Racial Tension and Violence

[Download MP3]

Dr. Brown tackles the difficult issue of racial tension in America today, asking what’s behind the recent spate of racially-motivated attacks and why our inner cities are starting to boil over.

Hour 1:

Dr. Brown’s Bottom Line: Yes, it is a time of shaking, and during times of shaking, all kinds of problems will surface, one of which is racial tension. We as followers of Jesus must be an example of working together, being constructive, and finding a solution, listing, learning, and pointing to a better way.

Hour 2:

Dr. Brown’s Bottom Line: It is a long, hot summer. Economic tensions are rising; pressures are rising on every front, and there is demonic attack as well. Can we as God’s people rise higher? Katherine Bruce said, “The waters are rising, but so am I. I’m not going under, but over!”

Featured Resource:

Prophets & Prophetic Ministry [MP3 Series]

Other Resources:

The Great Debate [DVD]: Dr. Michael Brown tackles the perennial issue of suffering and the problem of pain with leading New Testament scholar and agnostic Dr. Bart Ehrman at Ohio State University.

6 Comments
  1. Christian American African.
    Born, reared & educated in Newark, NJ.
    Politically a moral conservative. Essentially in agreement with you.

    My feelings are mixed.

    First, I am disappointed that I am marginalized as an urban moral conservative by those who have a similar history in this hemisphere as I.

    I am not sure when the wholesale flight to the Democratic Party occurred. I know that originally we were mostly Republicans. I have heard that it was due to Nixon’s first run for President in the late 50’s. However, this blinders-on rush to a party who offers us nothing better than slavery to the government has only hurt, not helped us. The only time the liberals even say anything about us is when they wish to use demagoguery to keep us in the pen. This angers me. What hurts me is that we fall for it so readily without checking it out. But then I see that throughout various sectors of society. We hear and watch everything, but read nothing.

    I am conservative, and therefore normally vote Republican, because moral liberalism has done far more damage than the whips, chains, dogs and white sheets of years past to our community. This makes me sad.

    Away from this is the matter of racism. I have distinguished a benign and a malignant racism. They are both evil. However, the intent is a bit different. In the Church the problem is benign racism.

    The strongest of the two Christian radio stations in this area is WAWZ 99.1. At one time it was mostly teaching and a few music segments. Several years ago this was reversed. When this happened the playlist went from panchromatic to monochromatic. All day long one will hear every new and old Christian European-descended artists. You will hear no more than four or five Christian American-African artists – and that maybe once per hour.

    I have written to them asking them to bring more variety to their playlist. They have ignored me. Some Christians of European descent agree with me. However, some have actually said that they see nothing wrong with the playlist. This dismissal of the cultural variety in the community is the thing that will ensure that there is a great gulf fixed between the “White” and “Black” communities – even in the church.

    A church I attended and where my wife still serves as director of women’s ministries once had a “liturgy” that appealed to a wide audience in this most diversified radio market (NY/NJ). There was a change in worship leaders and it became all rock-styled. American Africans do not stick around. Many visit. Few stay. The pastor is an excellent expository teacher. However, this monochromatic musical style (which even the European Americans in the church have expressed dislike)continues, and the brother who leads worship has rejected any and all constructive criticism. The pastor, and I even named one of my musical compositions after him, has defended this. He once called (re)diversifying the music would be micromanaging, forcing the worship leader into a place of discomfort, and would be pandering. These were his words.

    If everywhere we go where sound doctrine is taught features music that is completely antithetical to our cultural language, where does that leave us. Will this help us feel comfortable as what and who we are? Or does this cause us to infer that something about our culture and our musical styles is bad (as some teach).

    If we want to see racial tensions relax, we in the Church must open our minds, hearts, eyes and ears to each other. How is it that I can enjoy Third Day and Casting Crown, but you will not even consider CeCe Winans or Cross Movement, yet you want me to believe you love me as your brother – more your brother than your non-believing kin?

  2. I agree with you on President Obama.

    I so wanted to support him, hoping against hope that he understood the importance of the moral issues. Obviously I found this to be far from true.

    When he was elected, I too hoped he would not be anywhere near the radical his political history suggested. This turned out to be a vain hope.

    Do I think President Obama has increased the extant racial tension? Yes and No. I say yes, because those on his side are consistent in playing opposition to his policies as born of racism rather than ideology. This is incendiary and divisive – deliberately, as some of your callers have already said.

    On the other hand, those who once supported but have since abandoned President Obama know that his failures have nothing to do with his ethnicity but his ideology.

    Ignorant folks on both sides will make stupid decisions. I hope I am right in assessing these as being on the fringes.

  3. Racism in Politics?

    How about conservative radio personality Armstrong Williams saying that he agreed with almost nothing of President Obama’s policies, but voted for him because he wanted to be able to tell his progeny that in that historic moment he showed up?

    This is politico-ethnic hypocrisy at its worst.

  4. I agree with you Leon De Vose, II.

    The African American Church, culture, music
    are diamonds of blessing from God.

    The theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer lived and worshipped in an African American Church, Community and journals of the strength of faith and the progress he made in his own life as a follower of Y’shua – This PHD Theologian gives credit to the powerful presence of the African American culture, Church – this is his testimony.

    I am a multicultural person – I have lived all over the world – the United States seems to be the only country I have lived in that is racially divided.

    I encourage all European Americans to allow the Holy Spirit to bless them through the African American culture – church.

    In these times of economic and immoral attacks – may unity more than ever before be between the European and African Americans – Hispanic and Asian – and I encourage all Americans to allow the Holy Spirit to bless them through African American culture, Church.

    Shalom between the cultures.

Comments are closed.