Modern black church shuns King's message.

John Blake posted a story on the CNN website entitled the Modern black church shuns King's message. I have inserted portions of that story on this blog. Blake asserts that the so-called black church has failed to carry forth kings model of prophetic ministry in challenging the status quo and speaking truth to power. He reveals the growing debate in the black community over so-called prosperity preaching as done by T.D. Jakes and Creflo Dollar and prophetic preaching as exemplified by preachers like Jerimiah Wright. I have posted my observations and comments at the end of his his quote. You can find the entire story at: http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/04/06/mlk.role.church/index.html


The contemporary white church has largely accepted King as a religious hero. Yet some observers say there is one religious community that continues to shun King -- the black church

Forty years after his death, King remains a prophet without honor in the institution that nurtured him, black preachers and scholars say. King's "prophetic" model of ministry -- one that confronted political and economic institutions of power -- has been sidelined by the prosperity gospel.

Prosperity ministers preach that God rewards the faithful with wealth and spiritual power. Prosperity pastors such as Bishop T.D. Jakes have become the most popular preachers in the black church. They've also become brands. They've built megachurches and business empires with the prosperity message.

Black prophetic pastors rarely fill the pews like other pastors, though, because their message is so inflammatory, says Henry Wheeler, a church historian. Prophetic pastors like the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, the former pastor for Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama, often enrage people because they proclaim God's judgment on nations, he says.

"It's dangerous to be prophetic," said Wheeler, who is also president of the Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis, Indiana.

"I don't know many prophetic preachers who are driving big cars and living very comfortably. You don't generally build huge churches by making folks uncomfortable on Sunday morning," he said.

The prosperity gospel started as a fringe doctrine in the black church. It was pioneered by "Rev. Ike," a prosperity televangelist with a pompadour who boasted during his heyday in the 1970s that "my garages runneth over."

Jonathan Walton, author of "Watch This! Televangelism and African American Religious Culture," says that although people may have chuckled at Ike's flamboyance, his theology exerts more influence in the modern black church than King's.




It is not coincidental but significant that King found his model for social change and civil disobedience in Mahatma Gandhi not Paul or Peter or Jesus; Hinduism not Christianity. There simply is no Christian tradition of King-style, Gandhi style Civil Disobedience and protest.

The gospel message came initially to the Jews who were an oppressed people. The Jews were disenfranchised and discriminated against. They were second class citizens in their own country. They had a legacy of suffering, slavery and abuse yet the message Christ and the Apostles delivered to them focused on deliverance from spiritual bondage and satanic oppression not a this-present-world social agenda.

The message was "love not this world neither the things of this world... Set your affections on things above and not on things of this earth."
The fact is you can read the New Testament from beginning to end and you will find no support whatsoever for a church based social activism.

The concept of a black and a white church is not biblical. Though there certainly is a black church sociologically speaking there is no such thing as a black church scripturally speaking. Faithful gospel preachers do not owe allegiance to a so-called black church but to the church that Jesus said, "I will build." The only traditions a minister of Jesus Christ is obligated to observe and uphold are those handed down by the Apostles of Jesus Christ.

King was a great civil rights leader but King was not and is not God's model for preachers. No mere human is. Jesus is our model. What do you think?

Pro-Am Golf Tournament

Looks like I'm going to have an opportunity to play in my first Pro-Amateur golf tournament on April 30th this year. The South Georgia Classic (SGC) is a PGA Nationwide Golf Tour event. It will be held again for the second year at the Kinderlou Golf Course here in Valdosta, Georgia. Kinderlou is my "home" course and maybe that will give me a good chance at posting a respectable score. I sure don't want to be embarrassed with all of the attention we will be getting. The SGC is sponsored by the South Georgia Medical Center Foundation and is the charitable beneficiary of the tournament. I will be playing with Greg Powell, Devins Jackson and a fourth person to be selected at a later date. I am looking forward to having big fun. visit: www.pagtour.com/tournaments/h092/ for information.

Around the Forrest

A Band of Brothers: William A. Stephens, Lee Roy Butler, Jr., Devins T. Jackson, Chester Mayfield

Men's Ministry

There is a new ministry in the Forrest and it is called BROTHER 2 BROTHER. It is a ministry to men designed to provide a time for men of the congregation to bond and build up one another. We started with 25 men and have had two meeting as of the date of this post. The men vary in age from 63 to about 27 years old. We are currently meeting twice a month on the second and fourth Thursday at 7:00 PM. We had such a great time during the first meeting that the session stretched into about two hours. I gave everyone the option of leaving after about an hour and fifteen minutes but the men were enjoying each other's company so much that no one was in a hurry to leave.

We have adopted a purpose statement which is as follows: The Woodlawn Forrest Brother 2 Brother Ministry is a Christ-centered ministry dedicated to equipping, empowering and deploying men in Christian service to their family, church, community, and the world. We plan to use a book entitle "WHAT MEN MUST DO" written by Dr. Larry Jones of Charlotte NC as a tool to stimulate discussion on topics that are hot-button issues for men. Topics such as: "Living Without Respect". Dr. Jones is a Medical doctor and Christian father and husband. We look forward to having Dr. Jones come and share his enthusiasm, insights and great wisdom with us in person. We also intend to use local speakers to address other issues such as men's health concerns and financial literacy. If you are a brother interested in being the best you can be we would like to connect you with other brothers so we can relate Brother--2--Brother.

Lording it Over the Flock

1 Peter 5:2-4 (ASV)

2Tend the flock of God which is among you, exercising the oversight, not of constraint, but willingly, according to the will of God; nor yet for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; 3neither as lording it over the charge allotted to you, but making yourselves ensamples to the flock. 4And when the chief Shepherd shall be manifested, ye shall receive the crown of glory that fadeth not away.

I have found that there is a lot of confusion surrounding this phrase used by Peter to describe what elders are not to do in shepherding the flock of God. Lording it over is a term which means: to enforce one's own will and opinions as a matter of law (heretic); to use coercive and abusive tactics to get people to comply with directives or rules; to rule as a dictator or tyrant. The Lord is our Shepherd. Christians, as the flock of God, are to follow Him and obey his voice. Under shepherds (elders and evangelist) must speak with the voice or authority of the Chief Shepherd in leading the sheep of God. Their words must not be their own but the words of Christ. They must teach no other doctrine but the doctrine of Christ (1 Tim 1:3). They are to lead by example and let their lives be a testimonial to their faith in God. The people of God are not servants of their leaders but they are servants of Christ. The leaders (elders and evangelists) are servants of the people. They are helpers of their joy and not lords over their faith (2 Cor. 1:24). The flock will hold every leader who serves them faithfully and lovingly in high esteem. This was Jesus' solution to his disciple's quest for greatness in the kingdom. He taught them that that the way up is the way down (Matt. 20:20). Commanding and controlling is not the pathway to greatness--loving and serving is. Love does not seek its own. If a man really loves the Lord and the church of Christ he will submit his will to that of Christ and esteem others better than himself.

Welcome to Certain Sounds Ministries

I appreciate you logging on to this blog. This is my first time experimenting with such a medium and I'm not sure what the outcome will be but I have long been fascinated with the idea of exchanging ideas and dialog with such a wide audience. I hope you will visit often and freely share your thoughts on the topics that will be posted here.