The Kingdom Theory

The Kingdom Theory

Labels: Barack Obama

Please don’t get it twisted, not everyone marched or died for the right for you to vote, this is an actual conversation I overheard:

Negro #1 – Did you watch the debate last night?
Negro #2 – No, I sure didn’t, neither one of them buzzards ain’t gonna get my vote this year.
Negro #1 – You for real?
Negro #2 – Yes ma’am. I don’t trust that Rumney and that ol’ Barack said the gays can get married. My pastor says that’s against God and I can’t support a man that’s against God.
Negro #1 – (Shakes head and walks away)

This can’t be what’s going on in the church; are pastors out there advising their congregations not to vote because President Obama has given an endorsement to Gay Marriage? I pray this is not the position the Black Church has decided to take because of an outdated philosophical difference.  I get it, somewhere in the Bible it says that homosexuality is a sin and somehow that’s become the most condemnable of them all, because the doors of the church are opened weekly to lowlifes, pushers, prostitutes, child molesters and murderers, but a person with an alternative lifestyle is made to feel unwelcomed.

The Black Church has become so insulated and a fair share obsessed with the prosperity gospel that the message of community has been lost.  During the era known to us as the Civil Rights Movement, the church was at the forefront, organizing and rallying the people in the direction of change. My, how things have changed; we’ve placed judgment before the testimony and the civil rights that were marched, fought and died for are suddenly not applicable to everyone. Even more amazing is there can be any consideration of not supporting President Obama because of this issue or opting out of the election altogether; there’s a long way to go before Gay Marriage is considered by the Supreme Court, but poverty, education, crime, women’s rights, immigration and unemployment should be what you take your president to task over.

Jesse Jackson once referred to our communities as kingdoms, primarily because of our spending power and as an attempt to instill self-pride and mobility into the people, but that concept was lost on materialism and a selfishness that defeated the purpose of the solidarity of the Civil Rights and Black Power movements. We’ve lost our fight, as well as our focus and will, become fragmented into the haves and the have-nots, never realizing that most of us don’t have anything. As a whole, we seem to place too much emphasis on who’s single or if we can sell enough coffee or vacations to reach a million dollars and not enough attention is being paid to if we’re living righteously. Are our children are being educated properly? Are we’re holding all facets of government responsible for its people?

This is about more than a man having the ability to marry another man or a woman to marry a woman, this is about a segment of citizens being denied rights, sort of like when you and I were 3/5 or not able to vote. The message can’t be selective, we’ve got to be inclusive of everyone if we’re going to grow, if we’re going to impact any sort of change. To be dismissive of any segment of your congregation or community is hypocritical to not only the fights of days gone by, but the tenets of your beliefs. Additionally, you have to know your audience and translate into plain speak they have a responsibility to vote and to think for themselves and not jumble the message in the way that’s confusing to your flock.

The bottom line is the message of inclusion needs to be what’s being preached, a compassion for those with varying lifestyles, because it’s all about having God in your heart and walk correct? This issue can possibly cause misguided individuals to sit out the most important election of right now, for such a narrow-minded point of view. We are running the risk of sacrificing any progress made over the last four years because the President, the NAACP and Jay-Z say they support Gay Marriage. If it’s that serious, go for it, but I can’t be convinced the God I believe in is not accepting of what he’s created and allowed the free will to choose.