I am angry, and I pray when it is all said and done, and I find myself before Jesus Christ at Bema Seat that Christ judges my disposition as a fit of righteous anger. There is Stinkin Thinkin taking place at epic proportion. This past week we have two major corporations (Delta Airlines & Coca-Cola) become nothing more than shills for the Democratic Party. Then news broke on Friday that Major League Baseball (MLB) made headlines when Baseball Commissioner, Rob Manfred, made the executive decision to remove this years’ Baseball All-Star game from the city of Atlanta. This move was made all the more dramatic considering MLB had long planned a huge tribute to native Georgian Henry Aaron, who is legendary and drew fame for eclipsing Baseball’s hallowed Home Run leader, Babe Ruth.
I am angry because Baseball took its cue from the President of the United States. President Biden actually claimed the Georgia State Legislature decision to enact Republican-led election law was Jim Crow on steroids. This statement is so patently offensive and insulting to the courageous Men and Women of numerous ethnicities who endured genuine and explicit attempts at voter disenfranchisement—equating the law passed in Georgia to the poll tax or the literary test is egregriously inaccurate and sullies the sacrifice of so many people who made it possible for people of color like me to be able to participate in this nation’s election. Some States even enacted ridiculous impediments like forcing African Americans to guess how many jellybeans were in a jar. That, my friend is Jim Crow measures, not requiring someone to present a valid ID to vote or to compress the number of days an absentee ballot can be cast.
Like the boy who cried wolf, there will come a time when real racism occurs, and the larger culture will not respond due to racial strife fatigue. The larger culture (AA only constitutes 13% of the US population) will eventually become indifferent and ultimately callous to future cries. A culture can only endure so much before it rebels against repeated frivolous cries. Heck, I am an African American, and I AM TIRED of it. Lamenting because someone insists you present valid identification before you are allowed is preposterous. Lamenting you must present a valid identification AFTER provisions to secure said ID are provided free of charge are preposterous.
I appreciate the insights I received from Dr. Glenn Loury (see link attached at the end of this blog article). Dr. Loury shared a convincing hypothetical. Let’s imagine an African nation. In this African nation, they would plausibly have a difference of opinions on how long absentee balloting would be acceptable, a difference of opinions about the necessity of Sunday voting, a difference of thought about whether IDs would be necessary.
It is appalling that the vast majority of African Americans believe their fellow African Americans must be monolithic in their thinking. No other ethnicity is guilty of the massive Groupthink that apparently takes place in the African American community. African Americans are the principal adherent of Cancel Culture. If you dare break from the company line of espousing racism at every turn, you will be considered persona non grata.
I am African American, and contrary to some of the insidious banter I receive, I am not a Coon or Uncle Tom. Someone needs to point me to where God objectively decrees there is only one acceptable way to be authentically African American. Of course, I speak with a forked tongue as there is no one objective way to be authentically African American. Additionally, I carry no water for those who believe that one’s ethnicity should be one chief identity marker. My principal identity marker is unapologetic as an Evangelical. I am not an African American who is an Evangelical. I am an Evangelical who is African American. What defines me is my faith in Jesus Christ. Too many African Americans, it is crystal clear to me that their ultimate identity is found in their ethnicity. They attend Church, they post Christian memes, they post He is Risen memes on Resurrection Sunday (though many of them will refer to the day as Easter), but when the rubber hits the road, they show their true allegiance, and it is NOT to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
I agree wholeheartedly with Dr. Loury when he postulates, “to assume all the people are racist because they take measures to ensure voter confidence is slanderous.” Both he and I will grant it is not out of the realm of possibility racism could be at play for some or even many, but the mere enactment of this law does not reach the threshold to interject the bodacious claim of racism.
Bull Connor was a racist. How do I know it? Because the idiot was willing to spout racist rhetoric on live national television. George Wallace was a racist? How do I know it? Because the imbecile went to the University of Georgia and stood in the schoolhouse door to bar African American students from matriculating like their Caucasian peers.
People, many of whom claim Evangelical status, charged President Trump was a diehard racist. My simple inquiry is this: please detail a clear, unequivocal example of former President Trump worthy of such a charge. Far too many recklessly throw around accusations of racism much too freely and glibly. Despicable people like Jesse and Al are race-baiters. They have raised a new generation of Social Justice Warriors like Ibram X. Kendi (author of the New York Times’ Bestselling Book How to be an Antiracist) and Nikole Hannah-Jones (leader of the fallacious flawed 1619 Project).
I grew up developing great pride reading the story of Civil Rights titans like Medgar Edgars and the iconic Three Civil Rights Workers killed in Mississippi for the audacious crime of registering African Americans to vote. When someone of the President of the United States’ status uses his platform to fan the flames of racial discord, I become angry. I become even angrier when highly educated African Americans display no mental acuity to process this declaration and see it for the gross historical inaccuracies it is. The Georgia legislation may or may not be completely wise in all of its enactments. That is true of any bill, and that is the beauty of our government in America. We can debate and disagree, but we have the rule of law that a vote is taken when the discussion is over and the majority wins. When and if the Democrats take control in Georgia, they will attempt to enact laws they believe best serve their constituency.
Crying racism without due warrant is lazy; it is, as Dr. Loury postulates, slanderous. I refuse to accept the worldview that racism is at the root of all and any actions of someone I hold a divergent worldview. I am sick and tired of the race-baiting I see from people who claim the identity as a follower of Jesus Christ. We must reserve the charge of racism only when it displays itself with clear and irrefutable evidence.
Unless and until we can hold genuine disagreement without the threat of Cancel Culture, America will continue to spiral into a further moral abyss. America will spiral primarily due to the actions of many who claim fidelity to Jesus Christ (like President Joe Biden, Vice-President Kamala, and Georgia U.S. Senator Raphael Warnock, to name just a few) but espouse doctrines that find their source the very pit of Hell. Someone even had the temerity this past week to rebuke me for my criticism of Pastor Warnock. It is 2021, and I am witnessing our society ascribe the worst possible motive anytime anyone does not imbibe from the Leftist worldview. I refuse to imbibe from the Leftist worldview. That does not make me inherently on the wrong side of history. In fact, I believe my worldview to be wholly consistent with the proper Evangelical worldview. There used to be a time when people made arguments, and then society was free to adopt the most persuasive view. That was then, but that is not how it is now. Our society is profoundly the worse because of it, and for that, I am most angry. Anger is not inherently sinful. So, my closing question is this: Are you angry? If not, why? If so, what are you doing about it? Even though I have read the Book of Revelations numerous times, I did not note the following:
But as for the cowardly, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake of fire that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death [emphasis mine]. (Revelations 21:8)
I will further submit the Evangelical Church is replete with Cowards. Pastors who know what President Biden espoused is fundamentally flawed but will not raise their head for fear of reprisals from Cancel Culture; they are Cowards. African Americans who know or should know the premise is fundamentally flawed but will not speak due to fear; they are Cowards. Caucasians who know President Biden is fundamentally flawed but will not speak due to intimidation and a fascination and preoccupation with White Guilt; they too are Cowards.
Let me know what you think. Until then, keep your hands to the plow and seek to serve an Audience of One.
Glenn Loury: What Happened to Civil Rights/ Glenn Loury & John McWhorter/ The Glenn Show