Friday, March 21, 2008

No Place for Anger in the Life of Obama's Minister

Ezra Klein says that anger is not the issue when writing about presidential candidate Obama's minister. I totally disagree. Any minister that claims to preach the Bible, and stand before a congregation as a representative of God who is as angry and bitter as Obama's pastor apparently is cannot claim to know the Christ he preaches. What happened to the example Jesus left us? While hanging on a cross He prays, "Father, forgive them." My Bible says that we are to let that same mindset be our mindset. My Bible says that if someone suffers for something that is not their fault, yet takes it patiently, that is acceptable in God's sight. It also says to not render evil for evil. It also says to lay aside all bitterness, anger, wrath, malice (ill will - like damning America?). And here is another big one the fine minister is missing (as well as all his supporters that are "people of color"); the Bible says that we are to no longer view any other person on the basis of their flesh (whether male, female, Jew, Gentile, slave, free). So what Bible is the minister of Obama preaching from? Apparently not the same one as I read. Last time I checked, anger has no place in the life of a Christian because a root of bitterness springs up and becomes a toxin in the life of a believer that chokes out the gentleness, love, meekness, joy and all the things God blesses us with so that we can be a light to the world (not just your own community of people with the same skin color). My Bible says, "Do not be overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good". It seems that so much of our African-American population have fed the root of bitterness, and have been overcome by the evil that was done to them. I hope one day they will gain the victory over this evil because it is really hurting them. No one says that slavery was not an evil inflicted upon them. But it is time to step out of the darkness, and embrace the true gospel of grace that gives power to overcome adversity. Obviously what they have been doing has not worked for them. They have produced too many angry young men that hurt themselves, their families and friends and society as a whole. It is time to root out the weeds of anger and bitterness. By their fruit we will know them. The desire for vengeance (which God says belongs to Him only) is an evil the black community is inflicting upon themselves. As it is written, "He who hates his brother (fellow human being - not a reference to ethnicity), is in darkness. The love of God does not dwell in him." Anger is a big issue with God, and it should be to us too.