Systemic Racism: The casual racism of the phrase "Black on Black crime"

 I grew up in a county that was 95%+ white, I live today in a county that is 97% white, and yet, I have never heard anyone complain following a dramatic drug bust, armed robbery, rape, or murder about "White on White crime".  The same isn't true about the phrase, "Black on Black crime".  I've heard it many, many times, from casual use by white people I know, to pundits, provocateurs, and politicians.  When I was younger, and ignorant of the actual truth of the matter, I even used the phrase myself, and why not, everybody was saying that "Black on Black crime" was a particularly significant problem. Unfortunately for my past self, and for many people today, the concept of "Black on Black crime" being unique or particularly egregious comes not from crime statistics, but racism.
1. Most crime is committed against one own's racial/ethnic group.
Race and Hispanic Origin of Victims and Offenders 2012-2015 - Bureau of Justice Statistics, US Dept. of Justic
In 2014, 89% of Black murder victims were killed by Black offenders, 82% of White murder victims were killed by White offenders {55% for smaller minority groups, less likely to live in homogeneous neighborhoods, Indian, Asian, or Pacific Islanders} 2014 Crime in the United States report - F.B.I.
The Bureau of Justice Statistics' 2019 crime victimization statistics report shows those who commit violent acts tend to commit them against members of the same race as the offender.  Offenders were white in 62% of violent incidents committed against white victims, Black in 70% of incidents committed against Black victims and Hispanic in 45% of incidents committed against Hispanic victims, according to the BJS report. {Crime Victimization, 2018 - Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Dept. of Justice}
Why do most violent crimes occur against one's own racial/ethnic group?  The answer is simple, most crime is committed within one's own social circle and/or within one's own neighborhood, which leads to the next point.
2. Most Americans (and most people worldwide) live in segregated neighborhoods.
The Racial Segregation of American Cities Was Anything But Accidental - By Katie Nodjimbadem, Smithsonian Magazine
"Despite these declines, residential segregation was still higher for African Americans than for the other groups across all measures. Hispanics or Latinos were generally the next most highly segregated, followed by Asians and Pacific Islanders, and then American Indians and Alaska Natives, across a majority of the measures." {2000 Census Report}
The data proves that school segregation is getting worse - by Alvin Chang, Vox.com

The short cartoon below on racism, segregation, and schools is very helpful in framing the issues.

The short video above explains how modern segregation came to be.

The reasons why America became a very segregated nation post WWII are clear and well documented, it was official Federal Government policy to encourage Whites to move to the suburbs and to ban Blacks and other minorities from joining them.  These policies had a lasting impact on minority communities still being felt to this day. {Redlining's legacy: Maps are gone, but the problem hasn't disappeared -by Kristopher J. Brooks, CBS News}  In addition to its affect upon crime statistics, segregated neighborhoods have had a massive impact upon public education.  In the wake of Brown vs. The Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas, the idea of "separate but equal" school was no longer legal, but outlawing purposeful segregation in the schools hasn't made schools equal.  The majority of public schools are funded by property taxes in the neighborhoods in which they reside.  Thus segregation has also brought us poor urban schools, primarily minority, and relatively affluent suburban/rural schools, primarily White.

3. Black crime rates are comparable to White crime rates, incarceration rates are not.

The conclusions about the Criminal Justice System below are from the Sentencing Project's 2018 report, each claim has a footnote in the article for those wishing to judge the data for themselves.  While somewhat higher crime rates for Blacks and Latinos correlates well with higher poverty rates (Poor Whites commit crimes at higher rates than affluent ones, poverty rates are higher in minority communities), the disparities in how those crime are dealt with by the Justice System based on the race of the offender, cannot be ignored.
Report to the United Nations on Racial Disparities in the U.S. Criminal Justice System - The Sentencing Project
More than one in four people arrested for drug law violations in 2015 was black, although drug use rates do not differ substantially by race and ethnicity and drug users generally purchase drugs from people of the same race or ethnicity.  For example, the ACLU found that blacks were 3.7 times more likely to be arrested for marijuana possession than whites in 2010, even though their rate of marijuana usage was comparable.
African Americans were incarcerated in local jails at a rate 3.5 times that of non-Hispanic whites in 2016.
Pretrial detention has been shown to increase the odds of conviction, and people who are detained awaiting trial are also more likely to accept less favorable plea deals, to be sentenced to prison, and to receive longer sentences. Seventy percent of pretrial releases require money bond, an especially high hurdle for low-income defendants, who are disproportionately people of color.
Although African Americans and Latinos comprise 29% of the U.S. population, they make up 57% of the U.S. prison population. This results in imprisonment rates for African-American and Hispanic adults that are 5.9 and 3.1 times the rate for white adults, respectively—and at far higher levels in some states.
Of the 277,000 people imprisoned nationwide for a drug offense, over half (56%) are African American or Latino.
Nearly half (48%) of the 206,000 people serving life and “virtual life” prison sentences are African American and another 15% are Latino.
Prosecutors are more likely to charge people of color with crimes that carry heavier sentences than whites. Federal prosecutors, for example, are twice as likely to charge African Americans with offenses that carry a mandatory minimum sentence than similarly situated whites. State prosecutors are also more likely to charge black rather than similar white defendants under habitual offender laws.
Disenfranchisement patterns have also reflected the dramatic growth and disproportionate impact of criminal convictions. A record 6.1 million Americans were forbidden from voting because of their felony record in 2016, rising from 1.2 million in 1976. Felony disenfranchisement rates for voting-age African Americans reached 7.4% in 2016—four times the rate of non-African Americans (1.8%). In three states, more than one in five voting-age African Americans is disenfranchised: Florida, Kentucky, and Tennessee. The majority of disenfranchised Americans are living in their communities, having fully completed their sentences or remaining supervised while on probation or parole.
Read the whole report from the Sentencing Project, the picture it paints is bone chilling, as each of these statistics represents real people whose lives have been affected by the racial inequities in the American Criminal Justice System.  Also, look at the recommendations they make for addressing this disparity, they are, at the very least, worth consideration and discussion.
The video by Phil Vischer touches on the topics addressed here, and more, please watch both of them.

4. If your explanation crime statistics, or the wage and wealth gap in America between Black and White families involves characteristics inherent to Black DNA, Black intelligence, or Black culture, that is racism.
These are only 4 pieces of a large and complicated puzzle.  To understand the past and present of racial issues in America is no small task, to advocate for policies and laws that will help rather than hurt, likewise requires both a breadth and depth of understanding.  What we cannot sustain as a society, and especially as an American Church, is a continuation of racist attitudes that offer simplistic explanations of racial inferiority devoid of connection to reality.  To my fellow White American Christians: Stop pretending that it is 'their' problem and not our problem, stop blaming 'them' instead of looking to see how we can help. 
"There but for the grace of God, go I" was famously said in the 16th century by the Englishman John Bradford as he watched condemned prisoners being led to the gallows.  Bradford understood that Grace played a far more important role in the outcomes of our lives than we were willing to admit, that it is far less our merit that determines the road we travel than our pride would claim.  Human beings are the same, not matter what they look like on the outside.  If the shoe were on the other foot, if we were the minority facing a history of oppression and injustice and an ongoing legacy of discriminatory policies forcing us to walk uphill, how would we be any different?  To think our thoughts, attitudes, and actions would be different is not only to ignore human nature, but to indulge in racism.

Sermon Video: A world without life after death - 1 Corinthians 15:29-32

What would be different about our world if we knew that there was no life after death? Considering that most people both now and throughout history have some sort of belief in an afterlife, the changes would not be small. The Apostle Paul outlines three of them, (1) we would lose our connection to our ancestors, (2) any rationale for self-sacrifice {much less worth dying for}, and (3) any hope for final Justice. In the end, without a resurrection the most likely human response is, "Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die." Hedonism and hopelessness are a toxic combination. Thankfully, Paul's thought is only a hypothetical, for the resurrection of the dead IS a reality, there will be a Judgment Day, and we have every reason to Hope beyond this life when we are in Christ.

To watch the video, click on the link below:

Would you tell your daughter NOT to report being raped?

There are a number of practical and societal reasons why someone (male or female) might resist reporting a sexual assault, from the fear of not being believed, to the very real possibility of retribution, to the tendency of many to victim blame.  If these were not enough, and of course we must add to them the often ridiculous back-log of untested rape kits, there has emerged in connection with recent events in America, a theological/moral argument to refrain from reporting/prosecuting sexual assault and rape that is being drawn from the Mosaic Law.

My introduction to this viewpoint came from a Christian apologist/writer whom I have expressed admiration for in the past, and whose writing on issues of Biblical Criticism are well researched and first rate.  Unfortunately, James White, of Alpha and Omega Ministries, took it upon himself to offer a political commentary regarding the controversy surrounding the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court.  As you know if you read my blog, I will refrain from making any political commentary, but the use of the Bible by James White (and others as well, he's just the most well known) to advocate for the silencing of those who have been the victims of sexual assault (or by extension, any crime without corroborating witnesses) deserves a response.  I reached out to Alpha and Omega Ministries a week ago with my concerns by email, but received not response.

Please watch the relevant portion of the video before proceeding, the link is below:

James White, Alpha and Omega Ministries, from 9/25/18

The relevant passage of the video begins at the 7:00 mark and last until the 19:29 mark...It references Deuteronomy 19:15-21 and Deuteronomy 22:23-27

19:15 One witness is not enough to convict anyone accused of any crime or offense they may have committed. A matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.

16 If a malicious witness takes the stand to accuse someone of a crime, 17 the two people involved in the dispute must stand in the presence of the Lord before the priests and the judges who are in office at the time. 18 The judges must make a thorough investigation, and if the witness proves to be a liar, giving false testimony against a fellow Israelite, 19 then do to the false witness as that witness intended to do to the other party. You must purge the evil from among you. 20 The rest of the people will hear of this and be afraid, and never again will such an evil thing be done among you. 21 Show no pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.


22:23 If a man happens to meet in a town a virgin pledged to be married and he sleeps with her, 24 you shall take both of them to the gate of that town and stone them to death—the young woman because she was in a town and did not scream for help, and the man because he violated another man’s wife. You must purge the evil from among you.


25 But if out in the country a man happens to meet a young woman pledged to be married and rapes her, only the man who has done this shall die. 26 Do nothing to the woman; she has committed no sin deserving death. This case is like that of someone who attacks and murders a neighbor, 27 for the man found the young woman out in the country, and though the betrothed woman screamed, there was no one to rescue her.

"If you can't prove it, you don't report it" (at 11:30 mark)

My rebuttal to the assertion of James White is not a dismissal of the Mosaic Law, nor is it an abandonment of the principle of "innocent until proven guilty" (both of which he accuses those with a differing view of doing in the video).  It does not come from a secular viewpoint and a liberal agenda, I can't imagine anyone who knows me at all accusing me of either.  This issue is not a case of all-or-nothing as those with a political axe to grind on both sides would have us believe.  Our choice is not between always reflexively believing the man (no matter how many individual women make an accusation, each as the only witness to their alleged assault) or always believing the woman (no matter the collaborating evidence).  James White said that it is our task to "approximate" the justice of God, and he is absolutely correct in that, but then makes it quite clear that because he believes we are incapable of doing anything of the sort, thus any victim of a crime that was not witnessed by others ought to be told, "wait for God's justice, we've got nothing for you here."  Will God judge in the end with absolute truth and justice?  Yes, indeed, but that does not preclude us from doing our best here and now, nor does that excuse us as Christians or as a society from our moral obligation to fight against the evil that exists in humanity.

Is our criminal justice system capable of making mistakes, of letting the guilty go free and convicting the innocent?  Of course it is, sadly often based upon the poverty/wealth and/or skin color of the defendant.  The failure of our system to never convict the innocent does not give us the excuse to throw our hands up and stop trying to prosecute those who are truly guilty.

If a single victim should be morally prevented from reporting the crime which has been done to him/her, if those victims should be dismissed, even threatened with jail for speaking up (by making the assumption that as a single witness it must be a false allegation), we would still have an epidemic of predator priests raging in our nation, and around the world, we would still have Jerry Sandusky, Larry Nassar, and Bill Cosby preying upon their victims {of course, we know how many times attempts to report their heinous crimes were dismissed by those in authority, both in the Church and in the government, allowing the toll of victims to rise ever higher}.

I will continue to defend the need for the people of God to view the Bible as completely authoritative in their lives for both faith (theology) and practice (morality).  I will continue to defend its absolute relevance to us today, as it was to our ancestors in the faith.  I cannot, however, see that in this case, James White, and those who echo his words (more examples in the links below) are showing us the only way to do that.

A criminal justice system must presume innocence, and it must have a high bar of evidence to convict those accused, but it cannot tell the most vulnerable among us that they have no avenue for justice, and it cannot threaten victims with reprisal simply for asking to be heard.  As a society, and as a Church, we have failed to protect the weak and vulnerable from the strong and the privileged, we have far too often allowed politics to color our sense of justice, and we have been complicit in the heaping of shame upon those who have been victimized.  This cannot be what God expects of his people, our call to righteousness demands more.

A perfect system of justice is indeed unattainable, but we've got to do better than to say, "if you can't prove it, you don't report it."  May the LORD spare me from having to ever counsel my daughter about whether or not she should report being sexually assaulted, but I for one would not tell her to be quiet.





(Below are a few examples of Deuteronomy 19 being applied to the current political drama, simply there to show that the commentary of James White is echoed by others.)

AFA commentary: What Should Be Done About the Kavanaugh Nomination?

Engage Magazine: Brett Kavanaugh: Innocent till proven guilty

{Update 11/21  The James White that I used to listen to while working no longer has the same ministry.  In the past 3-4 years he has followed Eric Metaxas down the road of political 'sky is falling' conspiracy theory laden hysteria.  I no longer recommend listening to his messages with the exception of the older material related to textual criticism}

Uncontrolled Capitalism is as Anti-Christian as Communism

What is the philosophical basis of  the economic system of Capitalism?  In simple terms: People do what is in their own self-interest, allowing them to do so is the key to prosperity.  You might recognize the pop culture version of this viewpoint from Oliver Stone's Wall Street where Gordon Gekko states unabashedly, "Greed is good".  Capitalism works more efficiently than a demand economy (whether that be at the direction of a monarch, dictator, or communist planning committee) because it spreads out the decision making, allowing individuals and companies to best decide where to invest their time, effort, and capital.  Capitalism is indeed the best economic system that mankind has thus far developed, there's no question that it creates more wealth and opportunity than its rivals, but that does not mean that Capitalism, left unregulated or uncontrolled, is by nature any more "Christian" than the less-efficient systems that it outproduces.

As an example of how unfettered Capitalism can be hostile to the morals and principles of Christianity, consider the case of Trevor Foltz an American child from Rhode Island whose life saving medication for seizures has risen in cost from $40 a vial in the year 2000, to $39,000 a vial in 2018, an astounding 97,000% increase in less than 20 years.  Please, read the whole article in the link, before finishing this post, it is worth your time.

Anatomy of a 97,000% drug price hike: One family's fight to save their son - by Wayne Drash, CNN

What then should a Christian perspective be regarding the tendency of Capitalism to reward greed on a level such as this?

What then should a Christian perspective be regarding the tendency of Capitalism to let slip through the cracks the most needy and vulnerable among us?


This is not a post about a proposed solution to problems such as those encountered by the Foltz family, not an advocacy for a particular way to regulate the Health Care industry, nor it is support for or criticism of, a particular politician or party.  What this is, instead, is a call for reflection on the part of those committed to following the example and teachings of Jesus Christ, as to how they ought to think, feel, and act in response to the inevitable abuses of the capitalist system.  If Christians think, feel, and act like people whose first priority is imitating Jesus Christ, the subsequent questions of how or what can/should be done in our particular political and economic circumstances to remedy the flaws particular to capitalism that have become manifest, have a chance of being answered with wisdom.

What then is the attitude of the Word of God, our definitive guide for morality, regarding the topics of greed and those in need?  You might not believe it from what Christians often focus upon, but the primary topic regarding our interactions with our fellow man in the Bible is money.  The Bible repeatedly, in strong and foreboding terms, rejects greed and compels the people of God to be generous with those in need.  A few examples will suffice to demonstrate the pattern:

Deuteronomy 15:11There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your fellow Israelites who are poor and needy in your land.

Deuteronomy 24:17 Do not deprive the foreigner or the fatherless of justice, or take the cloak of the widow as a pledge.

Matthew 6:24 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

Luke 12:15 Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”

These are 4 examples, all part of larger conversations within Scripture about the issues of money, greed, justice, and generosity.  There are literally hundreds of other references related to a economic issues (both relating to personal behavior and that of a nation as a whole) for the people of God contained in the Scriptures, whether it be Israel or the Church, that speak to the seriousness to God (and thus to us) of how we treat those in need.

If the system, whatever it may be, rewards a select few with riches beyond the scale of ancient kings, and leaves by the wayside without help a multitude beyond count, then that system cannot be just, nor morally upright, as it is.  Such as system would need to be held accountable for its excesses and flaws, it would need to be made to remember those being left behind, even if by design it does not naturally do so.  No economic system is perfect, just as no political system is perfect.  There will be flaws, there will be injustices, and therefore there needs to be advocates who champion the poor, the downtrodden, the orphans, aliens, widows, and outcasts, a role that is tailor made for those who would be disciples of Jesus.

Why our favoritism (politics) is an affront to God - Romans 2:11, Colossians 3:25

It has become all too apparent that much of the Church in America (in particular) has become infected with the disease of favoritism.  One group of people (who are like us) are viewed with a positive lens, excusing any misdeeds and assuming pure motives, while another group (who are not like us) is viewed with a negative lens, shouting about any misdeeds and assuming nefarious motives.  The primary breakdown for this divide is politics, with a secondary, and often related, divide regarding race/nationality.  Those who call themselves Christians who put an (R) after their name, view all those with a (D) through a negative lens and their fellows (R's) through a positive lens, and vice versa.  When "our guy" is the politician, entertainer, business leader, etc. in question, all can be forgiven, when it is "their guy" the spirit of forgiveness is replaced with the iron fist of justice.  Are we really under the impression that this sort of self-serving tribalism is what God intended for His Church?  Can we not see that our willingness to weight the scales when they benefit us personally/politically is warping our presentation of the Gospel and turning people away from Christ??  Whose kingdom have we been called to serve, our own or God's?

God doesn't operate this way, as Paul wrote in Romans 2:11, "For God does not show favoritism", and in Colossians 3:25, "Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for his wrong, and there is no favoritism."  If a person sins, they will answer for that sin to God, whoever they are.  If a person sincerely seeks the face of God in repentance, putting faith in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, that person will find forgiveness and new birth, whoever they are.  When we all stand before God at the day of judgment, our politics and our race will matter not at all.  There will be formerly homeless drug addicts who found God's grace in Christ who are welcomed into the kingdom of heaven, and there will be rich, powerful, and famous men (and women) who spoke the name of Christ as a talisman while claiming to be "one of us", who will be left outside the kingdom having heard Jesus say to them, "I never knew you.  Away from me, you evildoers!" (Matthew 7:23)

Each step the Church takes, through individual Christians, through those spokespeople in leadership roles, or through denominations themselves, toward favoritism is a step away from the Gospel.  It doesn't matter if that favoritism is based upon class, race, gender, nationality, or politics.  Each time we judge our fellow man (favorably or harshly) based upon anything except the Gospel's call for salvation by grace through faith, we put ourselves in the place of God, and insult the one who will judge all mankind by claiming to know better than him.  This sickness is a cancer to the Church.  If left unchecked, it will spread until the Gospel is subsumed beneath our us vs. them tribalism, leaving us incapable of speaking the Truth to a world in need.  If you are a Christian, through what lens are you viewing the your fellow man, your country, and the world?  Do you see in shades of Red or Blue, or do you see as Jesus saw, lost sheep in need of a shepherd, lost sinners in need of God's grace?

Undoubtedly, some will react to these words with disdain even anger, claiming that their favoritism is justified because the ends justify the means, for the disease has spread and taken hold in the hearts of many, but some will have an ear and they will hear.  The Church has only one Lord, and he does not show favoritism.  Sin is sin, righteousness is righteousness, regardless of what you think about the person/people committing it.

Sermon Video: The great and dreadful day of the LORD - Malachi 4:1-6

What does the future hold?  Nearly every culture and religion has an explanation about how the world will one day end, most viewing it as a time of judgment.  Through the prophet Malachi, the LORD warns that a "great and dreadful" day of judgment will one day come, a time when the wicked will be destroyed with fire and the righteous will find healing and renewal.  The only hint as to when this day will arrive is that is will be after the return of Elijah, an event that Jesus would later equate with the arrival of John the Baptist.  As the people of God, we do not know when the day of judgment will come, but we do know with certainty that such a day is coming.  Let us then be ready, walking morally upright before our God, so that he will find us ready if that day be soon or not for many generations.

To watch the video, click on the link below:

What justice do the families of terrorists deserve? Deuteronomy 24:16

Terrorism has been part and parcel of the political discourse of nations all over the world since 9/11.  The evil on display in terrorist acts has caused great anger, and rightly so, and some of that anger has been aimed not at those committing the terrorist acts themselves (or even supporting them) but at those associated with terrorists by either their ethnicity, country of origin, or religion.  It is easy for a people feeling threatened and afraid to lash out at whichever target they can get their hands upon, including the families of terrorists.  It has even been suggested by an American presidential candidate that we should kill the families of terrorists as a purposeful tactic in violation of the Geneva Convention.
What does God have to say about such guilt by association?  We needn't wonder as to the answer, because God included a denial of the concept of guilt by association in the Law of Moses.  Deuteronomy 24:16 states, "Fathers shall not be put to death for their children, nor children put to death for their fathers; each is to die for his own sin."  To kill the wife or child of a terrorist in retaliation for even a barbarous act of terrorism, is an affront to the justice of God, it is not the action of a people who live according to the ethics of the Word of God.
We've been down this road before, the same guilt by association was used during WWII to justify the leveling of cities from the air, a tactic which was as immoral as it was ineffective.  At the time, it was argued that the civilian population was supporting the war effort through their work in the factories and thus they were fair game, it was a Faustian bargain, and a losing one.
Terrorism seeks to change the attitudes and thought processes of those it is used against.  If we lower our belief in the value of life, justifying it in the name of protecting our own lives and way of life, we will have failed the test.  The Law of God was clear on this issue in the Covenant of Moses, right and wrong hasn't changed.

Sermon Video: Let the rich weep and wail - James 5:1-6

There are few topics as well represented, and at the same time, as unwelcome (to even God's people) in the Bible as that of wealth and poverty.  The Bible is replete with warnings about the dangers of wealth and its misuses, and also has ample demands upon the people of God to treat the poor with dignity and justice.  The words of James about wealth thus echo the prophets of old and the words of Jesus in the Gospels.  James points out four abuses of wealth that constituted guilt on the part of the rich: (1) hoarding wealth and leaving it unproductive or underutilized, (2) treating those working for them unjustly, (3) wasting resources in displays of vain luxury, (4) and utilizing the power that goes hand in glove with wealth to rig the system in their favor and deny justice to others.  All four of these abuses were rampant in the 1st Century Roman world, and they remain equally prevalent in our world today.  Wealth remains a grave temptation for abuse for those who have it, and the desire for and seeking after wealth by those who don't have it remains a major source of the sins of greed, envy, and pride, not to mention neglected and forgotten family responsibilities.
The Church has failed, in this area more than most, to live up to Jesus' expectation that worldly treasures would not be its focus, that worldly power and fame would not ensnare his people.  We need look no further than the popularity of the Prosperity Gospel to see the dangerous temptation of these things upon the Church.
It is long since past-due that Christ's followers reject wealth (fame and power as well) as a criteria for leadership, in our own affairs and in the politics we participate in.  That someone is wealthy is a horrible reason to entrust him/her with leadership, and yet such things continue with disastrous results.  We need to start taking the teachings of Jesus Christ on this issue seriously; it is not the rich who will inherit the earth, but the meek.

To watch the video, click on the link below:

What if we fail to act?

The parable of the talents, located in Matthew 25:14-30, and Luke 19:12-27, has been interpreted in a variety of ways, some taking the talent literally and focusing on our use of money, others using the coincidence in English to talk about talents as our skills and abilities, still others focusing on our time or energy.  For the most part, these various interpretations focus upon the obligations and responsibilities of the followers of Jesus Christ as individuals.  The local church, and the Church in a community, as well as the Church as a whole, likewise has a responsibility to utilize its talents, whether that be money, abilities, facilities, or whatever other resources, for the kingdom of God.
What happens when a single church, or a whole community of Churches, instead sits on the sidelines and doesn't do much with what they have been given?  The same response that Jesus explained in the parable for individuals applies to the collective body of Christ as well.  If we fail to act, if we fail to be a part of the solution for peace, justice, dignity, and the value of human life, we will have failed in an integral part of our task as the Church of Jesus Christ.  Our primary focus is, and must always be, the reconciliation of the lost to Jesus through faith in his death and resurrection, but that cannot be the only thing we care about as a church nor the only thing we devote ourselves to working toward.  The passage that immediately follows the parable in Matthew contains Jesus' encouragement and warning that "whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me."  There is fear in some evangelical circles of mixing the proclamation of the Gospel with social causes, lest concerns for poverty or social justice overwhelm the spread of the Good News, but there is an equal danger of sterilizing the proclamation of the Gospel and robbing it of its power to transform not only individuals, but communities and society too, if we remove Jesus' often repeated concern for the needs of the "least of these" from our efforts.
What will it cost us to properly proclaim the Gospel?  We will certainly have to invest our time, money, labor, and love in the lives of other people through efforts such as: food and clothing pantries, disaster relief, utilities/housing assistance, and whichever other ways we can strive to help those in need.
There is one other area that we will have to stretch in order to fulfill our calling as the Church of Jesus Christ:  We're going to have to work together.  Individual churches will not be enough, the problems are too big, we need the whole power of ALL of the Church, not just those portions of it with which we feel comfortable, not just those portions of it that look, feel, and sound like us.  The calling of the Gospel of Jesus Christ demands more from us than that which we are comfortable giving, if we truly hope to multiply our talents and hear one day, "Well done, good and faithful servant", we've got to get serious as local churches about working together.

Sermon Video, "As a father has compassion on his children" Psalm 103

When searching for a sermon text for Father's Day, it becomes painfully clear that there are few fathers in the Bible who are known for being good fathers.  This lack of proper fathers is the single greatest need in American society, affecting millions of homes and countless children growing up without a godly father's influence.  In Psalm 103, David highlights the action, heart, and mind of an amazing father, our heavenly father.  God, because of his love and compassion, is an example of the type of father each of us would want as our own.  Throughout the psalm, the example of God resonates with father's as a how-to guide to parenting.  Not only biological fathers, but father figures and anyone and everyone trying to fill the void of a missing father, all would benefit from copying the attitude of God toward the wayward children of humanity.  In the end, God earns the praise directed to him, and so will earthly fathers if they too learn from his love, compassion, and wisdom.

To watch the video, click on the link below:
Sermon Video

Osama Bin Laden and the Lord of the Flies

One of the world's most famous villians, a man who cared nothing for the murders of innocents and celebrated their deaths in his twisted vision of the future, is dead.  Will terrorism die with him?  Could the death of this one man put a stop to the global Jihad that has been declared against the West and Christianity?

The short answer is no.  That isn't what everyone wants to hear, but it's the sad truth.  There are still plenty of evil men (and some women) in our world eager to commit similar acts of sin against their fellow man.  When Hitler envisioned the destruction of the Jewish people he would have been just another racist if there weren't millions of "good" Germans willingly joining in the killing.  Remember, Hitler was elected by popular vote before he took power in Germany.  Osama Bin Laden too was very popular among the millions of young Muslims who share his hatred.

How does any of this relate to William Golding's novel, Lord of the Flies?  In the book, the character Simon seeks to explain to the boys who have been stranded on the Pacific island with him that "mankind's essential illness" is what they have to fear.  The boys on the island have been growing increasingly afraid of an imaginary "beast" whose existence they have tried to deny, but the fear of which continues to grow just the same.  Simon explains that there is no external beast to fear, but rather "the beast is us".  The only evil they have to fear is the evil within themselves.  Humanity's essential flaw is that we are depraved.  We are mired in sin and unable to live together in peace. 

As shocking as it may sound, the evil in men like Osama Bin Laden and Adolf Hitler is not different in kind from the evil that resides in humanity as a whole.  It is certainly different in degree; most people never approach such scale in the evil that they do, but as Romans reminds us, "all have sinned".  We have all fallen short of perfection, we have all commited sins against ourselves, our neighbors, and our God.  We have all taken steps down the path that leads to Hell.

Is it a good thing that Osama Bin Laden is dead?  Certainly.  Did he deserve to die because of his crimes?  Absolutely.  Will terrorism cease now or in the future?  Sadly, no, this form of evil may be new, but the depravity that spawned it is not.  So what should we do if the battle that we're fighting cannot be won?  Even if we cannot win a battle against evil in our world, we must still support and honor those who try to protect the innocent and administer justice.  We must all strive to instill virtue in the next generation, work to protect the innocent as best we can, and tell the world that the only cure for our self-destruction is the saving grace of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Justice Delayed...

The trial for the two men accused of killing Donald Dietz (my dad's neighbor) is finally beginning; the murder occured in Sept. of 2007; it has been almost four years...I know that the wheels of justice grind slowly, but this is fairly pathetic...it reminds me that we often have to wait until our lives here are over to know the justice of God that is missing in our lives.  It would be so much easier, we think, if God was sitting at his computer, hitting the "smite" key anytime somebody stepped out of line (ok, I stole that idea from a classic Far Side comic); at least then we'd know that justice does indeed prevail...It would be more satisfying perhaps, but would it be better?  Why does God wait so long?  II Peter 3:9 reminds us that, "He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance."  We may want God to avenge us now, to put the bullies and the jerks in this world in their place.  God's reply to us: "my child, I waited for you to repent, why shouldn't I do the same for my other children?"  I guess God really does know what he is doing...as for Donald and his family, hopefully they will at least receive the small comfort of knowing that human justice does eventually come about from time to time.