must avoid the ‘psychological entrapment of Black middleclassness that hypnotizes the successful brother or sister into believing they are better than the rest and teaches them to think in terms of ‘we’ and ‘they’ instead of ‘US’!’

Let’s face it; we live in an upwardly mobile society. All of us, no matter our skin color and ethnicity, are expected to advance our careers, make more money, and move on up from the local apartment complex to the gated community. It’s this movement from one place to the other that creates division, whether we realize it or not. When was the last time you noticed an apartment complex next to a gated housing community? Unless you live in an advanced suburb where this is possible you probably never have. My point is this; once we move on to a new house in a new neighborhood we remove ourselves from the very people who need our help. For as soon as we move away and seek upward mobility we become surrounded by people who look like us, work like us, and live like us.

I want you to know that I actually agree with Wright on a few points. I agree with Wright in that it is “permissible” to chase middleincomeness (a.k.a. – seek upward mobility). There is nothing wrong with this. In fact, I believe that God is pleased with us as we use our time and talents to the best of our ability. It is not wrong for us to work our tail off and receive the pay and benefits that accompany it. I also agree with Wright, in that the “psychological entrapment” can easily take hold of an individual and family, no matter their skin color and ethnicity, as they seek upward mobility. It is the evolution and the chase of the American dream that cause us to forget those we leave behind. This is what Wright gets at as he compels the “successful brother or sister” to think in communal terms (us) instead of individual terms (we and they).

While Wright might regulate such a claim to the African American community I believe it is an essential value for us all to live by. Let’s not be put off by the focused cultural language, any preconceived perception we have of Wright, or anything else that might adversely affect us missing the point that it is up to all of “us”, not “we” or “they” to be participants in the redemption of our world as we seek to be agents of change, advocates of justice, and ambassadors of love – especially if you call yourself a Christ follower.

Like I said, there is a message in this for all of us.

"More"

If you need and introduction, go here. If not just keep reading.

Just the other night, I read the section in Obama’s book in which Reverend Wright enters the life of Barack Obama. Their first encounter occurred during Obama’s latter years as a community organizer in Chicago. Obama’s first meeting with Wright took place immediately following a meeting Wright had with some bankers regarding the building of a new Sanctuary. The bankers needed to meet with Wright to inform him that a life insurance policy must be in place prior to earning approval for the loan. Apparently, the bankers were under the impression that the church was solely centered around Wright and not God. They felt they needed the policy to be in place to insure their investment. Upon hearing all of this, Obama asked Wright “is it true?” Reverend Wright shook his head.

“I’m not the church, Barack. If I die tomorrow, I hope the congregation will give me a decent burial. I like to think a few tears will be shed. But as soon as I’m six feet under, they’ll be right back on the case, figuring out how to make this church live up to its mission.”

Now, whether or not this was and is the case we do not know. However, according to the author of the book and the President of the United States the statement is an actual fact.

I point this out because I believe the church in general would be much better off if those in a position of authority recognized the very one who placed them in authority. Unfortunately, there are many in church today who are more committed to the man who is delivering the sermon than to the Man the sermon is about. I am not saying that all pastors don’t recognize the God who has placed them in authority… many do. What I am saying is that there are more then a few pastors that seek to proclaim their name instead of proclaiming God’s name. While you may think it is only a handful of pastors who do this, I think it is one too many and I think God would agree with my assessment.

Stay tuned for “even more”

Stay tuned for "more"

A few months ago I decided I needed to expand my horizon. Instead of working off of the same old list of books I generated on cbd.com (Christian Book Distributor) long ago I choose to look elsewhere and read other genres. Don’t get me wrong, I am thoroughly enjoying making my way through my list (that is over 5 pages long) with books such as Culture Making: Recovering our Creative Calling, The Blue Parakeet: Rethinking How You Read the Bible, and Reason For God: Belief in the Age of Skepticism just waiting to be read. However, the fact still remains that I need to broaden my horizon and take in a few different types of genres.

So, what type of genre should I pursue? Believe it or not, I am not a fan of fiction. I think self help books are a joke. I am sick of reading any book related to business, marketing, finance and the like. I have already read every quality romance novel that is on the shelves in the local book store. Oh wait, there aren’t any! (This might explain why I have never read one and never will.)
This means the only available genre left for me to pursue would be something having to do with history. Therefore, I decided I needed to buy a couple of books that dealt with the few areas of history that peaked my interest. With that being said, I sought to find books that covered the civil rights movement and presidential history. Having received a gift card as a Christmas present I was able to purchase two books, I Have A Dream: Writings and Speeches That Changes the World by Martin Luther King Jr., and Dreams from my Father by Barack Obama. I even left money on the card so that I could purchase one of the following, My Dearest Friend: Letters of Abigail and John Adams or Two Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln.

I share all of this with you as an introduction. You see, the first book I choose to read was Obama’s book, Dreams of my Father. I expected the book to be a simple narrative about his life, starting with his younger years as a boy and moving up through manhood as a teenager, a young man, a husband, and a father. I got what I expected and more. The “more” part has compelled me too blog about it.

However you are going to have to stay tuned for “more”