WHEN LOYALTY BACKFIRES

As I was getting ready for church yesterday, I was watching ESPN's Outside the Lines (OTL) broadcast and I saw a segment that dealt with Michael Vick and his dogfighting case. The story stated that one of the major reasons why Vick was involved in this matter is due to his loyalty with those he knew before he became an All-Pro quarterback in the NFL.

OTL focused on the issue of certain athletes not wanting (or being able) to sever unhealthy acquaintances with individuals in their past due to the fact that they would "lose their credibility" in the circles they grew up in. OTL went on to state that Vick's inability to develop new healthy relationships with others in lieu of the ones he had growing up played a major factor in him being unable to mature and make proper decisions which ultimately led to (quite possibly) the end of his NFL career (today he received a 23 month prison sentence).

As I was watching this broadcast, immediately my mind went to the state of the African-American Church and the not often talked about loyalty that exist within it. I often wonder how many of my brothers and sisters are following the likes of TD Jakes, Creflo Dollar, Juanita Bynum, Frederick Price, and other heretics, not due to their theology but because of the color of their skin.

I remember a few years back, I was attending a Presbyterian Church with a white pastor (whom I love with all my heart even to this day) and one of the first questions that I would hear from another black brother or sister--when asking me about the church I attend--would be "Is it a 'white church'"? And when I said "I do have a white pastor", immediately the conversation either stopped, I was looked at funny, or I was given some unneeded advice like "Try to get some 'neck bones' in your Worship". In addition, I also have a friend whose pastor has tried to discourage him from attending KNOX Seminary, stating that it is a "White Pulpit".

It was Martin Luther King who once said, "The most segregated time of week is 11AM on Sundays", and I truly believe this segregation has called many of our African-American brothers and sisters to get into errors and cults that will ultimately cost them their souls. The reality is that most people who attend church feels some sense of comfort in fellowshipping with people of their own race. And sadly, this way of thinking for our people has caused some to embrace the teachings through the teacher! In other words, since Jakes, Dollar, and Bynum has my skin color, their Biblical "interpretations" must be trustworthy and since Luther, Calvin, and Sproul does not, they must be erroneous in their explanation of God's Word.

And unfortunately, much like in the case of Michael Vick, some of our brothers and sisters are unable to break free from the old patterns of thinking and acting, thus negating development in the theology and relationships they need to overcome racism, anger, bitterness, and malice against others. And while I want to state at this point in no way am I expressing this is a "black only" problem (Because I have been on other sides and seen this same issue. Equally, I have heard of cases where blacks were treated terrible in some white congregations), my passion is to see my African-American brothers and sisters become saved and adherers to the Reformed faith. And it grieves me that some try to place some unwarranted "pressure" upon we African-Americans who embrace Reformed theology--calling us Uncle Toms and White people lovers--just because we agree Scripturally with John Piper and reject Edddie Long!!

And it also breaks my heart to see family members and friends become "theologically malnourished" due to the fact that they want to be loyal to those in their race. And, in essence, this loyalty becomes a catalyst for a defeated life, false conversion, and--in some cases--eternal damnation.

We, as a people, need to learn that we are not to follow teachers based on racial circumstances, but rather, by their divine understanding of the Word of God. I personally have been blessed to grow from both black instructors--like St. Augustine, Tertullian, Lemuel Haynes, Anthony Carter, Robert Benson, Ken Jones, Rickey Armstrong, Michael Leach, and Sherrard Burns (to name a few) as well as white instructors--John Calvin, John Knox, John Flavel, John Bunyan, Charles Spurgeon, A.W. Pink, R.C. Sproul, Robert Reymond, and Warren Gage (once again, to name a few). And I follow these people because I agree with their Biblical instruction, not because I feel a sense of "black loyalty" or I get pleasure being some kind of a "sellout".

In conclusion, it is my prayer that this trend will stop among our black culture and we can learn to follow people of God not because of the color of their skin, but by the content of their message. What matters when it comes to instruction in Scripture is whether or not it matches what the Holy Spirit intended when he dictated it through men. And if we use this criteria, we can--as my Pastor always says--be ever careful to give God praise, honor, and glory!