Why I Became an SGRho...and Why it Matters

I went to college with zero interest in Greek life. Having attended predominately white schools my whole life, I decided I didn't want to join a traditionally white sorority, but my perception of black sororities—the Divine 9, NPHC, BGLOs (why do we have so many names y'all?)—wasn't much better. Without offense to my sister greeks, I just didn't see the hype; I didn't see sisterhood and quite honestly didn't see any "works" that I thought were worth joining one of their organizations. So, I walked on campus without any inclination of joining a sorority.

The shift in this perception happened when both a friend of mine and a cousin of mine crossed Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. in Spring 2007. I had never heard of the organization before then. My cousin had grown up surrounded by women of Delta Sigma Theta, so I was shocked (as I'm sure they were too) when I logged on to Facebook to see she had chosen differently. For those not familiar with Greek life, specifically black Greek life, most people become what we call legacies. A legacy is someone who joins the same organization as their parent (or family members). For instance, my grandfather is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha, so are two of his sons (my uncles); they are legacies. Many times you will see a clustering where mom, daughter, sister, granddaughter, cousins, etc. all join the same organization. So I expected my cousin to become a Delta if she became greek. This reveal was the first to make me wonder what Sigma Gamma Rho (SGRho) was about. It is what prompted me to attend the SGRho neophyte (new member) presentation at my own school.

My freshman year of college there were no SGRhos on campus. The neophyte presentation or probate (at Clemson we weren't allowed to use the word probate officially) was the resurrection of the chapter. I didn't know what to expect. At that point I had only been to a Delta and a Kappa show; both of which had a large (for a predominately white campus) number of new members. I was shocked to see that only one person had joined SGRho and was doing a show by herself—I was further shocked that this one person was a friend of mine, one of the first people I met all the way back at orientation, who lived down the hall from me. When you watch 20 people spit information and perform complicated steps it's entertaining, but when you see one person command an audience and do the same thing alone it's mind-blowing. My first thoughts were along the lines of "that takes guts" and "I want to be able to do that."

Now, as I researched the organization and fell in love with the motto "Greater Service, Greater Progress," I didn't think I would actually be doing a show by myself. There were actually a couple mutual friends I thought might also join. However, I agreed with the focus on service and education; I trusted they didn't do anything too crazy because both my cousin and my friend were Christian women I trusted; and I wanted the strength, boldness, and leadership skills that my friend exhibited in her show. So, even though I was the only one who showed up at the interest meeting that next Spring, I pressed forward and I found myself learning just what it took to earn those skills as I, too, stepped out to do a solo performance.

So why on my Christ-centered blog am I telling you about my experience joining a sorority? There are at least two posts on this blog relating the things I learned from joining the sorority and what I thought should be learned in Church communities (you can check them out here and here.) Today, however, I want to focus on that first step. Christians are often asking the question of how to convert a non-believer, and 9 out of 10 times the methods used backfire only to create more non-believers. What "converted" me from not interested in Greek life to being a member of sorority is the same thing that converted countless non-believers during the early church: action.

Anyone can talk the talk. Take a look at the missions of the four sororities that comprise NPHC[1]:

Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority's aim is to enhance the quality of life within the community. Public service, leadership development and education of youth are the hallmarks of the organization's programs and activities. Sigma Gamma Rho addresses concerns that impact society educationally, civically, and economically. Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc.

Alpha Kappa Alpha’s mission is to cultivate and encourage high scholastic and ethical standards, to promote unity and friendship among college women, to study and help alleviate problems concerning girls and women in order to improve their social stature, to maintain a progressive interest in college life, and to be of "Service to All Mankind". Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.

Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated is an organization of college educated women committed to the constructive development of its members and to public service with a primary focus on the Black community. Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.

Zeta‘s national and local programs include the endowment of its National Educational Foundation community outreach services and support of multiple affiliate organizations. Zeta chapters and auxiliaries have given untotaled hours of voluntary service to educate the public, assist youth, provide scholarships, support organized charities, and promote legislation for social and civic change. Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc.

Did you notice anything? Despite having very distinictive cultures and images in the black community, the mission statements are not that different. Every organization is essentially about service, scholarship, and sisterhood. What makes them different is not the words written on their websites; it's the everyday action of the members in the organization. While I would hope every member read the mission statement of their organization before joining, no one comes to an interest meeting and says they want to join because the mission statment really got to them. It's always something they witnessed. As I mentioned, for me it was the rock solid solo performance that exhibited traits I wanted to have. One of the girls who came after me said she was drawn to us because she saw us recieving academic excellence awards (our chapter maintained a ~3.8GPA average giving us the highest chapter GPA in Greek life for both black and white organizations). Some people talk about interactions with a favorite teacher. Others are impressed with the person who mentored them their freshman year...

SGRho isn't associated with education simply because our founders were educators or because our mission statement says we care about it. We're associated with education because the members of the organization are scholars! I have to scratch my head to start naming sorority sisters (sorors, as we call them in NPHC) who stopped pursuing education after undergrad and I can't think of any that didn't graduate. Most of my sorors have higher degrees and even those who did not become teachers/professors, some form of mentoring or teaching is involved in what they do. We didn't just write it on a piece of paper and then keep repeating it until people believed it, we are out doing it.

This is precisely why the church fails to convert non-believers. Galatians 5:22-23 says "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control." How often do we show these traits? How many people can say they experienced peace when around a group of "Christians?" How many people can say they truly felt loved (see 1 Corinthians 13 for God's definition of love)? How many people can say they see joy in life of "Christians" or experienced joy from being around these "Christians?" Are we patient? Do we exhibit self-control? Are we kind? Are we gentle? Do we panic with the rest of the world or are we seen to have faith fueled by hope in times of need?

Can you imagine standing in the crowd in Babylon to see these three men refuse to obey the king even though the punishment was death (Daniel 3)? Can you imagine witnessing Daniel praying even though he was told not to and being thrown in the lion's den (Daniel 6)? What about Esther, approaching the king without being summoned and facing the possibility of death? Or Ruth following her mother in law to a strange land not knowing how they would survive? The Bible is full of people demonstrating their faith. They did not knock on people's door and say "Can I tell you about our Lord and Savior today;" they simply lived according to the faith.

⁶“And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. ⁷You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. ⁸You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. Deuteronomy 6:6-8 NKJV

When the your actions (hands) match the words (thoughts from your forehead), you are truely sealed and it is then that others will endeavor to follow the path you've chosen.

As Sigma Gamma Rho turns 100 years old, I reflect on how I became a member 12 years ago and how I influenced others to join. I also reflect on those same questions as it pertains to my faith in the Most High God. Do the things I claim to believe match my actions? Do I live life such that people interact with me and think "wow, I want to be like that, I want to learn how to do that?" I hope so.

References and Footnotes

1. The mission statements of the other three organizations were taken from their national websites. I couldn't find a mission statement for Zeta Phi Beta on their national website, so I substituted a paragraph from their page on the history of the organization which clearly demonstrates what the purpose of the organization.

Who Was Jezebel?

The Jezebel Spirit

Someone once told me that heels, specifically stilettos, where part of the Jezebel Spirit. If you grew up in the church, especially if you're a woman, you've probably heard of the Jezebel Spirit. Ususally it is applied to women who seem "loose" or promiscious. It is a spirit of haughtiness and sexual immorality, said to be derived from the evil queen who ruled the Northern Kingdon of Israel for a time.[3][4]

Although sexual immorality is a sin, thus making the spirit of sexual immorality a legitimate concern, the Jezebel Spirit is often used by members of the church to attack anything that they perceive as representing female sexuality. Not only have I seen heels associated with the spirit, but jewelry and makeup, as well. While adornment and the concept of modesty are whole topics in and of themselves, they are entangled with the concept of the Jezebel Spirit. Anything that people perceive as a woman doing to seduce a man is often lumped in with the Jezebel Spirit. And while many (probably even most) woman are not thinking about men when they put on their jewelry or do their makeup, those who consider it part of the Jezebel Spirit see it as being done to beautify oneself for the purpose of seduction.

The Jezebel Trope and Racism

We know that Jezebel is often used as a slur or deragatory to refer to women, but as a black woman I also associate Jezebel with a trope that has been used to exploit black women. In media, black people are usually pigeon holed in to a handful of roles. For black women you typically have the Mamie figure (e.g., all the women in The Help), the magical Negro (e.g., Bonnie Bennett in The CW's The Vampire Diaries), the strong black woman (e.g. almost any role played by Janet Jackson or Gabrielle Union), and the Jezebel (e.g. any hip hop music video), just to name a few. In modern society, the Jezebel role is quite popular. When attributed strictly to prostitution, Halle Berry's role in Monster's Ball comes to mind first (she even won an Academy Award for the role). LisaRaye in The Player's Club also comes to mind. Usually, however, it's not outright prostitution but a hyper sexualization of the actress and character. Here, I think of many of Megan Good's roles, such as in Think Like A Man. The movie Cuties, though supposedly a commentary on hypersexuality, not only sexualizes young girls, but puts a young black girl at the forefront of this 'sexual discovery.' Nicki Minaj, in general, but specifically in the movie Barbership: The Next Cut. This topic is too large to cover here, but I did want to point out that the Jezebel Spirit is often pointed toward black women disporportionately.[9][1]

Modern Arguements Against The Jezebel Spirit

Naturally, today's society pushes back on this concept. Many people seek to redefine Jezebel and repair her damaged repuation.[5][6][7][8] Some compare the smearing of Jezebel's character by associating her with prositution to modern sexism. They argue that because she was powerful, those who opposed her countered by attacking her sexuality. Others argue that it's a case of Biblical authors being taken too literally, as sexual immorality is often used as a desciptor when talking about Israel's idolatry. So, I asked myself, "Who was Jezebel, really?"

Who Was Jezebel

The first thing I did was look up the origin and meaning of "Jezebel." In Hebrew the name is actually Izevel and it is linked to Ba'al worship. Likely it means "unexalted" or "where is the prince?"—the latter being a reference to Ba'al worship.[1][2]

The second thing I did was use the search feature in a digital Bible to find all the references pertaining to Jezebel in the Bible. To my surprise, there are actually two Jezebels mentioned in the Bible: one in the Old Testament and one in the New Testament.

Old Testament Jezebel

Jezebel of the Old Testament is introduced in 1 Kings 16:31 as the daughter of a king who marries Israel's king. She and her husband worship the Canaanite god Ba'al and lead Israel to do the same. The most significant things attributed to Jezebel during her life are the following:

1. Turning the people away from YHWH and toward Ba'al
2. Murder of the prophets of God (1 Kings 18:4)
3. Antagonizing Elijah the Prophet (1 Kings 19)
4. Having Naboth killed so her husband can take Naboth's property (1 Kings 21)

None of these seem related to sexual immorality, which is why people have started to quesiton the concept of the Jezebel Spirit.

There are, however, a few verses in 2 Kings 9 that seem to explain the link. Jehu says Jezebel has a cult of prostitution (and witchcraft). Also, when Jezebel sees Jehu approaching, she puts on makeup and adorns her head—eye makeup is only ever referenced in the Bible in conjunction with rebellion. This would explain why some pastors denounce makeup and jewelry as part of the Jezebel spirit, and is the only link between Queen Jezebel and sexual immorality.

While a case could be made that this is in fact the origin and root of the Jezebel Spirit, I have to point out two important things before you build a case for this as doctrine. Number one: prostitution, harlotry, and adultery are often used to describe Israel when the nation turns away from God (Hosea is the perfect example of this). Knowing that Jezebel did in fact lead Israel astray and that she is being associated with witchcraft, prostitution may not be a reference to literal prostitution and physical sex, but a statement of her treachery toward The Most High God. Number two: although Jezebel puts on makeup and adorns her head, there is no indication that she does this to seduce anyone or for sexually immoral reasons. Remember she is the queen of a nation and sees a dignitary approaching. This isn't much different than if you were to see someone approaching you door and you brushed your hair or changed into more appropriate clothes. As queen, it's likely that there was an expected look that she felt the need to convey when Jehu arrived.

New Testament Jezebel

Arguably, the Jezebel mentioned in the New Testament (Revelation 2:20-23) could actually be a reference back to Queen Jezebel of the Old Testament. The NIV, CSB, ESV, KJV, NKJV, NASB all read as though the author is speaking of a woman named Jezebel. However, the CJB and NLT read as though the woman in question is being called a Jezebel.

If the woman is actually being called a Jezebel, this would be evidence that the concept of the Jezebel Spirit was present during the early church and is not a modern invention. It would also solidify the notion that it references the infamous queen of Israel. However, it is also possible that this is a woman named Jezebel who has no relation to the aforementioned Jezebel.

Either way, it is this Jezebel that is explicitly said to have committed acts of sexual immorality and led the people to commit sexual imorality. It seems to me this is where the concept of the Jezebel Spirit, specifically relating to "looseness" and "sexual immorality" gets its origin.

That being said, it is possible that yet still this isn't about literal sex. As mentioned above, the Bible intertwines the concept of idolatry and adultery (sexual immorality). Not only is the Jezebel of Revelation linked with false doctrine and idolatry by way of consuming meat sacrificed to idols, she is being discussed in Revelation, a book full of symbolism. If you step back just one chapter you will see a brillant description followed by an explanation of symbols. Sometimes in Revelation the symbol definitions are in the book (as in Revelation 1), but other times the symbols are given in other books (such as Daniel). Throughtout the Bible a woman represents a church. In Revelation we already see two women contrasted to represent the true Church and remnant (Revelation 12) versus the apostate church and antichrist powers (the Whore of Babylon). The woman spoken of in Revelation 2 could reference a splinter church or sect within the church that was teaching false doctrine. In this case, sexual immorality might not be literal but a reference to idolatry.

Conclusion

As a believer in the Most High God and a servent of the Messiah, my duty is to seek truth, not to follow the trends or what I desire to be true. My goal is to please the Father, not society and not myself. As a millennial and US citizen, my upbringing naturally biases me against the concept of The Jezebel Spirit. This is something I have to be aware of as I read the text and must constantly pray over to ensure I hear God's voice clearly. When I studied this topic, I tried to study from both points of view and in the end, I do believe there is a seductive spirit in our world. Whether this spirit should be attributed to Queen Jezebel or the false prophetess Jezebel, I'm not sure. I do not think all aspects of female sexuality should be lumped in with this spirit, either. God created both male and female as sexual beings to enjoy each other sexually (in marriage); therefore, female sexuality is natural. That being said, I do believe there are things best left for intimacy (re: strictly between a woman and her husband). My conclusion would be that each person should search themselves for motive. Do I behave this way or dress this way because it's who I am and it's comfortable, or becasue I seek attention or validation or because I'm mimicking the people I see on TV? If the Holy Spirit is convicting me, then I'm probably wrestling with a sexual spirit. However, if I pray and the Spirit does not convict me, it is not a sexual spirit (or I've grieved the Holy Spirit away and all hope is lost...but let's assume none of us are doing that!).

References

1. "Strong's H348. ". Blue Letter Bible; visited March 12, 2022
2. Mike Campbell. "Jezebel". Behind the Name; visited March 12, 2022
3. "What is the Jezebel spirit?". GotQuestions.org; visited March 12, 2022
4. Hope Bolinger. "What is the Jezebel Spirit". Christianity.com. February 7, 2022
5. Aysha Winstanley Musa. "Don’t believe The Handmaid’s Tale: the original Jezebel has been much maligned". The Conversation. July 18, 2017
6. Wednesday Martin. "Who Exactly Was the Original Jezebel?". Lit Hub. September 20, 2018
7. Nyasha Junior. "Jezebel Isn’t Who You Think She Is". Dame Magazine. November 5, 2019
8. Heather Donckels. "Book asserts Jezebel was anything but a prostitute". The Spokesman-Review. November 10, 2007
9. Janet Howe Gaines . "How Bad Was Jezebel?". Biblical Archaeology Society. March 24, 2021
10. "The Jezebel Stereotype" Ferris State University; visited March 12 ,2022
11. "Mammy, Jezebel and Sapphire: Stereotyping Black women in media". Al Jazeera. July 26, 2020

Character Study: Joseph

Summary of Joseph's Life

Joseph was the eleventh son of Jacob, and the first son of Rachel. He is often referred to as a miracle child since Rachel had trouble conceiving. As such, he was favored by his father which contributed to jealousy from his brothers. Joseph also showed a prophetic gift with his dreams, was given a special coat (or tunic), and was known to tell on his brothers' bad behavior. Eventually, the brothers grew fed up with him and plotted to kill him. While his eldest brother, Reuben, only wanted to give him a bit of a scare, the other brothers got serious about teaching him a lesson and sold him into slavery while his eldest brother, Reuben, was gone. Joseph ended up in Egypt as a slave in the house of Potiphar. He is granted favor by God and favored by Potiphar during his tenure there. Unfortunately, Potiphar's wife attempts to seduce Joseph and when he refuses her advances, she cries rape. Due to her false accusations, he is thrown in prison. While in prison Joseph proves that he can interpret dreams; this gift comes in handy when Pharaoh needs a dream interpreted two years later. After successfully interpretting Pharaoh's dream, Joseph is made the second most powerful man in Egypt. He leads them in preparation for a great famine which ends up saving his family as well. During the famine, his brothers come to Egypt for food. Joseph tests the men before eventually reuniting the family in Egypt.

Unknowns

Joseph's Attitude

We know that Joseph prospered in Egypt and that he gave glory to YHWH when he interpreted Pharaoh's dreams, but does that mean he never complained or felt down in the dumps about his situation? In modern literature, Joseph's story which spans only a few chapters in one book of the Bible, could have been it's own novel. In fact it could have been a triology! I can see it now: book one would cover his birth and strained relationship with his brothers, the cliff hanger would be when they sold him into slavery; book two would cover his adjustment to life as a slave and rise to honor in Potiphar's house, the cliff hanger would be Potiphar sending him to jail for allegedly attempting to rape Potiphar's wife; and book three would cover his life in prison and rise to power under Pharaoh, culminating in the satisfying conclusion of being reunited with his family. It's a whole epic triolgy, but the Bible only gives us the Cliff's Notes version so we don't know Joseph's thought process from beginning to end.

I find it hard to believe that he kept a sunny disposition the entire time he was in Egypt. He must have been angry at his brothers at some point. Even more so, despite their strained relationship, it's possible that he looked up to his older brothers before being sold off. From a pyschological viewpoint, their rejection and betrayal had to have some effect on him. When you factor in the fact that Potiphar turned on him at the behest of his wife and the cupbearer initially forgot about him after regaining his freedom, I imagine Joseph had major trust issues.

While we may never know how low Joseph's lowest moment were or how these betrayals affected him, it's important to think about for two reasons. First, our actions to those around us have consequences. Framing the story of Joseph around how the betrayal may have harmed Joseph psychologically instead of always thinking about the success he was rewarded with, can help us be more careful about how we treat others. Instead of thinking our treatment of others doesn't matter because ultimately God will make up for it, we are forced to think about what the person loses because of us. Second, it gives us freedom and wiggle room in our own struggles. When we are in our lows, we may feel pressure to handle every situation perfectly. However, many Biblical characters experienced depression and mental health issues due to the situations they were in. It doesn't mean we have less faith or that we've failed if we feel angry at people who wrong us or sad when we end up in what feel like hopeless situations. The true testament of our faith is that we don't stay angry and sad but that with the help of the Father, we find our way back to peace.

Testing His Brothers

Once, in a Bible study on the passages surrounding Joseph's test for his brothers, we got in to a disagreement about the motives of Joseph's behavior. One of the primary causes for our disagreement was that some were convinced Joseph was "very close" to Benjamin and wanted to ensure no harm had come upon him, while others weren't convinced Joseph even knew Benjamin existed. As I studied this discrepancy of thought, I found that the Bible never confirms—or denies—that Joseph has met his baby brother; thus no one actually knows whether or not Joseph knew Benjamin. This makes the appearance and subsequent testing of Joseph's brothers quiet an interesting study!

Scenario 1: Joseph Was Worried About Benjamin

Let's hypothesis that Joseph did know Benjamin. We know for a fact that Benjamin was not part of the group that sold Joseph off so in that regard we might assume they were on good terms. At 17 years old, it's also safe to assume Joseph knew that his mother was Jacob's favorite wife and may have put two and two together that the reason Jacob favored him was because he was the son of the favorite wife. The same bitterness Leah had toward Rachel may have existed among the other wives and may have spilled into their sons as well (compounding with jealousy toward Joseph's favored status). With that in mind, Joseph may have spent his entire time in Egypt wondering if the vitriol the brothers had displayed toward Joseph had now been transferred to young Benjamin. In such a case, it would be reasonable to interpret the test as a way of assuring no harm had come to Benjamin.

Though I was one of the people who initially believed Joseph had never met Benjamin, there are a few things I found interesting that could support the idea that Joseph did in fact know his brother:

1. Joseph is stirred by the presence of Benjamin but he doesn't inquire about their mother—this could be because traditionally women were of lesser status and it would be odd to inquire about the women; but if Benjamin was born while Joseph still lived with the family, he would already know his mother was dead
2. Benjamin is given a larger portition than the other brothers—this could be because he had nothing to do with selling Joseph or it could have been that he knew who he was.
3. Joseph places the "stolen" cup in Benjamin's bag as the final step in the test. If Benjamin was the younger brother of one of the other brothers, there would be no difference in the cup being found in his sack than in the others' sacks. Joseph had no reason to believe they wouldn't protect "one of their own" as he had been the outsider not just due to favoritism but also due to parentage. Joseph could only have ascribed this same "otherness" to Benjamin if he knew Benjamin was Rachel's son (though this could have come up in unrecorded conversation during the dinner). It is also possible that Joseph never attributed his mistreatment to parentage, but to age and thus chose Benjamin because he was the youngest and clearly the new favorite of Jacob.

Scenario 2: Joseph Was Still Angry

It is possible that all the anger Joseph ever felt toward his brothers bubbled to the surface when he saw them. He may have truly been trying to trip them up, catch them in a lie, and find an excuse to use his power to punish them.

Scenario 3: Joseph Just Wanted to Make Them Squirm

When the brothers first come to Egypt, they bring money to pay for the food the receive. Despite paying, all of their money is found returned to them when they open their sacks later. This means that Joseph either ordered someone to return their money or returned it himself. It also implies that despite their treatment of him, he had already forgiven them. While he may have forgiven them over the years, he wouldn't know how they felt about him or their actions toward him. For all he knew, he may have revealed himself and they may have taken the food and never returned. It is possible that even though his brothers mistreated him, he had missed them and wanted to ensure they would not leave if he revealed himself. By taking Simeon, he had leverage that they might return. In this case, Joseph's test is to see if he can truly trust them once he reveals himself.

Relating to Joseph

When studying about Joseph, I can't lie, in the first few pages of his story, I actually related to his brothers more. I could see them viewing Joseph as a "goody-goody" or a "teacher's pet" as we would day in today's culture. I don't imagine I would have been like Judah, plotting to sell him off, but I'm not certain in my youth I would have been the one trying to put a stop to everything. Most likely, I would have been like Reuben, determined to rough him up a little to make a point and then return him home unscathed. I had to stop and think about why I could understand the brother's point of view so easily because there is in fact a spiritual reason for that.

Amos 3:3 says "can two walk together lest they be agreed?" The fact is, when we are doing wrong, the person doing right agitates us. I remember in school when no one had done the homework and that one kid in class raised their hand to boast about how they had done the work so everyone else looked bad. In truth, it's not that kid's fault everyone else looks bad. Each child is responsible for his/her own work, the same way Joseph's brothers were responsible for their own behavior (re: the bad report he gave on them).

However, as someone who often pretended to have not studied or not completed an assignment for the "good" of the class, there is also an element of social solidarity. There was an awareness that while I might be able to pass the test, my peers would fail. One could argue that they deserve to fail, but another might argue the desire for everyone to pass together. Neither would be wrong in this particular case, it's merely a different viewpoint. In my childhood I often took the latter perspective, but Joseph likely would have taken the former.

From a spiritual perspective, I believe the former is more correct. I say that because we should not "go with the flow" or try to fit in to the world when it comes to spiritual matters. When God says speak, we should speak. When God comes back, I'm not going to pretend I'm not ready becasue other people are going to be condemned. In the spiritual sense, I'm going to be the kid who says "I did my homework! I'm ready for the test!" I'm going to be Joseph calling a spade a spade when it's time to file a bad report so that justice can be done. Joseph's story is meant to prepare us for the spiritual aspect of doing the right thing, and in my youth I wasn't there yet.

I appreciate the ability to understand both sides, though. It helps me to temper myself when trying to be more like Joseph.

Are You A Christian?

Do you identify yourself as Christian? What does it mean to you? Better yet, what does it mean to others?

¹⁵“Beware of the false prophets! They come to you wearing sheep’s clothing, but underneath they are hungry wolves! ¹⁶You will recognize them by their fruit. Can people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? ¹⁷Likewise, every healthy tree produces good fruit, but a poor tree produces bad fruit. ¹⁸A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, or a poor tree good fruit. 19 Any tree that does not produce good fruit is cut down and thrown in the fire! ²⁰So you will recognize them by their fruit. Matthew 7:15-20 CJB

What does it tell you if I call myself a Christian? How much of what you think is tells you is assumption versus Biblical fact and further, how much of that Biblical fact am I actually following?

Identifying As A Christian

I find it difficult to identify as a Christian because it doesn't mean the same thing to everybody. Technically, it means "follower of Christ," which means it should be applied to someone who follows the teachings of the Messiah. However, many people claim the title without following the teachings of Christ—a large number of Christian get their sole teachings from a pastor not the scriptures and therefore don't actually know the teachings of Christ. Yet still, even for those of following the teachings, there are many things people disagree on which means following the teachings of Christ can look different. The person hearing me identify as a Christian defines what he/she believes that means and that may or may not be what I mean.

By The Fruit

Matthew 7 tells us a true prophet is known by the fruit; this applies to disciples too. Anyone can call themselves a Christian but it is the fruit of the Spirit that proves us to be His. My grandfather used to say "let the deeds I've done speak for me." That's how I identify: "let the fruit I bear, speak for me."

The Problem With Church Folk: Presumption Over Relationship

#QTNA: Does presumptuous unsolicited advice ever go over well?

Not too long ago, I received a message (via a social media platform) from a woman who attended the church I used to attend in Florida. The message didn't contain any text—not even a greeting—just a link to a video clip of a sermon.

For context, I've had a total of maybe two conversations with this woman, all very brief and to the point. Nonetheless, I thought perhaps it was a profound word that she just had to share, so I clicked it... It was a man preaching about singleness. He started out saying that God "doesn't give companions, He gives helpers," and then went into a spiel about people wanting a significant other but not working. His example being that Adam was busy naming the animals when God decided to create Eve. I didn't get past that part.

Aside from thinking "wtf" (yes I thought that, see footnote below), the following are a few thoughts that popped into my head:

• Did you send this because you think that I need to hear this?
• If so, are you implying I am a person that wants a spouse but isn't working?"
• How would you know if I want a spouse?
• Actually, how do you know I don't have a spouse[2]
• Why would you send me this?
• Did you send this to other people?

As I mentioned, this woman and I have never had a real conversation. For all she knows, I could have a boyfriend. I could be engaged. Throw in the fact that we haven't spoken since before COVID started and I have been in a totally different state for 8 months: I could be married for all she knows. It is very presumptuous of her to assume not only that I am single, but that I also need help with my singleness (as though it is a disease in need of curing).

After simmering down a bit, I cut her a little slack on the presumption of singleness as I've probably mentioned it on my YouTube channel/podcast before, though I don't know if she follows either. I decided to give her the benefit of the doubt and assume she does. However, that didn't suddnely make the message less bizarre.

There are three types of "work" the man in the clip could have been referencing: physical, spirtual,or emotional. We have physical jobs we do in this world to earn money to pay pills; this is one form of work. There is spiritual work we do both on ourselves and for the Kingdom; this is another form of work. Lastly, there is emotional work that many require to heal from childhood traumas... What type of work was he referencing?

It doens't matter what type of work the man was referencing because this is where my lack of relationship with this woman shines clearest. Literally, the hardest thing about dating is making time for it. I work full time as a software engineer and prior to relocating, also volunteered as a mentor for college women in STEM. I worked with an organization called BOLD Justice to hold elected polictions accountable and fight for a better community.[3] I was in leadership for our young adult ministry and a Sabbath school teacher for the youth class. I have this blog, a podcast, and a YouTube channel dedicated to the Most High God. I have also seen a therapist about past traumas concerning racism in my childhood (as well as for anxiety in grad school). If that's not working, I'm just going to have to be single and lazy cause I can't add much more to my plate.

The thing is, she wouldn't know any of this because we've literally never had a meaningful conversation! (And contrary to the fact that I'm pretty open on the blog, podcast, and YouTube channel, I don't use social media as a diary).

Perhaps she meant well, but I'll never know because she didn't communicate (and I refuse to ask, because I'm too blunt and liable to say something I shouldn't say). A simple message with the link would have done wonders. For all, I know she could have been sharing it with me because she thinks I'm still a youth leader; she could have been hoping that I would pass the information on and it may have had nothing to do with me personally. It's possible that if I'd listened further, the person said something I echoed in one of my posts and maybe she sent it because she thought I'd agree. However, I'll never know because she didn't articualte her thouhgts.

The problem with most Christians—specfically church folk—is that instead of developing and cultivating relationships that lead to organic conversations, they pass out unsolicited advice based on assumptions they've made. Even as a follower of Christ who has done much work on my temper and controlling my tongue, I had quite a few choice words in response. I imagine a younger, less mature version of myself and I see exactly why young people don't want anything to do with the church. Unfortunately, when people behave like this, they're claiming to represent The Most High God (which is both bearing false witness and using God's name in vain) and it doesn't just turn people away from the church but away from God Himself. Let's not continue this.

Footnotes

1. Many Christians subscribe to the belief that "cursing" is wrong. While I would agree that you should watch your mouth on the basis that you may offend ofters (Romans 14), I would like to point out that there is a difference between a "curse" word and a cursing a person. Simply speaking negatively about a person is cursing a person. Shouting an expletive when you drop something on your foot is not cursing a person; there really isn't any difference in screaming the f-word vs. ow in this situation. So while I strive to keep my vocabulary clean and am mindful of how I use my words toward (and about) others, I often think "wtf" and see nothing wrong with it.
2. There are several people at that church that I had known for a year or two (I mean I had actually had conversations with!) that ended up having spouses and I didn't even know. While I disagree with the belief, many in that church believe jewelry to be a sin and therefore a large portion of them don't wear wedding rings. Thus, it's equally plausible that while I was attending the church, I could have had a whole husband she wasn't aware of. Throw in the fact that I haven't seen this woman in person (nor had a conversation with her) in over two years and I could have met someone and gotten married in that time.
3. BOLD Justice (Broward Organized Leaders Doing Justice) is a coalition of religious communities that research problems in the community—such as treatment of homeless people, care for mental health and the elderly, uneccessary arrests, and more), then work with elected official to implement solutions to said problems. While I was there, the main issues worked on were providing stable housing for those struggling with mental health, creating civil citations to reduce the number of arrests for minor infractions (particularly for youth), and ensuring all nursing homes have generators and are inspected so that the elderly are provided with safe living spaces.

Out of Touch: Issues with White Christianity

"If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?" 1 John 4:20 KJV The Church does this often, and that's a problem.

There's a particular ministry that I started listening to back in 2011 that really helped me in my spiritual journey. They have a plethora of sermons and articles about Biblical truth that answered many of the questions I had as a young believer. I am greatful for their ministry, but that doesn't mean I haven't noticed a fatal flaw in it as well.

Last night, they kicked off a series that I thought might be interesting so I set my alarm and made sure to tune in to YouTube in time to catch the broadcast. The pastor was only moments in when he mentioned dressing up like pilgrims and "Indians" as a kid, associating it with the quintessential American experience. He followed that up with the backstory of why the pilgrims came to America, and doubled down on the heroism of the pilgrims by asserting their bravery for traveling to the undeveloped "New World." In the midst of this narrative he casually repeated what people would have been saying about America: "there are cannibals and savages there; you could be eaten!" As though that weren't cringey enough, he continued down this theme of glorifying the pilgrims with a phrase similar to "we are pilgrims passing through the Earth."

It was at that point that I had to stop listening. I want to try to provide some balance and discussion about this issue, because I see it often, and it does more harm to the Kingdom of God than I believe those who perpuate it realize.

Meeting Halfway

Let's start with the fact that none of what this pastor was saying was untrue. At 33 years old, it is true that if you dig through my mother's photo albums you will in fact find a photo of 3 or 4 year old me at my preschool dressed up as a Native American. He was not wrong in the assumption that most people his age had that experience as a child or that many would relate to that sentiment. What is wrong with the statement is that there is no acknowledgement of growth.

First, the pastor refers to indigenous tribes as "Indians" without any indication that this is an incorrect term. This would be like him refering to black people as "Coloreds" or "Negros"—can you image a pastor standing before the people saying "We all gathered around to watch the Negros play sports when we were kids"? Yes, I know, pilgrims and Native Americans sounds weird to the ears because we're used to the phrase "pilgrims and Indians," but that brings me to the second gaffe in his sermon.

Each of us starts life in ignorance. As I said, I too grew up in the era where it was normal to dress up as a Native American (particularly once Disney release Pocohantas and people were dressing up specifically as her for Halloween[2]). However, 33 year old me is aware that this is disrespectful and could be likened to black face in terms of how someone from an indigenous tribe might feel. If I were to show a picture of myself from childhood partaking in the activity, I would acknowledge my growth from that point in my life until now; I would point out that even though it was common practice then it's not acceptable now. This is the major issue with the sermon in general, lack of awareness or acknowledgement.

The pastor is probably right that people in England viewed America as a place were there were "savages" and "cannibals"—it is factually correct in stating that is how Europeans felt about the native population. Again, what he said isn't wrong, but the way he said it was so casual and the reason he was able to say it so casually is because he is removed from the situation. The words are not offensive or hurtful to him because they were not aimed at his people. To him this is simply a piece of history that everyone already knows. In fact, he may have mentally assumed people knew it was wrong, but he didn't verbalize that the way Europeans saw Native Americans was both inhumane and un-Christianly.

Out of Touch

How is it that I, as a black person, can listen to the sermon and instantly feel uncomfortable for my Native American brothers and sisters, but this white pastor remained oblivious? How is it that I, as a "lay person," can see how this would turn people away from the gospel, but an ordained pastor cannot?

In many cases, pastors deliver sermons that probably have a profound meaning hidden in there somewhere, but it is lost by the insenstivty surrounding it. This particular sermon was on the fulfillment of prophecy in the arrival of the pilgrims to America, which is actually a profound topic. Knowing the symbolism of Revelation, I saw exactly where he was trying to go with the sermon and that message is what made me interested enough to tune in. If I didn't already know that symbolism, I'm not sure I would have saw where he was going and the whole point would be missed.

Minorities, and people who are able to understand the minority point of view, are leaving the body of Christ because the gospel is buried under this type of rhetoric. We fail at representing Him when we behave this way and we fail to introduce Him to others when we behave this way. There will be a lot of people explaining to the Most High that their disbelief in Him was caused by our ignorance and mishandling of the gospel and He's going to hold us accountable for that.

The Fantasy of it All

I could stop right there, but there's one more thing that pastor said that is mixed up in this. We spend a lot of time distancing ourselves from this world and focusing on the Kingdom to come (I was actually reading about just that before the sermon![3]). In truth, we are Biblically commanded to do so. We can find evidence of this Biblically. While both Paul and Yeshua/Jesus instruct us to be respecful of government (Matthew 22:21; Romans 13), we see both men (along with Daniel), disrupt the govenment when it conflicts with God's kingdom (Matthe 6:24; Acts 26; Daniel 6). The Bible clearly instructs us to store our treasures in Heaven, not on earth (Matthew 6:19-21). In truth, the Bible supports the statement that this is not our home; we are just passing through (as the pastor said). I even have a podcast episode where I echo a similar sentiment about us merely being ambassadors for the Kingdom as opposed to citizens of the U.S. (or whatever country your citizenship is with).

However, there's a tiny flaw with the way we opperate after internalizing this belief: we leave the world to crash and burn. Yes, we know that it will eventually crash and burn literally, but has God called us watch the world plummet into darkness, or has He called us to be lights in the darkness (Matthew 5:14)? Often, though, we let our focus on the spiritual to allow us to forget that there are people in need physically amongst us.

In my podcast episode Christianity and Climate Change, I touched on the fact that despite the fact that Adam's given role at creation was to take care of the earth, the Church has nothing to say about the topic. We aren't promoting lifestyles that produce less waste, concious purchasing (re: buying from companies that are not harming the planet in the production of their products), or conservation of resources (e.g., not wasting water, fuel efficent/electric cars). Yes, I know that this earth will be destroyed, and a new purified earth will take its place (though increasingly, I wonder if this verse is meant literally or spiritually--that's another blog post though). I know that this earth is doomed, but does that mean it's ok to help sabotage it? If we aren't cultivating and exemplifying behaviors that protect and care for our home now, how are we suddenly going to be able to do so in the Kingdom?

The same conundrum exists with issues of diveresty and socio-economic disparity. If we are unable to make all feel welcome in our midsts on this earth, how will we learn how to foster an inclusive society in Heaven?

References & Footnotes

1. 2CDBN Tv. "America's 11th Hour with Scott Ritsemal". YouTube. November 26, 2021
2. This is not an endorsement of Halloween either. Please see my post Halloween for more on that topic
3. Jeremy Myers. "Meeting Physical Needs to Get at the Spiritual". Redeeming God"; visited November 26, 2021

Like A Good Neighbor

Love God and love your neighbor--on these two hang the whole of the commandments.

³¹“But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. ³² And all the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, just as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; ³³and He will put the sheep on His right, but the goats on the left.

³⁴“Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. ³⁵ For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; ³⁶naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’ ³⁷Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? ³⁸And when did we see You as a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? ³⁹And when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ ⁴⁰And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it for one of the least of these brothers or sisters of Mine, you did it for Me.’

⁴¹“Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, you accursed people, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; ⁴² for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; ⁴³ I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.’ ⁴⁴Then they themselves also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or as a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?’ ⁴⁵ Then He will answer them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it for one of the least of these, you did not do it for Me, either.’ ⁴⁶These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” Matthew 25:31-46 NASB

Following God's commandments are important. Discerning truth is important. Understanding history and prophecy is important. However if we can give a detailed history of paganism in the church (with a little c), lies told, signs of the times, linguistics, and prophecy, but can't show up with that same energy to help our neighbors, we missed the point. (See also: Matthew 7:15-23)

War Binders / Spiritual Journaling

I've been keeping a journal for as long as I can remember. About 4 years ago that journaling turned into something more spiritual; instead of poetry and short stories, it started recording Bible studies, sermons, prayer lists, etc. During the month of May I didn't get to do much journaling and consequently, I didn't read the Bible as much either. For me the process of journaling helps me focus, but it also motivates me to want to study the Word. When I finally settled in to my new place, I was stumped at where to pick up. These types of blocks are common in creative spaces (even in Computer Science), and are almost always solved by going to inspirational sources. I watch a ton of journaling videos, and not just the ones that pertain to scripture—mental health journaling, bullet journaling, art journaling, and more. This reminds me how much I love to journal and gives my ideas for what to do next. Once I got moving again (last Thursday), pages started to flow easily. Before I knew it, I was at page 100 and I thought that deserved a celebration. In hopes that some of this will inspire you as well, I uploaded a video that shows the evolution of my spritual journaling over 4 journals.

Let me know what helps you get creative and your favorite way to journal in the comments below!

Let's Talk About Zionism...

What does the Bible actually say about Zionism? How can we as Christians stand by and watch inhumane treatment of other humans and not be bothered? That is NOT what God called us to do.

A few years ago, I was visiting one of my aunts, and something must have recently made the news about the on-going Israeli-Palestinian conflict because somehow we ended up talking about Zionism. This particular aunt is a devout member of the African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E.) church and like most women in my family, she's not afraid to voice her opinion. At one point in the in the conversation, she made an assertion that many Christians make—an assertion that despite claims of separation of church and state, is at the heart of why the United States often sides with Israel. An assertion that is wrong.

"But it's [Israel's] land. God gave them that land."

The belief in and support of a Jewish nation is often referred to Zionism[1] and it runs deep in the Christian church. It's the only conclusion you'd make if your Christian experience is limited to the sermons you get from the pastor, and it's the easiest conclusion to make with a shallow dive into the Bible itself. I see exactly why people are led to that conclusion: Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt and while they were in the wilderness, God promised them a land flowing with milk and honey. God promised to make Israel a great nation, and a great nation has land, right?

The above train of thought leaves out crucial parts of the narrative and with the recent attacks on Palestine by Israel, it's time we straighten this story out.

Disclaimer

Please understand that this post is discussing the actions of the Israeli government. When speaking about curses I am referencing the nation as a government entity and in a broad sense. While this post is criticizing Zionism it is not a statement against Jewish independence—it is a statement against using Zionism to justify the mistreatment of Palestinans. Also, I have tried to differentiate when I'm talking about Israel of the past verus present by refering to Israelites (past) and Israelis (present).

Is Israel *Still* the Promised Land?

During Israel's time in the wilderness, God promises Israel a lot of things but these promises are not absolute. While there are a few instances that repeat this concept, we're going to focus on Deuteronomy 27-28. In this passage, Moses lays out not one, but two paths for Israel. The first leads to blessings from God (Deuteronomy 28:1-14); if they chose that path they would be prosperous, healthy, and at peace. The second path, however, leads to curses (Deuteronomy 28:15-26). When choosing this path, the Israelites would reap hardship, illnesses, and defeat.

¹“Now it shall be, if you diligently obey the Lord your God, being careful to do all His commandments which I am commanding you today, that the Lord your God will put you high above all the nations of the earth. ²And all these blessings will come to you and reach you if you obey the Lord your God: Deuteronomy 28:1-2 NASB

In Deuteronomy 28:1-2, we see plainly what the path to the blessings is: obedience. Notice that the blessings come to Isreal IF they obey the Lord. So, did Israel obey God and follow the path to the blessings? No! From before Moses could even return from the mountain, the Israelites struggled with obedience. It is due to Israel serving other gods that they go into captivity... The Northern Kingdom (Israel) went through a line of rulers who led the people astray from God, which ends with them being taken away by the Assyrians. In the Southern Kingdom (Judea), they ping pong between righteous and corrupt kings, but ultimately they, too, drift away from God. The prophet Jeremiah tells us this is why they were subjected to the Babylonian captivity.

And I will pronounce My judgments against them concerning all their wickedness, since they have abandoned Me and have offered sacrifices to other gods, and worshiped the works of their own hands. Jeremiah 1:16 NASB

The Israelites in Babylon were eventually returned to the land, but continued to wax and wane in their relationship with God. There would be a Greek captivity followed by the Roman occupation of Israel. It is during the Roman occupation of Israel that we see the birth of the Messiah. The birth of the Messiah occurs during the 70 weeks prophecy given by the prophet Daniel (Daniel 9:24-27). It is during this time that the Israelites are supposed to be turning back to God. This is their final chance as a nation to turn back to their King.

Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city, to finish the wrongdoing, to make an end of sin, to make atonement for guilt, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy Place.Daniel 9:24 NASB

Did the Israelites bring about everlasting righteousness and anoint the Most Holy Place? No, they rejected the Messiah and had Him executed despite His innocence. The Israelites chose a known criminal over an innocent man. Roughly a generation later, Jerusalem was seiged by the Roman empire, the Temple was destoryed and Israel lost their Promised Land. God does not promise to restore the nation of Israel (as a bloodline) after the 70 weeks.

Pastor Ivor Myers has a wonderful sermon series that explains this exact issue.[2] In the series, he discusses the prophets of the Old Testament and teaches us how to put each prophet in context. The essence of the series discusses "the day of Lord" which is not actually one day (often refered to as the end of the world) but a series of judgments by God with the final day of the Lord being the one to bring about eternal peace. He clearly shows how the prophecies to restore Israel end with the rejection of Christ. When Christ rose from the dead, He built the final Temple (often mistaken as a third physical temple) made without hands. This Temple is talked about extensively in the New Testament and it is us. Just as God's Spirit dwelled in the Most Holy place of the Temple in Jerusalem, His Spirit now dwells in us. We—those who have chosen Him—are the new heirs to the throne and the new promised children. Our promised land is not Israel, though, it is the Kingdom of God. We receive this land when the final day of the Lord happens. Unforuntately the sermons are no longer free (I hate when people charge for teachings on the word of God), I'm uploading my notes to Google Drive for those curious about the Bible verses and how these conclusions were drawn.[3]

What If I'm Wrong?

Let's pretend for a second that God had promised to restore Israel after they rejected the Messiah. Deuteronomy 27:19 says "Cursed is one who distorts the justice due a stranger, an orphan, or a widow." Modern Israel has been distorting the justice due the Palestinians for years. Under the assumption the land belongs to Israel, the Palestinians would be strangers in the land, and the fact that Israel behaves unjustly toward them would trigger the curses outlined in Deuteronomy.

Another issue with the U.S. supporting Israel is that when God gives, it's obvious. An army did not free the Israelites from Egyptian captivity. The Israelites did not receive external support when they took the land after leaving Egypt. Although the Persian army conquered Babylon and subsequently allowed Jerusalem to be restored (drawing parallels to the defeat of Germany and allowance of the establishment of modern Israel by the west), the Persian army did not fight battles for Israel. If God was restoring Israel, His people would be able to take the land without the assistance of foreign troops and it would look like the land of the blessings in the beginning of Deuteronomy 28. The most obvious sign God is not giving them the land is that this isn't the case. The first thing the Israelites did when Cyrus allowed them back in the Promised Land was to restore Jerusalem and rebuild the Temple. Modern Israel was established in the 1960s—is there a third Temple? No, because there's a mosque there. There's a mosque there because the Israeli government did not capture Jerusalem in the Six Days War. It's there because God did NOT give them the city of Jerusalem. Trust me, if God wants someone to have something, they'll have it without the U.S. funding it...

The Importance of All This

I do not speak as much about issues that affect ofther minorities on this blog mainly because I'm not always sure of the details and it's better to amplify than to steal the spotlight. However, I had to write something on this issue because as I type, Israel is committing countless atrocities against the people of Palestine[5] and "Christians" are turning a blind eye because they don't understand their own Bible. You cannot support Zionism at the expense of Palestinians and adhere to the tenants God set for us at the same time. The same passion and zeal evangelical Christians put into being pro-life needs to be manifested into being pro-Palestinian-life. From here is where I point you to Palestinian voices. Go read their stories. Go feel their hurt. A friend of mine, who brought the recent atrocities to my attention, has created a letter in support of HR 2590, a bill that would promote and protect the rights of Palestinians. Please research what the Bible actually says, what is happening in Palestine, and what this bill could accomplish, then sign her letter to show your sentators and representatives that you support justice.[4]

References

1. "Zionism". Merriam-Webster; visited May 2021
2. Ivor Myers. "The 3 Heavens Principle". Power of the Lamb Ministries. February 1, 2021
3. My notes on The 3 Heavens Principle
4. Sign the Letter
5. Bill Chappell. "Israel In Turmoil: Violence Spreads To Streets And Occupied West Bank". NPR. May 13, 2021

Do You Celebrate Kwanzaa?

Once, sometime during my childhood (around elementary school), a woman in my community decided to put together a Kwanzaa festival. So for 7 days, we came together with her to learn about the princples of Kwanzaa and esentially celebrate. That was the first and last time my family celebrated Kwanzaa...

As an adult, as I shook off pagan holidays like Christmas and Easter, Kwanzaa didn't cross my mind. Eventually, however, I did start to wonder and ask myself "is it ok to celebrate Kwanzaa?"

What is Kwanzaa

To answer the question, we first have to look at what Kwanzaa is: what is it's origin and what does it represent. The sparks note version of Kwanzaa's origin story is that it was invented in 1966 as a non-religious way to celebrate African culture—those of us descending from African slaves were stripped of our heritage and culture, so this was an attempt to reclaim and embrace some form of African culture. Like many of the Biblical feasts, Kwanzaa is not a single day of celebration; it lasts for 7 days (from December 26 - January 1). Each day is marked by a specific principle—umoja (unity), kujichagulia (self-determination), ujima (collective work and responsibility), ujamaa (cooperative economics), nia (purpose), kumma (creativity), and imani (faith)—and respresented by a candle.[1]

Digging deeper into the history, however, brings to mind quite a few questions (for me at least). The founder of Kwanzaa, Dr. Maulana Karenga, is a professor at California State University. In the 1960's he formed an organization called US that though originally inspired by ideology from Malcolm X, eventually became a rival to the Black Panther Party. In 1969, this rivalry peaked in a shooting that killed 4 Black Panthers. The LAPD supported the conflict and Dr. Karenga's organization. In 1971, Dr. Karenga was convicted of felongy assault for torturing two women. Dr. Karenga denies any involvement in the crime.[2][3]

Does it Glorify God

The primary question for anything we participate is: does it glorify God? There are many things in our modern world that are not mentioned in the Bible; the litmus test for whether these things deserve a place in our lives is how they jive with the word of God.

Unlike holidays such as Christmas or Hanukkah, Kwanzaa doesn't have any religious connections. There is no deity or long standing history that links it back to paganism to set off alarm bells. Yet, the holiday is spiritual. This is evidenced in the seventh principle. Those who celebrate Kwanzaa argue that it is for a person of any religion, and logically faith could apply uniquely to each individual. (Pause for me imagining myself announcing to a crowd: "Continue to have faith in whatever it is you have faith in!" 😂)

Unfortunately, there is quite a bit of evidence that part of Dr. Karenga's motivation for creating the holiday was actally to lead black Americans away from Christianity. A holiday like Kwanzaa would be great during black history month or for Juneteenth, but Dr. Karenga chose December specifically becuase he wanted to create an alternative—not supplemental—holiday to Christmas. While I, and many others, may understand that Christmas is a pagan holiday that has nothing to do with Christianity, most of the world sees it has a Christian holiday. Based on Dr. Karenga's statements, it is evident that he saw Christmas as a Christian holiday and wanted blacks to reject Christianity.[3]

Kwanzaa is not an imitation, but an alternative, in fact, an oppositional alternative to the spookism, mysticism and non-earth based practices which plague us as a people and encourage our withdrawal from social life rather than our bold confrontation with it. Maulana Karenga

Dr. Maulana is a secular humanist and thus Kwanzaa is primarily influenced by secular humanism.

Conclusions

If I'm being honest, I love the idea of Kwanzaa. There is a part of me that wants to throw out all of the parts I don't agree with and create a Kwanzaa remix that I can celebrate. I want to move it to February, strip out any ideas that conflict with Christianity, and pretend that the founder hasn't been accused of heinous acts of violence. Of course, then it wouldn't be Kwanzaa any more. The truth is, as a descendent of people who were stripped of their identity, there will always be a longing for a cultural tie to my ancestors. Kwanzaa presents itself as a possiblity, but truthfully, it isn't my heritage. The lingo for Kwanzaa is all based on Swahili which is mostly spoken in eastern Africa—the people stolen from Africa were taken from west Africa. Like the native tribes of the Americas, there were (and likely still are) vast cultural differences between tribes and peoples on the continent of Africa. Sometimes things just aren't meant to be.

I think it's great to celebrate our African heritage, however, I don't suspect Kwanzaa will be my way of doing so. Do you celebrate Kwanzaa, and if so, have you experienced any conflict over it's principles vs. those of the Bible?

References

1. The Offical Kwanzaa Website
2. "Maulana Karenga". Wikipedia; visited January 2021
3. Harold T. Fisher. "The Kwanzaa Quandary". The Balitmore Sun. December 2, 2007
4. Bruce A. Dixon. "Why I Can't Celebrate Kwanzaa". Jacobin; visited January 2021
5. David Roach. "Black SBC pastor & prof: Kwanzaa not rooted in faith". Baptist Press. December 21, 2005

2021 War Binder: Setup + What is it?

Check out one of the ways I strengthen my relationship with God in my latest YouTube video.

What is a War Binder?

From what I've seen on the interwebs, war binders were inspired by the movie War Room. War binders are kind of like prayer journals; they're meant to strengthen your relationship with God. It may include scriptures, bible studies, prayers, reflections, etc. To be honest, even though I've seen the movie, I didn't know war binders were a thing until after I had created about 3! My journal consists of notes I take while studying the Bible independently and in small groups, sermon notes, prayer lists, word studies, and many other things. So I think it earns the distinction as a war binder.

What is a Bullet Journal?

Bullet journals were invited by Ryder Carroll and popularized on YouTube, Pinterest, and Instagram. Often shorted to "bujo," bullet journals are an alternative to traditional planners. It's a system using lists and symbols to organize (and simplify) the planning process. The typical bullet journal contains monthly layouts, weekly layouts, habit trackers, and collections (a collection is basically a list). The beauty is that you can add to or remove whatever you want from the system because you create it as you go. No two bullet journals are the same. I joined the bullet journal world around 2015 because I loved the flexibility and the creativity.

The Mash Up

For a while, I had a notebook for my bible study group and a notebook for my bullet journal. That didn't work so well, so I created the first iteration of my war binder/bullet journal mash-up. It was too bullet journal-y so it didn't really make sense. I was really bad at filling in the table of contents, so bible studies, sermon notes, and devotions were lost in the many pages of the journal. It was a bullet journal, with random studies thrown in. So I went back to separate journals, but something still wasn't quite right.

I finally ended up with the sweet spot last year this time when I created a journal I called "Woven Together." Before I started it, I made a mental list of what I liked about bullet journaling and what I liked about the bible study journal.

Bullet Journal	War Binder
dot grid paper idea/brainstorming lists make it up as you go system/key for easy reference	God focused Bible study pages sermon notes word studies

Then I combined them!

Instead of a "table of contents," I have a "list of lists." It's essentially a collection of collections I want to create. After I create the collection, I add the page number to the original list. The primary function of these collections is to brain storm what topics, passages, and words I'm going to study, but I also add collections like favorite worship songs, women of the Bible, favorite passages, names of God, ways to be a better neighbor, etc. When I sit down to study the Word, I flip to my collections and pick a word, passage, or topic to study.

I've really enjored this format and think this is how I'll be journaling for a while. It's really helped to put God at the center of everything. Since I'm coming to the end of that journal, I decided to continue with "Woven Together: Volume 2" in 2021. This time I added back in some of the planning aspects of the bullet journal and I think it's better balanced than the first time I tried this. Do you journal? What style is your favorite?

The BLM Controversy

Black lives matter, period.

Anyone still arguing about the phrase has larger issues they need to work out. I'm not going to explain the phrase because you've already seen the memes and the comic strips. It's been almost a decade since the phrase became popular, and I'm certain someone has explained it to you since then (in fact I may even have a post from way back that does just that). So we're not wasting time on that today. Today, we're talking about a very different type of controversy.

The reason I created this post is because I have used "#blacklivesmatter" both on the blog and in social media before, and I wanted to acknowledge the controversy surrounding the official organization.

Photocredit: Unsplash.com/Clay Banks

What is BlackLivesMatter?

BlackLivesMatter is actually multiple things:

• It's a phrase/slogan/rallying cry
• It's a movement
• It's an organization

When people say "Black Lives Matter," they aren't necessarily claiming allegiance to the organization—they might not even know there is an organization. The ideas and intentions behind the people who agree with the basic statement may vary. When the phrase began it's rise to prominence in our society, there was no organization around it, and that gave people freedom to approach the same underlying belief that black lives are just as valuable as any other human life even if they had different opinions on how and why. Now, it is difficult to separate the idea that black lives matter from the organization Black Lives Matter, which makes usage of the hashtag a little messy.

The Organization "BlackLivesMatter"

The official organization of Black Lives Matter was created by Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors, and Opal Tometi in 2013. Within the past year, I began to see several people denouncing the organization and others wrestling with what they feel comfortable with. Despite accusations that the black people struggling to accept the organization are "sell-outs," there are two valid concerns many have raised about the organization itself (along with conspiracy theories, but we're going to stick to verifiable information), both of which center around it's beliefs.

When I first became aware of the controversy, denouncers pointed me a page on their website entitled "What We Believe." Since the heavy scrutiny of statements made on this page, it has been removed from the site. I was a able to find an archived copy and have linked it below.[1]

While the beginning of this page spoke about ending police brutality, by the time you reach the end, there was a call to dismantle the nuclear family structure and language perceived to be anti-male. Several things on this page are in direct conflict with Christian principles—

Here I want to insert a bit of opinion/commentary/clarification. One of the prominent features of the "What We Believe" page was the support for the LGBT+ community. This has also come up in discussion about the organization. In my opinion, statements such as "We affirm the lives of Black queer and trans folks, disabled folks, undocumented folks, folks with records, women, and all Black lives along the gender spectrum."[2] are not in contradiction with Christian beliefs. While I may not agree with how people live their lives I do believe their life is valuable and I do think it is a tragedy that the LGBT+ community experiences death by homicide and suicide at higher rates than any other community (particulary people from the black LGBT+ community). I agree with statements such as "Black Trans Lives Matter," because they do. Within the original "What We Believe" page, there was language that seemed to promote homosexuality that I did not agree with, so I do understand why this comes up in conversation, but in general I do not see an issue with affirming the value of life no matter the belief, sexual orientation, lifestyle, gender, etc. of the person. Black LGBT+ Lives Matter just like Black Muslim Lives Matter and Black Atheist Lives Matter. Black lives matter, period.

—so the question quickly became, is it OK for a Christian to align itself with a organization that promotes ideas it doesn't agree with.

Many point to Amos 3:3 to say "no," but many of us work for or shop at major corporations that stand for things we don't agree with. Is this different? Should we be assessing everything in our lives this way?

The second thing I started to hear about the organization, was that there was a lot of spiritualism. The founders of the movement have said that the reason they invite people to chant the names of the dead is to "invoke spirits."[3] This is likely the origin of hastags like "#SayHerName."

I'm not about that life at all. The Bible condemns necromancy (the act of calling up spirits, invoking the dead, talking to the dead, etc.).[4]

In addition to the way these beliefs clash with Christianity, there are people who accuse the the organization of Marxist intentions. This accusation stems from an interview in which Patrisse Cullors admits the founders are "trained Marxists."[5][6]

Problematic Statements

Below are some of the contraversial statements from the original "What We Believe"[1] page (in case the archived page disappears one day as well). In some I have added emphasis to highlight the part that is questionable.

We build a space that affirms Black women and is free from sexism, misogyny, and environments in which men are centered.

As a woman, I have experienced sexism and misogny and applaud the goal of creating spaces free of this, but the part about being free of environments in which men are centered is questionable. Ideally, I want the most qualified person to lead, whether that person is male or female. I think there should be groups that are centered on men and groups centered on women and groups for everyone (for example, I am part of a young adult group that is open to everyone, but there are also women's groups and men's groups; all three have their place).

Part of the disruption of the black community has stemmed from the emasculation of black men and the removal of black men from our society. I feel that this statement goes beyond creating an equal and safe environment for women, which is concerning to me.

We disrupt the Western-prescribed nuclear family structure requirement by supporting each other as extended families and “villages” that collectively care for one another, especially our children, to the degree that mothers, parents, and children are comfortable.

I agree that it takes a village to raise a child, but I also know that it has been proven that there is an advantage to growing up in a two parent home (re: a nuclear family structure). I agree that we should support each other, but I'm not trying to "disrupt" two parent homes—the support should be in addition to not in place of.

Further I find it interesting that the mention "mothers" and "parents" but never mention "fathers." Once again the message written between the lines leaves little space for men in the equation.

We are self-reflexive and do the work required to dismantle cisgender privilege and uplift Black trans folk, especially Black trans women who continue to be disproportionately impacted by trans-antagonistic violence. ... We foster a queer‐affirming network. When we gather, we do so with the intention of freeing ourselves from the tight grip of heteronormative thinking, or rather, the belief that all in the world are heterosexual (unless s/he or they disclose otherwise).

These are the statements made that I believe go a bit further than simply protecting members of the LGBT+ community (which as they have accurately stated are disproptionately affected by violence and need to be protected), into promoting the ideals and working to make it normal.

Final Thoughts

As I've mentioned throughout this post, I do believe that black lives matter, and regardless of gender, religion, sexual orientation, political party, educational status, economic status, etc., there is work that needs to be done to protect our community from systemic racism (particularly with respect to the criminal justice system and police brutality). There are definitely things that the organization believes that I do not agree with. Truthfully, there are alot of companies who have employees, CEOs, and shareholders that hold beliefs contrary to mine. A perfect example is a restaurant near my job that has great food; all of their food is halal because the owners are likely Muslim. No one would say that I'm making a statement about Islam because I eat there.

When it comes to the Black Lives Matter organization, I think the question we should be asking ourselves is about what we are taking part in. If I were to show up to a march or rally hosted by Black Lives Matter and they were chanting to "invoke the spirits," I would most certainly leave. If they were pushing for legislation that I disagreed with, I would not cosign or otherwise support that legistlation. If I suspect they are using donations for purposes I don't agree with, I wouldn't donate. However, if they're organizing something that we agree on, I will show up to support that. If they're pushing to get rid of no-knock warrants, I support that. If they're pushing for police reform, I support that. If they're educating the general public about injustice, I support that. In short, I only support the organization on issues that align with my beliefs.

References

1. "What We Believe". Web Archive; visited October 4, 2020
2. "About". Black Lives Matter; visited October 3, 2020
3. Ryan Foley. "BLM leaders practice 'witchcraft' and summon dead spirits, black activist claims". The Christian Post. September 1, 2020
4. Leviticus 19:31; Deuteronomy 18:10-12
5. The Real News Network. "A Short History of Black Lives Matter". YouTube. July 22, 2015
6. Tom Kertscher. "Is Black Lives Matter a Marxist movement?". PolitiFact. July 21, 2020