Skin for skin

African-American allegiance to color at the expense of conscience

By Clenard Childress

Without question we are at the precipice, the cusp, of the most significant presidential election of our Republic's history. There has never been an election in America which will determine the relevancy and loyalty of the church as this 2012 vote. The frontline face of morality in the reproductive rights arena is the Catholic Church. Yet 54% of Catholics voted for Barack Obama in 2008. Obama was able to hide behind the cloak of "Change" and it could be said that unsuspecting Sheep may not have known they pulled the lever for the most pro-abortion president in our nation's history. If the Flock had any question about the president's regard for the tenants of the church and its doctrine, and his calloused concern for the unborn, it was certainly removed as his signature legislation demanded the Church comply with the HHS mandate to provide contraceptives and offer abortion services. Thus what they did not know then, they certainly know now.

Evangelicals and Protestants joined together in the fracas as the president ended his presidential "evolution" with Gay marriage, endorsing the practice. He even made it a part of the Democrat's National Convention Platform. The president, by way of his "evolution," decided to alter the fundamental building block of society, change the definition of marriage and declare the Word of God in error from the beginning. "It is written from the beginning that God made them male and female, for this cause a man shall leave his father and mother and cleave to his wife and the two shall be one flesh." The president said he was, "evolving," on the matter of Gay Marriage, but to many it was more like the president was, 'revolving,' which would explain this dizzying response to this crucial issue. Yet the true defining moment was a slap-in-the-face when not only Gay Marriage was a part of the party platform, God's Name was removed, and in order to mollify the anti-Jewish pro-Palestinian wing, Jerusalem was renounced as the Capitol of Israel. What party has ever dared do such a thing, declaring both Natural and Revealed Law null and void, Judeo-Christian morality and history irrelevant, and then when the polls weren't going the president's way, in an open floor vote to ameliorate what was now a major problem in the polls, after forcing the vote through several times, when gaveled down there was ignited a chorus of boos and hisses by the now disenfranchised delegates. Yes, Brethren, God was booed! I would have never imagined I would ever see such blatant disrespect for God by one of the two major parties, but there you have it. Rightfully so, the Black Church is disappointed, it's disillusioned, and it's depleted...

Disappointed — that the "Hope and Change" promised was very much of the same political posturing done by many other party candidates over the years who take our vote for granted, and having no intentions whatsoever of change — reminding me of the line, "Vote for me and I'll set you free" from the song, "Ball of Confusion," by the Temptations — they do absolutely nothing. The true change with transparency, which would bring upward mobility to our constituency, despite our votes faithfully given, just never happens. Change implies admission that what we are doing, is not working, and transparency would make us honest about the changes we need to make. For instance: how can we continue to abort our children at the rate of 1,786 a day, refuse to honor the Institution of Marriage due to promiscuity and unbridled passions, and then send our progeny to failing schools, thus relegating them to a life of mediocrity and failure? How can we generationally do this over and over and over again? Yet the party preferred endorses and sustains this madness with our perpetual support. Sadly we voted skin for skin...

Disillusioned — about the future now that those who were duped see much of their expectations were more about their desire for a president that looked like them than the content of his character. By now they have found out that a Black president was not the answer to their economic plight or solution to their identity crisis. Their allegiance cost them their most valuable and essential gift: conscience. It was surrendered for an image they believed would settle the score and remove the cloud of inferiority that dims the sunshine of justice and equality over this nation since its inception. It was skin for skin...

Depleted — Ignoring Dr. Martin Luther King's admonition about judging a man based on the color of his skin and not upon the content of his character, in the last election, 95% of African-Americans voted for Barack Obama and many continue to support him due to one simple fact: he is Black. But many have become exhausted in the defense of our errant allegiance, for it's not any longer based on the promise of Hope and Change; it's not in expectation of urban small businesses receiving loan support in order to create jobs within our communities, or true education with the goal of educating our children in schools like, Sidwell Friends, where Obama's daughters go, or prison reform. No. They continue their support due to one simple fact: he is Black. It's Skin for skin....

Skin for skin is an assessment that Lucifer made about man. Satan can certainly make the same determination with many African-Americans when it comes to cherishing their God-given values and/or support for an errant Black president.

Job 2:4, 5 And Satan answered the Lord, and said, "Skin for skin! Yes, all that a man has will he give for his life. But put forth thine hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse Thee to Thy face."

Satan believed mankind would renounce their values and honor for God, to preserve their own image and feed their carnal desire. But Satan was wrong about Job, and come this November, I really hope he is wrong about the Black Church, and that we heed what Dr. King so lucidly wrote on April 16th, 1963 now nearly 50 years ago in his Letter from a Birmingham Jail:

"Things are different now. So often the contemporary church is a weak, ineffectual voice with an uncertain sound. So often it is an arch defender of the status quo. Far from being disturbed by the presence of the church, the power structure of the average community is consoled by the church's silent — and often even vocal — sanction of things as they are.

But the judgment of God is upon the church as never before. If today's church does not recapture the sacrificial spirit of the early church, it will lose its authenticity, forfeit the loyalty of millions, and be dismissed as an irrelevant social club with no meaning for the twentieth century."

Amen

© Clenard Childress