SHADES OF GRACE

God as Father and the Fatherless

This work will focus on the attribute of God as Father, in an attempt to understand what the role of the church should be in response to fatherless children in general and within the African American community in particular.  The reason for singling out the African American community is because this issue seems to effect this community more so than others. It is the hope of the author that the practical application of this paper will serve as a model for the church community.  The first step of this paper will be to conduct a  thorough concept study on God as Father in the Old and New Testament. I will show it is a necessity for Christians to understand this problem and see it not as a issue that only affects individual families but society at large.  In addition, I will provide practical methods that congregations can utilize to address the issue of fatherlessness.

The first part of this paper will study the concept of God as Father.  This will be done by taking a look at relevant passages in the Old Testament as well as the New Testament which will provide insight on this topic and suggest ways in which the issue of fatherlessness can be addressed.   In  the Old Testament, we see the attribute of God as Father used to describe God as creator, and protector, as well as show the love God has for his children, including the fatherless. Looking first at God the Father as creator “…Is not he your father, who created you, who made you and established you?” (Duet 32:6, ESV unless otherwise stated).  Moses has just finished writing the “words of this law in a book…”(Duet 31:24), and begins to warn the people against rebellion against God, by reminding them of God’s faithfulness and love despite their dealing unjustly with God.  This idea of God as creator can also be seen in Isaiah 64 as the prophet prays for mercy while confessing the sins of Israel he says “But now, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are the potter; we are the work of your hand.” (Isa 64:8).  Once again the attribute of God as Father conveys the sense of God the creator.  “Listen to your father who gave you life…” (Prov 23:22).  Conversely, the father in this verse is not God, which is understood from the next part of the verse which speaks about not despising ones mother; however, what can be gleaned from this passage is that children are to listen to their father because he gave them life.  In the previous examples it was God as Father who gave life to the children of Israel; by extension he should be obeyed.  We can also see that not only is God creator but he is also the one who loves and disciplines his children.  In fact it can be said that God shows God’s love through discipline, “My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline or be weary of his reproof, for the lord reproves him whom he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights.”(Prov 3:11-12)  Not only is God’s love demonstrated in correction, but also in protection “Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation”(Psalms 68:5)  God shows love in protection discipline and finally in compassion “As a father shows compassion to his children so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him.”(Psalms 103:13)  What is striking about this verse is that the compassion that the Lord show is not directed to people in general, but to those who fear him.  

The New Testament as well shows that the attribute of God as Father describes God as creator, provider, one who loves his children, and is compassionate and merciful. In speaking of God as creator, “For although there may be so-called Gods in heaven or on earth—as indeed there are many “Gods” and many “lords”— yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist…”(1 Corinthians 8:5–6).  This passage explains that God the Father has created all things, and we exist for him.  In the Lord’s prayer recorded by Luke we see that God is the one who provides for needs of his children, “And he said to them, ‘When you pray, say: “Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread…”(Luke 11:2–3).  Praying to God for our daily bread is a reminder that God is the one who provides  for our daily needs.  God the Father is also the One who loves his children “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God;”(1 John 3:1).  As one who cares for his children,

Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father.  But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.”(Matthew 10:29– 31 ).

God the father shows love for his enemies and commands those who would be his children to do the same,

But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.”(Matthew 5:44–45 ).

In these last verses the Father is one who comforts those facing affliction, the Apostle Paul tells

the reader,  

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. (2 Corinthians 1:3–4 ESV).

Looking at verses in the Old and New Testament that describe the attribute of God as Father shows us that God is merciful, compassionate, loving, He is one who disciplines his children, He is the creator of all and as such has the right to command obedience from His world.  God is also very concerned for the welfare of those who are the most vulnerable in society the widow, the orphan, as well as the fatherless.  Dr. Aida Spencer states it this way,

Because of God’s compassion, grace, love, and faithfulness, God uses this great power to be just, to make sure those humans with less power, the parentless child, the single mother… are treated justly and provided with their necessities.

It is also important to understand that these concepts are extended from God to those who are God’s children.  In other words, to have a full understanding of God as Father, one must be in right relation to God.  Therefore, God as Father to the fatherless can not be properly understood by those who are outside of this relationship.

The question must now be asked: Why are children who are fatherless something that the church should be concerned with?  To answer this question, the effects of children growing up in fatherless homes must be understood.  It was estimated that in the the year 2008 in the United States of America, 32 percent of all children live in a single parent home; For African Americans that number was 65 percent.  It was also surprising to see that for Native Americans the national average was 50 percent.

The major reasons for these alarming rates of fatherless homes are children born out of wedlock, divorce, and the death of a parent.  It has been estimated that there are currently 21.8 million children living in single parent home, 82.6 percent of them headed by mothers.

Studies have shown that children growing up in fatherless homes are 5 times more likely to live in poverty

,  15 times more likely to go to prison, 6 times more likely to drop out of school, and for girls 6 times more likely to become a teenage mother.

While these statistics are focused on the children, it should also be noted that the mothers who are raising children in homes without fathers suffer as well.  The increased poverty rate is most likely the cause of the loss of income to the family, which increases stress and behavior problems in children

.  Furthermore this is not an issue that seems to be on the decline.  According to an article by Dr. Anthony Bradley “By 2002 the black marriage rate was 35 percent compared to 63 percent in 1950. By 2007 only 25 percent of black children were born within the context of marriage compared to 80 percent in 1960.”

He goes on to state that the reason he believes these number will only continue to increase.

These problems are essentially moral and systemic requiring more than government intervention or evangelistic programs disconnected from local churches that can provide long-term spiritual nurture. Addressing this requires nothing less than long-term permanent spiritual care and discipleship. But this is costly because it demands more of our time than our money.

The church needs to be concerned with these issues because it is the only institution that can address the root of the problem,

Matthew 28:19 tells us to ,“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations…”.(Matthew 28:19)  However before this can be done we must understand the society that we live in and understand how to apply the gospel, in such a way that society at large can understand.  For example in an article entitled “God the Father and the fatherless”, Omar Reyes tell of his experience while ministering in a prison.  He says that while he was talking about God as Father he realized that the young men he was speaking to didn’t understand what a father was.  The message could not be understood because the concept of fatherhood was foreign.  In order to bridge this gap it was necessary to first present what a father was.

In the word study above several characteristics were brought out concerning God as Father, among those are God is merciful, compassionate, loving.  It was also shown that to truly understand what it means to call God Father one must be in proper relationship with God through Jesus Christ.  As the church looks forward to dealing with this issue it must be done from a standpoint that reflects the character of God.  First and foremost the people of God must love those who find themselves in these position.  It is very easy to pity people or to feel sorry for them, but love is difficult.  It is intentional, messy, and often very painful. Secondly the attributes of God as Father were demonstrated in actions not just words.  This means that the church as well must find itself in action.  Father retreats, could be organized where men from the community take not only their sons but those they know do not have fathers along to demonstrate what this concept is.  A reconciliation ministry could be started with the focus being reconciling fathers to their children and to a degree to the mother.  This is not to say marriage would result, although that would be great, but fathers should be taught, even in this situation how to be the best providers they can.  This would accomplish two things; first fathers would be around their children loving them, and  secondly it would help relieve mothers of the stress that they may feel from being a single parent with the sole responsibility of raising the children.  Daycare and night care could be provided to assist single mothers.  Doing this could help provide a more stable environment than leaving the children at home.  The church would need to set up tutoring programs to help children progress in school.  For the girls of single mothers a ministry led by women could be established for both the mother and daughter that would provide any necessary emotional support and show the mother and child that they are loved.

As stated above this work will focus on the attribute of God as Father, in an attempt to understand what the role of the church should be in response to fatherless children in general and within the African American community in particular because of the devastating effects it has had.  It is the hope of the author that the suggestions given can provide a model for the church society as a whole.  A concept study on God as Father in the Old and New Testament was done to show the necessity for Christians to understand this problem and see it as an issue that affects individual families and society at large.  In addition, this paper gave practical methods that congregations can utilize to address the issue of the fatherless through the attribute of God as Father.  As the people of God continue to preach the gospel to all the world we must remember that we are called to demonstrate to those we meet the character of God with practical social action.  So the author of an essay titled “The Complementarity of God’s Love and Righteousness” says, “Therefore God’s people will most faithfully image both Gods love and righteousness when they uphold God complementarity priorities of evangelism and social concern.”

Bibliography

“Consequences of father absence.” Children of Divorce & Separation-Statistics. Fathers For Life, 1998. Web. 08 Aug 2010. <5 http://fathersforlife.org/divorce/chldrndiv.htm>.

“Kids Count Data Center”. The Annie E Casey Foundation. 08/08/10 <http://datacenter.kidscount.org/data/acrossstates/Rankings.aspx?ind=107>.

“The Father Factor.” National Fatherhood Initiative. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Aug 2010. <http://www.fatherhood.org/Page.aspx?pid=403>.

Bradley, Anthony. “The black marriage crisis.” World. World, 04 AUG 2010. Web. 07 Aug 2010. <http://online.worldmag.com/2010/08/04/the-black-marriage-crisis/>.

Grail, Timothy S. “Custodial Mothers and Father and Their Child Support: 2007.” About.com, Nov 2009. Web. 07 Aug 2010. <http://singleparents.about.com/gi/o.htm?zi=1/XJ&zTi=1&sdn=singleparents&cdn=parenting&tm=35&f=10&su=p284.9.336.ip_p504.3.336.ip_&tt=11&bt=1&bts=0&zu=http%3A//www.census.gov/prod/2009pubs/p60-237.pdf

Hull, Gretchen Gaebelein. “The Complementarity of God’s Love and God’s Righteousness:  The United States of America.” The Global God. Ed. Aida Besancon Spencer,  and William David Spencer. Grand Rapids: BridgePoint Books, 1998. 63-88

Jackson, Aurora P. “The Effects of Nonresident Father Involvement on Single Black Mothers and Their Young Children.” Social Work 44.2 (1999): 156-166. Family & Society Studies Worldwide. EBSCO. Web. 15 July 2010.

Petty, Krista. “Fathering the fatherless.” Family and community ministries 22.1 (2008): 41-44. ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials. EBSCO. Web. 16 Aug. 2010.

Spencer, Aida Besancon. “The God of the Bible.” The Global God. Ed. Aida Besancon Spencer,  and William David Spencer. Grand Rapids: BridgePoint Books, 1998. 21-36

The False Prosperity Gospel

I recently read that the fastest growing export is the false prosperity gospel.  The common well know individuals include Eddie Long, TD Jakes, Joel Osteen, Ken Copeland, and the legions of other hirelings that travel aboard to prey on other countries and people needing the truth.  They should try reading I Timothy 6…

Enjoy this great summation from John Piper:

OCTOBER 31, 1517

Enslaved… By Black Liberation Theology

A few weeks ago I was in the library study for my Greek Class when I overheard an interesting conversation.  Now I was not trying to listen in but when I heard the name James Cone, it kind of got my attention.  The two men speaking were saying what a wonderful thing it would be if black people really paid attention to and adhered to liberation theology.  They went on saying that this was the key for black people to be free.  My first thought was, is this not already one of the dominant forms of black theology?  It hasn’t work in forty years why now?  But instead of being my usual over critical self I thought that I would explore this a little more, in a very limited fashion.  James Cone said in an interview that his goal was to combine Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, to take the black power movement and combine it with the social action seen from the civil rights movement.  On the surface this does not seem to be a bad idea, after all Malcolm X is rightly credited with making black beautiful and has been called a social prophet by some.  Martin on the other hand led the civil rights movement which made incredible gains for African Americans and in a sense affirmed our humanity.  Even though this seems like a good idea I am wondering is it?  

First the good about liberation theology:  It seems to me that liberation theology does a great job in dealing with the idea of oppression as sin, that is, someone else’s sin imposed on others.  There is a since in which the culture that is oppressed appears to be more sinful then the others around it, but as Carl Ellis Jr. rightly points out, the number of good choices is limited increasing the chance of  bad choices.  So if in any situation the dominant people group may have 5 good and 5 bad choices, those in the subdominant group may have 3 good choices and 7 bad.  Now this is not to say that bad choices are not the fault of the people who choose them just that options are limited.  It was because of James Cone’s book “God of the Oppressed” that the idea of this really set in for me.  Sin in the lives of a dominate people group can and does have a great impact on the lives of those who live in the sub-dominate cultures; for example illegal immigration.  If a employer wants to save money by not paying minimum wage then he or she can hire someone who cannot complain, this in turn renders those  who are willing to work incapable of doing so, which can lead to an increase in theft to get items needed to support a family.  The number of good choices was diminished because of the sin of the boss who is trying to save money. 

Mr. Cone also does a great job in showing how culture plays a huge role in the way scripture can be interpreted and understood.  For instance, did the slave master reading scripture understand it the same way a slave would? Or as he asked, did the slave master and the slave pray to the same God at night?  The slave master would use the bible to prove his position while the slave would find freedom in the same book.  Fredrick Douglas said something to the effect that he saw a great difference between the Christianity practiced in America and what true Christianity is so much so that if one is Christianity the other most certainly is not.  Indeed this can also been seen today as those who may be in better positions may see the gospel as having meaning only in the next life while disregarding this life.  Those like James Cone see the gospel mostly for what it means now in this life.  Culture can make a difference and indeed the bible should be read with culture in mind, but what that culture is should not be one that stands outside of the culture in which the scripture was revealed.  This is one my first objection to black liberation theology in that it must be read only from the standpoint of the an oppressed people group.  Because of which you have Rev. Wright saying that Jesus was a black man killed by a White Roman society.  For Cone and Wright while white could mean the color of someone’s skin, it most probably means a dominant vs. subdominant relationship between people groups.

Since I already started with the negatives I might as well keep going.  Liberation theology does little more then promote the idea of victimization which, in my opinion, robs its adherents of basic human dignity.  Everything that goes wrong is because of what was done to you even the things that you do wrong.  For instance when black men leave their families it is because of the system that makes it to hard for them to stay, or because slavery has robbed us of our family values(which may or may not have merit).  There of course is great power in thinking this way, after all one is always right and justified.  The oppressed have God on their side and cannot sin except of course if they forget that they are oppressed.  James Cone puts it this way, “Ideology on the particular level is also a danger for the person in the oppressed community who achieve social and economic prosperity.  For personal reasons, they conveniently forget the central element in the divine story”, which of course is liberation from oppression.  So even if someone in the oppressed class is able to find “Liberation” they must still never forget the fact that they are oppressed.  But, how far should this idea be taken?  Should children justify themselves when being punished and rebel against their parents for unfair treatment?  Should wives rebel against their husbands, in a biblical marriage, because they feel oppressed?  Are we all to be victims?  What happens if there are no victims?  But in order for liberation theology to work there must always be a victim.  

This leads to my final complaint, (at least for now).  Sin is only found in the relationship of the oppressor toward the oppressed leading to a destructive view of salvation.  “Since the Gospel is liberation from bondage, and since the poor are obvious victims of oppression because of the inordinate power of the rich, it is clear that the poor have little to lose and everything to gain from Jesus. In contrast the rich have little gain and everything to lose”, says James Cone.  Cone is right the gospel is liberation from bondage, and it could very well mean liberation from oppression but to reduce sin to only oppression and salvation to liberation from that oppression, seriously limits the scope of the Gospel.  The poor do not sin because they are oppressed only the rich sin and must find forgiveness in identifying with the poor.  As Christians we should identify with the poor and oppressed everywhere, but should not limit sin to just this paradigm.  In my opinion this leads again to a sense of self justification.

Overall the Christian church can learn a great deal from liberation theology in general and black liberation theology in particular.  We must see sin in a broader sense than just our sin against God, which all sin is, and also focus on how our sin directly impacts those around us.  We must also regain the passion to fight sin and oppression in every sphere of life, remembering that the Gospel not only reconciles man to God but also man to man.  We must also learn to take a look at how we interpret scripture based on our culture.  But is a return to liberation theology something that the “black” church needs? – No, not at all.  The liberation that people are looking for will never be found in looking at the Gospel in this limited manner, and I would suggest that the only result is further enslavement to sin.

On A Personal Note…

It was a very interesting weekend last week as I was reading to go to my weekly outing that occurs every Saturday, when the girls were playing, as they normally do.  The oldest girl sat on the bed ordering the youngest to go get certain letters off of the refrigerator.  This may seem like “so what”, but stay with me.  As the oldest instructed the youngest, I thought this a good practice because school was about to begin within the week for all and this would be a great warm up for the youngest as she will start learning her letters.  Fast forward to  later that afternoon.  I returned home and found myself resting on the bed and the captured letters were still there.   B - O - A - Z interesting.   “Maybe I should investigate this?” I said to myself.  But instantly my attention was diverted to something else by a loud Daddy call.

Later that evening as I was walking through the kitchen our radio, which plays all day from one of the two the local Christian stations in RI, begin to speak of the story of Ruth. “HUH” “Again!”  I think I should read this.

As I read through the book of Ruth, I am reminded that we as believers (through God’s elective Grace) have left our ancestral heathen ways (our depravity) to join to something better (through Christ’s Death and Resurrection), only too find a man there waiting (God’s Atoning power) and wanting to redeem us as we gleam in His field (by His presevering Grace).  A Redeemer who paid the ultimate price for us.

-THE LORD REDEEMS-

Why this message at this time?  Well, barring from going back into the past of not having a church, not having the true Word of God preached, not understanding God’s Sovereignty, not understanding my sin condition, not understanding the Life and Death of Christ and what His love meant, not understanding any of the the Doctrines of Grace would make for a long post, but why this is significant is that we joined a Presbyterian Reformed Church the same week!  A church that holds to the Holy Scriptures that we have really been longing after. BINGO!   Now I am reminded and now I see the connection!   Wow God!  You really have led us out of the wilderness and set (and are setting) us on a solid foundation.

We as a family have been through toils as Naomi and Ruth.   We have actually seen spiritual death caused by false doctrines from the pulpit from so called Men of God.  Bottom line, this week marks a milestone, a turning point in our family’s lives.  Joining a new believing church (which is what you may think is the case of most churches that live for Christ centeredness in all aspects of your life) has in a sense, for my family at least, restored us to life…

Ruth 4.14 “…”Blessed be the Lord, who has not left you this day without a redeemer, and may his name be renowned in Israel!”

Sola Dei Gloria

Finding a New Identity

While reflecting on the idea of identity, the words of W.E.B Du Bois ran through my mind. 

“After the Egyptian and the Indian, the Greek and Roman, the Teuton and Mongolian, the negro is sort of a seventh son, born with a veil, and gifted with second sight in this American world, a world which yields him no true self-consciousness, but only lets him see himself through the revelation of the other world.  It is a peculiar sensation, this double-consciousness, this sense of always looking at one’s self through the eyes of others, of measuring one’s soul by the tape of a world that looks on in amused contempt and pity.  One ever feels his two-ness, an American, a Negro; two souls, two thoughts, two unreconciled strivings; two warring ideals in one dark body, whose dogged strength alone keeps him from being torn asunder.  The history of the American Negro is the history of this strife, this longing to attain self-conscious manhood, to merge his double self into a better and truer self.”

These words have haunted me for years, ever since I first read them, because at first glance they appear to be the exact problem that we still face today, trying to find the perfect balance between being both black and American.  Trying to find a true identity in this world.  Indeed it has been suggested by many that if we could only “find” ourselves that our problems as a race would be solved.  We would no longer oppress ourselves with the fleeting pleasures of this life and we would be empowered to start over again finding our new path, forged by the power of our own wills, moving us into a new humanity; A True Humanity.  Time and time again new methods are tried to bring about this great cultural awakening, that when first conceived appear to be the answer.  Form the desegregation movement of the 50’s and 60’s to the black power movement of the 60’s and 70’s, and now politics as “our man” is in office.  The common thread running through these themes is that they have failed and will continue to fail.  At this point I would ask that you allow me to be bold and suggest that W.E.B is almost right.  We as a people do find ourselves trapped struggling to find an identity and in need of a true humanity, however no matter how hard we try we will never find this power to change in us.  The answer does not lie in blackness or in an American identity , or even in balance between the two.   In fact the only real change comes from looking at and submitting our lives to the only true man who is also God, Jesus Christ.  It is my contention that only after repenting of our sins and turning toward Christ can we even begin to make a positive attack on those other issues we have, through Christ.  We can finally build our hope upon something solid, a good foundation.

Luke 6:47-49 “Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: 48 he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built.  49 But the one who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the stream broke against it, immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great.” 

We find ourselves on the edge of absolute ruin in this life and the life to come.  We continue to place our hope in solutions that will continue to fail.  They will fail because they are built upon false hope.  When the rains and floods come, all of our hope is destroyed and the ruin is great. But we have been given a promise from the true man himself that if we build our lives upon what He has said and done, that when the floods and rains come that we will be able to stand, because our foundation will be sure.  This is not a promise that life is easy, or that everything will come up roses, but it is a promise that we will not be disappointed in the end.  

SIN

Is it time….? Part 2

In my last post I was wondering if the time was right for black people to start a reformed denomination.  After some correction from some good brothers at church, the answer is both yes and no.  The easy one first; the time is right.  The time is right and will always will be right for black people to embrace the truths of reformed theology, indeed for all people.  It could be said that the African American Reformed Church has already begun, since reformed truths are being spread among us now.  However to willingly separate would be sin.  I stated before that the Gospel is not the problem, and that we as sinners are.  This is very true, in that the only reason that I could ask this question in the first place is that my view of the Gospel was too small.  Lesson learned by this; never blog out of frustration.  So then what is the answer?   Churches are definitely needed in black neighborhoods that can contextualize reformed truths to the African American experience, but we cannot stop there.  We must also live out the idea that through the Cross of Christ, man was reconciled to God and also man to man.  

Paul tells us in Galatians 3:28 “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave  nor free,  there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”  To separate for reasons of comfort would be a violation of the Gospel.  At the same time it also appears to ignore the fact that there are differences would also be sin.  Paul says in 1 Cor 9:19-23 “For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that i might win more of them.   To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews.  To those under the law I became as one under the law.  To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law.  To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak.  I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some.  I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessing.”

2009 Leagacy Conference

Recent video promo on the 2009 Legacy Conference…

Cash OR Christ!

One of my favorites!