Justice Matters: Let the Church Say Amen

By Rodney K. Strong Esq.

Presented by Omni-University

Romans 2:11 For there is no respect of persons with God.

Recently, a conservative Christian pastor launched an attack on the "Black Lives Matter Movement" which he accused of  being “Marxist” and “godless”. He further alleged that the "BLM Movement" was inspired by the writings of Saul Alinsky and is controlled by the unseen hand of a nefarious cabal of wealthy Jewish leftists. These ideas have been propagated widely and continuously among conservative Christians.  If this sounds familiar, it may be because these allegations are reminiscent of the white supremacist critique of the "Civil Rights Movement "which was also alleged to be “Communist inspired” and secretly controlled by  "unseen  Jewish leftist hands". Past is often prologue.

The "Black Lives Matter Movement" and the "Civil Rights Movement" arise from the same source, i.e, racial inequality in American society. The claim frequently propagated by conservative Christians that, "America paid for and repented of the sins of slavery and racism long ago" is false and, therefore, without merit. The racial inequities and disparities in the United States have a long history and are thoroughly documented. Any suggestion that they do not exist or that current disparities are not inextricably linked to slavery, segregation and discrimination are demonstrably ungrounded. There is a substantial body of research which analyzes the racial inequities in every area: financial, employment, education, housing, health, criminal justice, and policing. The reality of racial inequality in the United States is  undeniable.

The suggestion that racial problems in this country are not real, and are being stoked by nefarious forces with ulterior motives, is based in hoary white supremacist thinking. It is an old canard. Throughout the "Civil Rights movement, the myth was often circulated that "our Negroes" are satisfied with segregation or, segregation is "our way of life". In southern states, the white community was constantly told that racial unrest was caused by "outside agitators" who were stirring up the "good local colored people". The idea that Black people despised injustice, as expressed in racial segregation, was dismissed as "communist propaganda". The current formulation is no different. 

Today’s Christian conservatives argue that the problem of police brutality and racial inequity is merely a cover for a "Saul Alinsky- inspired Marxist plot". Apparently, these Christian Conservatives believe Black people are happy with the inequitable racial conditions in the United States. The Christian conservative argument that recent racial unrest is caused by the "unseen hand of godless anti-American conspirators" is fundamentally a white supremacist argument. Generally, white supremacists  believe that Black people are intellectually deficient and incapable of building a movement without the unseen provocation of powerful outside influences. Apparently, in the minds of  white supremacists, Black people would be "happy darkies" except for the bad influence of " "outside agitators and/or  are too dumb to have enough agency to build a national movement.

The "Black Lives Matter Movement" is firmly rooted in ideas developed in and by the Black Church. The seminal work of Dr. Howard Thurman, "Jesus and the Disinherited", as well as  the major works of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, "Stride Toward Freedom", "Strength to Love", "Why We Can't Wait", and "Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community?", enunciate the underlying Christian philosophy of the struggle for racial justice. Dr. King called it the struggle to build "the beloved community".

That there is no single major leader of "Black Lives Matter", as there was during its predecessor, the "Civil Rights Movement"", is deliberate. The diverse "Black Lives Matter Movement" Community has learned from the COINTELPRO assaults by the FBI on the "Civil Rights Movement" and they have not made the same tactical mistake. However, the underlying philosophy of the "Black Lives Matter Movement" is the same as the philosophy of the "Civil Rights Movement".

Unfortunately, the white conservative Christian Church is evidently and fundamentally white supremacist in its viewpoint. The most authoritative evidence of this is the Bob Jones University V. United States,, 461 U.S. 574, a case in which this major conservative Christian University fought all the way to the United States Supreme Court to retain its non-profit status while remaining racially segregated.[1] Another example is the support for segregation by Jerry Falwell, Sr., founder of Liberty University and the "Moral Majority" 

The Brown V. Board of Education of Topeka, 347 U.S. 483, the Supreme Court opinion that overturned the "separate but equal" doctrine which permitted racial segregation, precipitated the following  response from  Falwell, Sr., "If Chief Justice Warren and his associates had known God's word and had desired to do the Lord's will, I am quite confident that the 1954 decision would never have been made. The facilities should be separate. When God has drawn a line of distinction, we should not attempt to cross that line". The white supremacist philosophy of the white conservative Christian church is neither new nor surprising.There is a long tradition of white supremacist thought within the conservative Christian movement. There is nothing new here.As the Late Maynard Jackson former Mayor of Atlanta, often said, "If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it must be a duck."

Below, please enjoy "Spiritual Reparations", An episode of "Omni-U Presents: The H3O/Art of Life" television show, with guest, Bishop Carlton Pearson and a brief appearance by ANCESTOR Rashid Akbar

Blog Notes:

1. [Bob Jones University V. United States, 461 U.S. 574], A summary of the case states, “Bob Jones University completely excluded black applicants until 1971, and from 1971 until 1975, admitted black students only if they were married. After 1975, the University began to admit unmarried black applicants, but continued to deny admission to applicants engaged in an interracial marriage or known to advocate interracial marriage or dating.’ The University also imposed a disciplinary rule that prohibited interracial dating."