The Race Thing: Part Two

Back to Square One: Can Prejudice and Holiness Coexist?
I want to go back to my original questions. I feel that some good can still come from engaging in respectful dialogue about The Race Thing. What does it mean to be prejudiced, and can someone be prejudiced and holy at the same time? Very simply, to be prejudiced is to pre-judge, to pass a judgment on a person or group of people prematurely. Whatever notions or feelings that develop are based off of assumptions that exist before actually getting to know the person even gets a chance to happen, and more often than not, those assumptions are false. Most people would agree that it is unjust to base our behavior towards others on that which really has no basis. Our God is a just God; therefore, people who claim they belong to Him have cannot behave unjustly and claim holiness at the same time.

Peter, as a Jew, had preconceived notions about the Gentiles. He didn’t even believe they could be saved until Cornelius, being God-sent, sought him out. Did Peter doggedly cling to his Jewish upbringing that ingrained in him that he should not keep company with one of another nation (Acts 10:28)? No, he let his guard down when he realized that “God is no respecter of persons” (Acts 10:34). I got down with Strong’s Hebrew/Greek lexicon and found that “respecter of persons” is the Greek word prosopoleptes. It is only found once in the Bible. It literally means “one who discriminates.” If God, then, is not “one who discriminates,” how could we and claim to be one of His?

And, Totally off the Subject, but . . .
My tragic flaws: wordiness and jumping from topic to topic. But this weekend I'm going to Six Flags! I know I'm 24 and a teacher and supposedly above all of that kiddie stuff, but I'm really looking forward to it. I haven't been since like, my senior year in high school. Georgia Scorcher, here I come! (That's the rollercoaster ride where you're basically standing up the whole time. It scared the life out of me—just what it takes to make me come back for more.)

Spanish word/phrase of the day: Dios es justo (dee-OHS ays HOOS-toe) = God is just.

Questions, comments, concerns? Please feel free to E-mail me!

My Loves

No . . . not the Valentine’s Day kind (sniff, sniff). But here are 10 random things I just don’t know if I could do without. (Other than God, of course, and not in any special order):

1. Iced chai tea lattes. These mammajammas are no joke. At first, the idea of cold, milky, Indian tea kind of made me wonder, but once I tried it for the first time, I formed a deep bond with it. They’re just soothing, silky, milky, cinammony, nutmeggy delights accented with exotic spices. I like the hot kind too, but there’s just something about the iced.

2. Curious George. I don’t know why I love this guy. Maybe because his always-getting-into-stuff-yet-trying-to-do-the-right-thing nature reminds me of myself in a small way, and because he’s cute. He exists in several forms in my life—as stuffed toy, as flashlight, as computer wallpaper, as hanging picture, as calendar, as t-shirt, as book with collection of stories —I don’t know, am I trying to relive my childhood or something?

3. Lavender. Things from articles of clothing to my desk lamp to my toothbrush are marked with this color. I’m afraid I’ve subconsciously taken ownership of it. If I see a lady at church or something wearing lavender, I’ll jokingly say, “You’re wearing my color! Who gave you permission to wear it?” And we’ll both laugh. But I wonder if part of me really means it?

4. Shakespeare, especially the play Julius Caesar. Shakespeare was brilliant and a man before his time. Julius Caesar is riveting because it’s a compelling example of the power of language. I did my whole 11th grade research paper on Marc Antony’s funeral oration: “Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears; /I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him. /The evil that men do lives after them; /The good is oft enterred with their bones; /So let it be with Caesar." ::sighs nostalgically::

5. Frito-Lay Ultimate Cheddar Mix Munchies. Especially the little Quaker squares. Crunchy, cheesy and slightly sweet. And a bottle of cream soda to go along with it. Finish up at the school, make a quick gas station convenience store run, and I’m set.

6. Sandals and flip-flops. In the summer, (in AL, it’s summer weather now), my feet refuse to be enclosed. I mean, not that my toes look all that great, but when the weather gets warm they start screaming, “We want to be free! We want to be free!” and I must oblige.

7. Victoria’s Secret "Love Spell" body spray. This stuff smells so downright delicious I almost want to eat myself after I spray it on. Okay, not for real, but it does get the olfactory nerves tingling with delight. The downside: everyone else wears it too.

8. Medium-rare steak. Yes, I like mine juicy with a bit of red. The rest of my family are medium-well and well-done kind of people and turn their noses up in disgust if we go out to eat and I order one. Ah, well. To each his/her own.

9. The comics. I’m an avid newspaper reader, but I always read the Lifestyle section first. I must catch up with fictional, drawn characters' goings on before I inform myself about what’s going on in the world. Sad but true.

10. Falsettos. I just love it when guys sing and get real with their falsetto range. There’s just something about it—it’s fluid, dynamic, titillating.

Anyway, I’d thought you’d enjoy a little lighter fare today.

Spanish word/phrase of the day: ¡me encanta! (may ayn-KAHN-tah) = I love it!

Questions, comments, concerns? Please feel free to E-mail me!

UGST

Theology Class = Summer plans?
Summertime is coming up and we all answer the classic pre-summertime question, “So, what are your plans?” Anyone that I tell, “I’m going up to St. Louis to take a theology class on the Apostle Paul” will kind of smile and politely nod, probably thinking what kind of a summer plan is that? Of course, it’s not all that I’m doing (the gloriousness of teacherhood: we get summers off and still get paid), but it’s one of the main things.

There are a series of one-week intensive classes that the Urshan Graduate School of Theology (UGST) offers in January and June dubbed J-Terms. The summer session class that piqued my interest the most was called “The Historical Paul.”

I’m Not a Prophetess in Training
The reason why I want to do this is not because I want to get a doctorate in divinity or anything. I’ve done a lot of self-reflection to try to understand myself what would possess me to want to take a graduate-level theology course (especially a J-Term, which is known to have a notoriously heavy workload). On top of all the prior reading and response papers that have to be done before the class even begins, we have a final 20-pager due after the class. Not to mention that I have to take a road trip to get there.

Cravings
Well, why, then? I chose to go to a large secular university instead of a Bible college and I don’t regret my choice one little bit. But anyone who has been in academia can tell you that behind all of the titles and the degrees and the pomp and circumstance of higher learning there is an emptiness. Sometimes even a Godlessness. And not to down Bible college one whit, but I did not want to end up having to start my undergraduate career all over again after graduation to get an accredited degree in a career field where I’d be able to support myself. But in the end, the truth is that I crave being in an Apostolic educational environment. I crave being in the company of people who are fervent about education and fervent about God and do not believe that the two are in opposition to one another. And honestly, I want a little change of scene. Montgomery has become home, but sometimes you just need to get out of the box. UGST beckoned.

So Far . . .
I’m loving the reading. Okay, that’s a bit of an exaggeration because I have to literally make time to get things done. But I’ve been so enlightened so far by what I’ve read. I’m discovering how cool Paul really was. I mean, the guy was a radical, and he was passionate about things that some may sort of shy away from talking about in modern church circles, namely equality and social justice. I know this may seem nerdy, but I’m really looking forward to the class discussions we’re to have about all of this. I’ve already sent in a couple of the response papers and my future professor wrote back saying they looked good! (If you knew of my obsession with professorial praise, you’d understand.) I’m determined to get it all done. I just can’t be unprepared. Oh, it’s doable. It’s just a matter of doing it.

Spanish word/phrase of the day: los estudios graduados de teología (lohs ay-STOO-dee-ohs grah-doo-AH-dos day tay-oh-loh-HEE-ah) = theological graduate studies

Questions, comments, concerns? Please feel free to E-mail me!

The Race Thing: Part One

The Anonymous Comment
::sigh:: Yes, I begin this post with a weary sigh. I had hoped that I could be happy-go-lucky and that I could chill being the blogger this month without having to approach it. But the forces of the blogosphere conspired to drag me out of my comfort zone, and here I am, compelled to address this thing. What is it? It’s something that hovers in the backs of our minds when we interact with people who are racially and culturally different than we are. It lurks in the corners of every ethnically diverse church. What is it? The Race Thing.

This anonymous comment was left on my last post:

I attend a UPC church in Alabama, we often try to have revival at our church, but it’s never successful, and it’s because our pastor is very prejudice[d], he says very offensive things from over the pulpit about black people, and the black people there have become inferior because of it, I’m about to find a new church home. But I’m happy to know that other churches like yours are having revival. I don’t see how people can think that they can be prejudice[d], and holy at the same time. And I don’t understand why any “real” black person would attend a UPC [c]hurch. They don’t believe in interracial marriages, when the [B]ible says marry whom you may, only in the Lord[,] I Corinth. 7:39. White UPC pastors will take black people['s] tithes & offerings, but you better not try to marry a white man or a white woman. You can change your voice, you can get your degree, you can worship with white people, but you’re still just a n____r!

Mmph. That’s the smell of dirty laundry being aired.

Confession
Alright. Now I have a confession to make. Last night, I wrote out this big, long thing addressing this comment. I sort of cut it down, highlighted the main points, wrapped it up, was going to post it this morning, be done with it, and pull another Pontius Pilate and wash my hands of it. But before I got the chance to hit the "Publish Post" button, I received the suggestion to, instead of overwhelming you with a long essay entitled "Race and Pentecost" or whatever, break it up and do a well-thought out series kind of a deal.

To be honest, I really wanted to hit and run. But then I faced up to the fact that hit and run would not do this issue justice. My hesitance to dwell on The Race Thing stems from my experiences and the soft spots that I've developed pertaining to this issue, and the last thing I want to do is seem like this is some kind of soapbox I've just been itching to hop up on to unleash a tirade. But guess what? I cannot control how I'm going to seem to others. I'm still learning how to give up that fight.

What This Isn't, Yet What It Is (or What I Want It to Be)
This blog is not a soapbox, and I refuse to turn it into that. What will follow about The Race Thing is not a tirade; I refuse to let it become that. What this is is an opportunity. Instead of sitting back and thinking, "Oh, Chantell's opinions on race. That's nice," I want you to join in. Don't let this remain a monologue. Make it into a dialogue. I want you to engage in this with me. I want you to share your experiences with me. I want you to throw your $0.02 in. Because The Race Thing is not an issue that just affects blacks, nor should I or anyone else be so naive to think that it's an issue that is confined to the South. It affects all of us because we are members of the collective Body of Christ.

It's so easy to let such a kid-glove subject remain where it is instead of handling it, bringing it out into the open, engaging it, and looking at it from different sides and angles because it makes us feel uncomfortable. But what I want us to be able to do is to push our discomfort and preconceived notions aside so that we can at least try to take a few steps, however small they are, toward meaningful understanding.

And With That Said . . .
Where's my can opener? Ah, here it is. Bzzzzzzzz. The can of worms is officially open. I guess the first question to tackle is this: What does it mean to be racially prejudiced? And once we've answered that, Can someone be prejudiced and holy at the same time? Stay tuned.

Spanish word/phrase of the day: la polémica (lah poh-LAY-mee-ka) = controversy

Questions, comments, concerns? Please feel free to E-mail me!

You Don’t Have to Wait for the Preacher

I, the Skeptic
From Thursday to Sunday of this week, my church has been having revival services. Bro. Felix Crowder from Indianapolis, IN was the speaker. I will be honest and say that I’m a skeptic. For some reason, I’m always a little wary of “revival” preachers. I sometimes get up on my high horse and snidely think, “Aw, he’s just pumping a bunch of hype. Yeah, yeah, get people excited, yell and scream and run around the church, and then let people go home not even remembering what you said.” Terrible, I know.

Confidence in the Power of the Holy Ghost
But this time was different. I actually saw and felt how this man built people’s faith while he was praying for them. I saw people receive the gift of the Holy Ghost for the first time in their lives and many get baptized. I heard testimonies of people being healed of pain and sicknesses. But the most important thing was not really what I saw and heard, but the confidence that built up in me. I realized that what this minister was trying to get us to understand is that the same power that is in him—the power to build people’s faith to the point that they receive what they need from God, the power to heal, the power to pray with people until they begin to speak in tongues—lies in each and every one of us who have the Holy Ghost. Furthermore, we cannot lack confidence in that power.

I Simply Said . . .
It was the first night of the revival, Thursday night, and Bro. Crowder asked all people who had pain in their bodies to come to the front. Then, he asked anyone who had faith to lay hands on one of the people who had stepped forward and to pray for them. I went up and laid my hands on Sis. Lowery and simply said, “In Jesus’ name, Lord, I ask that you take all the pain away from Sis. Lowery’s body. You have the power to heal, and I ask that you do it, right now, in Jesus’ name.” I felt the power of God when I said this and she began to tremble and to speak in tongues. Meanwhile, Bro. Crowder was doing the classic preacherly palm-to-forehead deal to all who had come up, but for some reason, did not get around to Sis. Lowery. I remember thinking, “I hope Sis. Lowery feels better anyway.”

The Outcome
Sis. Lowery was not there Friday night, but the following night, she testified that she had arthritis in her knees and could barely bend them. She went on to say, “But the person that prayed for me Thursday night said all of the right things and all the pain left. I am completely healed of arthritis!” She then talked about all of the physical things she could do now that she couldn’t do before. I was that person that prayed for her. (She later told me she didn’t mention my name because she didn’t want to embarrass me or put me on the spot, which was considerate of her). I was seized with the knowing of what had happened. They shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. That scripture was operating through me.

Super-Spiritual Gurus?
I’m not a super-spiritual guru who goes on 50-day fasts and reads the Bible 10 times a year; I’m just an ordinary person who has the Holy Ghost. And God showed me that all we have to do is put that Holy Ghost into action. We cannot doubt ourselves and think that because we aren’t super-spiritual gurus that we cannot make things happen. Far too often we rely on the leadership to make it happen. We stick our foreheads out in anticipation, believing that only once the preacher palms them will the blessings flow. But God showed me that you don’t have to wait for the preacher. All that’s needed for a miracle is a little confidence, a little faith, and the name of Jesus—things we can all exercise.

Spanish word/phrase of the day: el Espíritu Santo (ayl ay-SPEE-ree-too SAHN-toe) = the Holy Ghost

Questions, comments, concerns? Please feel free to E-mail me!