The United State's black history month is probably not the best way to appreciate black history. But it does insure a message that helps the government and the students keep in mind the brutal history of the United States as well as the horrid treatment of Black Africans in much of the world, from Zanzibar, to Trinidad and Tobago, to Sudan the history is wide scale and disturbing.
Though I think we need to recognize history not through a month of stale celebration or mockery (like that of my mormon friends drinking chocolate milk during the month), we should not allow this to take hold of us and react in the opposite extreme detesting any recognition of a specific group of people who have been harmed both in society long ago and today. But rather, lets help others to grow in learning history or the damages of hatred in racism and hatred/enslavement of all kinds.
____________________________
For the sake of celebration, I wanted to share just one African American man that I like from history:
First African american congressman of the state of Georgia and the first African american man to speak on the floor in front of the House of Representatives. He became a merchant tailor in Macon, Georgia, and soon after began to teach himself how to read and write.
Also an epic-baller bearded man.
Jefferson Franklin Long,
self-educated, and born a slave.
Jesus is glorified in us when we are satisfied in him, and one way we can be satisfied in him through this is to appreciate how awesome God is. God is really cool for inventing beards, manes, tusks, cyborgs arms that have hidden guns, etc. We can be amazed and the fact that he did not only create them but he allowed us to have personality through styling them. Certainly though, even in this we get to see that God is the creative genius of in it all. He was the one to who made us and made our creativity and has guided us.
God, the author of life, thought of this man's story. And he's making/made one for you too.
Psalm 139:16
English Standard Version (ESV)
Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your book were written, every one of them,
the days that were formed for me,
when as yet there was none of them.
in your book were written, every one of them,
the days that were formed for me,
when as yet there was none of them.
Acts 3:15
English Standard Version (ESV)
and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses.
Ephesians 1:11
English Standard Version (ESV)
In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will,
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
John Piper: “Two hundred years ago Big God Theology was indigenous to the African American Christian mind. The African American recovery of this emphasis today is, therefore, not the mere echo of white, western, Big God awakenings. Instead, what’s happening, across numerous cultures and ethnicities and geographies, is that the all-sovereign God of the Bible is reasserting himself for the strength and joy of his people.”
Check out this solid article:
http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/some-historical-roots-of-african-american-big-god-theology
Check out this solid article:
http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/some-historical-roots-of-african-american-big-god-theology
