Jesus speaks of a house divided in Matthew 12:25, where His focus is on the spiritual state of man. When His presence appears among a people, mindsets are changed and the habits of the heart shift to a different direction. Jesus Christ, our High Priest, empathizes with our emotional frame, even though He does not condone the outward expressions that result from our past wounds and injuries. The Spirit of Christ within the Church is not a judgmental spirit that merely looks at acts on the part of a people, but He addresses the root of the problem. If there is ever to be a revival in African American communities it definitely will not be as a result of Conservative Christians who stand against abortion, gay rights, or other controversial topics. Even though these issues are serious and damaging in our pursuit to establish and maintain a civil society, divisive rhetoric does not remedy anything. The question that remains is what do you stand for? Where are my White Conservative brethren on the issues that are currently dividing the Nation? The Siamese twins of civility are righteousness and justice. Righteousness cannot be right without justice and justice cannot be just without righteousness. The voices of those who see themselves as guardians of the flame have become strangely silent when injustice raises its ugly head as in the George Zimmerman and Trayvon Martin case, and just recently, when Michael Brown was murdered by Law Enforcement in Ferguson, Missouri.

The grotesque head of racism has always existed, but recently its increasing visibility has reopened the wounds of American culture. Conservative African Americans are becoming figureheads to justify the disfigurement of justice by over-emphasizing the social ills among their own people.  However, they do not connect the cause and the effect of sin. How can anyone trust those who are called “Christians” when they only care about their own concerns? These pundits use statistics and every other means to appear righteous, but they are void of compassion. The looting and rioting that took place in Ferguson did not define the cause. Those who did it were out of control, but they are also in need of answers. Sinners sin because they cannot see anything other than what they see. It is spiritual blindness that reduces a person to the level at which self-gratification becomes the rule and order of the day. Without a vision or the right perspective the people cast off all constraints (Proverbs 29:18). However, a vision must transcend words to become a presentation or demonstration of righteousness before people are able to embrace its standard. That is why Jesus Christ came in the flesh—in order to not only tell us the way, but to also show us the way we are to live our lives.

I deeply appreciate all of those who have researched, analyzed, and studied subjects and shown us the points of departure that lead to the devastation and corruption all around us. But now it is time to commit to resolving what is seen. Although the Pharisees thought of themselves as keepers of the Law and guardians of the flame of righteousness, Jesus saw them as the greatest deterrent to the establishment of His Father’s Kingdom. The polarization of race while maintaining a private distain for a people-group compromises the Christian witness. I love my White Conservative brethren, but I do not necessarily always agree with them. Likewise, I love my African American brethren, but I do not necessarily always agree with them. Does that make me an oddball who is unable to fit into either camp? My disagreement is the result of not buying into a political philosophy of all or nothing when it comes to being a part of a people. I refuse to be categorized as either Conservative or Liberal because there are good and bad points on either side. I stand for God where the best of both camps should meet.