A line drawn in the sand -- or -- walking the plank African American clergy must decide

By Clenard Childress

Dr. Martin Luther King's book, "A Stride Toward Freedom," was considered the handbook of the Civil Rights movement of the fifties and sixties. It was in this writing Dr. King expressed the necessity for the Church to be engaged and informed about the social injustices plaguing the country. Dr. King said, "It is not enough for the Church to be active in the realm of ideas; it must move out to the area of social action." As I have related repeatedly, America is not at the crossroads, it has all ready gone down the wrong road and it's all happened while the Church in America has stood amicably by.

Race is not found in heaven but certainly plays a major role here on earth and certainly in America. It is quite ironic, no, just down right insidious that it would be the first Black president to 'draw the line in the sand' demanding the Black Church to follow in complete allegiance, in complete lockstep. 'Drawing the line in the sand' does not adequately describe the challenge to the Church, since the president has now declared his open support for Homosexual marriage; it is more like walking the plank, and just before you step into oblivion, Obama removes the blindfold.

Being fair, the president inherited Roe Vs Wade. Abortion has been a scourge on the land for nearly 40 years. Unfortunately the Black Church ignored Obama's deplorable record on the moral issues, his heartless, calloused voting record on abortion, and his ever advancing abortion agenda with many of the key Church leadership knowing the decimating effect abortion is having on the African-American community. Moreover, these last few years, much of the Black Leadership — some well meaning with good intentions — have been blindly following and supporting the president's policies but last Tuesday, Obama lifted the blindfold.

If you didn't know where Barack Obama was going all along, you should most assuredly know now. You excused his Klan-like relationship with Planned Parenthood and blatant disregard for the Judeo-Christian ethic you claim as your own. Yes, Church, he's been cheating on you all along, but you ignored the signs because, you just wanted to work it out. You were hoping you could make him love you and take care of home. Well, we ignored the late nights coming home... the missing cufflinks... the strange numbers on his cell phone... and calls made when you were not around. Now the president has let you know, he is in bed with someone else, and demands you must go along with it. And when you asked him why he cheated on you, he said he "talked it over with his daughters and Michelle," and to add insult to injury, hoping he'd fooled all of us, had the audacity to claim it was teachings he learned from the One who built and founded you....

Wake Up Church!

In a further effort to blur the lines between truth and falsehood, Nancy Pelosi is emailing America telling you how wonderful it is for the president to stand up for marriage equality, and Al Sharpton has written you letters literally asking you to not let this effect your — voting — allegiance to the president, 'cause he's counting on you' this November. And no doubt, Roland Martin of CNN — appealing to your vanity — is on the phone right this minute, burning up the wires, trying to get the biggest names in Christendom to do another interview with the sole purpose of damage control and further bewitching the minds of the saints so you stay enthralled with the color of the president's skin and not the content of his character.

Let's go back to Dr. Martin Luther King's 'Stride Toward Freedom' and hear what he says about the preacher...

"It is impossible to speak about the role of the Church without referring to the ministers. Every minister of the Gospel has a mandate to stand up courageously for righteousness, to proclaim the eternal verities of the Gospel, and to lead men from the darkness of falsehood and fear to the light of truth and love."

One of the "eternal verities" of the Gospel is that, marriage is between one man and one woman; another "eternal verities" of the Gospel is, Thou shalt not kill.

Some who are reading this may say, 'The Christian is supposed to forgive and go on and stay together.' Well, first let me say in reply, we are to always forgive, but that does not mean I am to follow and support what is patently untenable and undeniably unconscionable. Others may say, 'Just as a wife or husband should forgive due to infidelity, we should forgive Barack Obama for his.' That would be fine, Church, but in the spirit of John the Baptist, I declare unto you, it is not lawful for you to have him, for you are not married to him. Obama is not your husband! You must go back to your first love — JESUS — and ask for His forgiveness. He will take you back, for he is married to the backslider and stands at the gate waiting for the Prodigal....

We must be free to stand up for righteousness as Dr. King charged and we must be bold in our positions, for 'a man cannot serve two masters.' We cannot walk in support of ideologies which are destroying the social fabric of the African-American community, this country, and diminish and demean the Gospel we preach.

In closing, let's look at Dr. King's 'Stride Toward Freedom' once again for insight:

"Any discussion of the role of the Christian minister today must ultimately emphasize the need for prophecy. Not every minister can be a prophet, but some must be prepared for the ordeals of his high calling and be willing to suffer courageously for righteousness."

A line in the sand — or — walking the plank... brethren, which is it?

© Clenard Childress