The (Last) Race Thing: Part Four

Let’s put this baby to bed, shall we?

The Interracial Marriage Thing
This is the last kind of hot-button issue dealing with race especially in church culture. It’s been my experience that there are 3 main reasons why people may be opposed to it:

1. They harbor prejudice against races other than their own.

2. They believe God’s Word opposes it.

3. They fear prejudicial treatment from society and/or the church (unfortunate, but true in some instances) so they say it’s just better not to do it.

My Replies
1. If you plan on going to heaven, better get over it quick, ‘cause I don’t read anywhere that the Holy City is segregated.

2. Honestly, there is no plausible scripture against it. The only stipulation God gives us when it comes to marriage is that we be “not unequally yoked together with unbelievers” (2 Corinthians 6:14). But of course, throughout history, people have used the Bible to make it say what they wanted. People used the Bible to justify slavery. Sheesh. For a further elaboration on number 2, check this out.

3. This one is a lot more understandable, so I don’t completely discount it, but I do have some thoughts to offer a different perspective.

Respectful Dialogue on Number 3
In fact, the last two comments left on my first post on The Race Thing dealt with number 3. The person is someone I know personally, so I replied to her comments via email and we entered into a very respectful dialogue about the issue. I don’t want to overwhelm you with a bunch of verbiage (Too late? Rats.) so I’ll do this—here is part of my reply to my friend’s posted comments:

I just wanted to let you know that I read the comments you posted about the race thing and I appreciate your honesty and willingness to engage in such a touchy subject. (and for sticking up for me. ;-)

I also want to say that I understand your concerns and I believe you are sincere when you say that you don't have a slight problem with the interracial marriage thing out of prejudicial feelings. And, honestly, I know from personal experience that two people of different races are going to have an added burden in a relationship. So, I know that the things you mentioned are not unfounded.

But I do have something I want to throw at you. And I truly don't mean this as a rebuttal or anything like that, but I just want to know what you think about this.

Most A/Ps would agree that society does not dictate our lifestyle. As women we dress as a woman should and don't cut our hair according to the Bible. We don't wear jewelry or use the cosmetics of the world. Many of us do not have a TV and refuse to let garbage into our homes. Our young people don't listen to the garbage music that is out in the world today. Many of us home school our children because we don't want them to be influenced by the world. We believe in the doctrine of Jesus' name baptism. All of these things put us at odds with society and even Christianity at large. These are just a few of the things that put us against the mainstream. But in fact, many of us are proud to be against the mainstream and balk at the suggestion to conform to society at large for convenience or image's sake. The way that society may treat or regard us as a result of choosing to live our lives this way is of no import. Modern society has no say, and as many believe, nor should it.

But for some reason, when it comes down to the question of interracial marriage, all of a sudden how people will be treated by "society" is a huge deal. All of a sudden, "society" is a paramount factor, so much so that it will dissuade us from approving of the union of two people of different races, cultural backgrounds, what have you, because of what "society" will say or do. What is it about the prospect of interracial marriage that makes us (especially as A/Ps) suddenly give society so much validation and power? I will not be so bold as to give a pat, smug answer to that question, because I'm sure there are many factors.

Nevertheless, we are the Body of Christ. If what the world thinks of us doesn't matter in any other instance, why does it matter on this issue? And as members of the Body of Christ, we should be above the attitudes of the prejudices of the world that would cause conflict and heartache to people who are interracially married and their children.

What comes first—the fear of prejudicial treatment or the prejudicial treatment itself? And does our fear of prejudicial treatment actually feed into the prejudicial treatment itself? Again, these are just questions that are in my mind . . . not ones that I claim to have an answer to.

The Bible says in 1 John 4:18, "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love." I think that the answer here is love. I don't mean to sound overly simplistic or naive. The love that two people of whatever color have for one another, and the love that the members of the Body of Christ have toward one another should, according to the Bible, eliminate fear.

Yes, it's definitely true that people are disowned by family, suffer prejudicial treatment, etc. if they choose to enter into an interracial relationship. But if they're in God, and they're surrounded and supported and loved by people who are in God,
whom shall they fear?

We continued on in our dialogue, and it was a very respectful, fruitful one. This is the only exchange I chose to share because it articulates my feelings on this issue succinctly, and I suppose that will suffice.

Memorial Day and Beyond
The next time I’ll post I will be in the STL! I’ll drive down Sunday, UGST class starts Monday—nothing too deep yet; we’re just going to do introductions and an overview of the class. But what I’m looking forward to is this—a Shakespearean production of none other than my all-time favorite play, Julius Caesar! Details to come. Have a wonderful Memorial Day!

Spanish word/phrase of the day: el amor (ayl ah-MOHR) = love

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

Hyper Static Union and the End of Spanish Class . . . For Now

Hyper Static Union
I just bought Lifegiver, the new CD (no, not a member of the iPod generation yet) of this group they’ve started playing on Christian radio called Hyper Static Union. The song that hooked me was “Praying for Sunny Days.” My favorite line from the chorus: “I’m not just seeing the gray skies in front of me, praying for sunny days.” What’s so profound about that? Nothing except that on “skies in front of me” the lead singer goes up into this really sweet falsetto, and the “praying for sunny days” stays high. Plus it’s just a really hopeful song.

Is ‘Funkified’ a Word?
Their style revolves around heavy bass line rock, but they’ve got some funkified rock mixed in there—they throw in a dash of soul, funk up the guitar, get a little tambourine percussion going on and the lead singer lets his voice get kinda feathery. On a few tracks, they get their Third Day on and dabble in a slightly Hootie and the Blowfish-esque Southern rock sound. I guess it’s not a coincidence that one of their main supporters/producers is Mac Powell (lead singer of Third Day).

The End of Spanish Class . . . For Now
Last night was the last night of my Spanish class. This is a church-sponsored, free beginning class that I’ve been teaching every Thursday night since the beginning of March. I guess I should have talked about this more . . . I had a 90&9 article in the works describing how it came to pass (which should have been completed back in the day. Bad me. Okay, lazy me. Busy me?). I’m going to be traveling a bit this summer, as will many of my students, so we’re going to take a breather and get back to business in the fall.

Co-worker + Spanish Class = Slain in the Spirit?
I will say this . . . I believe God has used this class to bring someone to Him. One of my mom’s co-workers, who was very reluctant when it came to things of God, began to come out to the class. She became more faithful than even the church members who were attending. Next thing you know, she becomes more open to coming to the church while learning Spanish, and she even came out during the revival I mentioned earlier in the blog. Next thing you know, she gets slain in the Spirit during one revival service and gets baptized in Jesus’ name the same night. She’s now coming on Sundays and my mom and dad are giving her a Bible study.

I didn’t consider anything about how my Spanish class may have factored into the equation until afterward when my pastor said something to me about being a part of my mom’s co-worker seeking after God:

“Me?”

“Yes. Your Spanish class opened the door.” Hmmm. A door opener. That’s something God can work with.

Spanish word/phrase of the day: una puerta abierta (OO-nah PWAYR-tah ah-bee-AYR-tah) = an open door

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

Before the Morning Comes

Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning (Psalm 30:5).

That scripture, weirdly, is so true. What is it about waking up in the morning that makes the tear-inducing concerns of the night before seem so far away?

I had a little melancholy moment last night, but today is a brand new day. I'm thankful that God keeps His promises.

There is a poem (well, an excerpt of a longer poem), though, that I long to read during those melancholy times, before the morning comes. It is the most hauntingly beautiful verse I have ever read. Somehow, the words, though not expressing my sentiments literally, give voice to the troubled feeling inside. And upon reading it, there is something about it that gives me a vicarious release.

The longer poem this excerpt comes from is called "The First Elegy," from a series called The Duino Elegies by 20th-century poet Rainer Maria Rilke. It was originally written in German and has been translated into many renderings, but here is the version I like the best:

Who, if I cried out, would hear me among the angels'
hierarchies? and even if one of them suddenly
pressed me against his heart, I would perish
in the embrace of his stronger existence.
For beauty is nothing but the beginning of terror
which we are barely able to endure and are awed
because it serenely disdains to annihilate us.
Each single angel is terrifying.
And so I force myself, swallow and hold back
the surging call of my dark sobbing.
Oh, to whom can we turn for help?
Not angels, not humans;
and even the knowing animals are aware that we feel
little secure and at home in our interpreted world.
There remains perhaps some tree on a hillside
daily for us to see; yesterday's street remains for us
stayed, moved in with us and showed no signs of leaving.
Oh, and the night, the night, when the wind
full of cosmic space invades our frightened faces.
Whom would it not remain for—that longed-after,
gently disenchanting night, painfully there for the
solitary heart to achieve? Is it easier for lovers?
Don't you know yet? Fling out of your arms the
emptiness into the spaces we breathe—perhaps the birds
will feel the expanded air in their more fervent flight.

Voices, voices. Listen my heart, as only saints
have listened: until the gigantic call lifted them
clear off the ground. Yet they went on, impossibly,
kneeling, completely unawares: so intense was
their listening. Not that you could endure
the voice of God—far from it! But listen
to the voice of the wind and the ceaseless message
that forms itself out of silence. They sweep
toward you now from those who died young.

Spanish word/phrase of the day: la mañana (lah mah-NYAH-nah) = morning (it also means 'tomorrow')

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

Crunch Time

UGST Is Down the Road
Ay, ay, ay! UGST time is quickly approaching. In approximately 4 days, I will be on the road, STL-bound. I’m still finishing up the last book I have to read for my last response paper, all of which are due no later than the first day of class, which is Monday. Crazy. I’m over halfway done, though. I’ll make it. Was Paul imprisoned in Rome or Ephesus when he wrote the letters in captivity? Was Galatians addressed to the inhabitants of Northern or Southern Galatia? Was Paul always single, or was he a widower? Which came first, the chicken or the egg? How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood? Some things we'll never know the answers to.

School Is Wrapping Up
School is also coming to a rapid end. Today is the last full day, Thursday is a half-day, and Friday is a teacher in-service day. We’re all scrambling to get our grades in, reorganizing, shifting, throwing away, packing up, and rearranging. Fun, fun. One of my new year’s resolutions was to start working out, but frankly, I get enough exercise at work, youknaamean? I’m soooo looking forward to a 2-month break, which, considering my plans (UGST, Minneapolis, seeing family in PA, visiting friends in GA, finally moving out), might not be much of a break, but ah, well. Least we’re still getting paid.

Desperate?
But back to UGST . . . I’m still pondering over what possessed me to want to do it. I know, I talked about the whole “fervent about God, fervent about education” thing, and that still holds true, but sometimes I wonder am I that desperate for a change of scene that I’m willing to take an 8 ½ hour road trip and a graduate-level theology course just to get away? Sheesh, there are easier ways.

And Then . . . the Inevitable
What ever do I mean? Upon telling church people what my plans are for the summer when asked, many of them get that knowing look and gleam in their eye and say something to the effect of, “You might go up there and meet some nice young man and not come back.” (sigh) I guess it’s the fate of every unattached young lady to be subjected to church folk speculation about “meeting someone.” I guess they see my fresh, young face and my bare, ringless fingers and can’t help themselves.

Oh, and the church folk speculation bleeds over into co-worker speculation. I can’t go a day without being assured of the new band director’s attractiveness and energy and intelligence and supposed compatibility with me. You just have to meet him! I haven’t yet, but teacher in-service for the new school year will roll around soon enough, and then I won’t be able to escape it. But I’ll cross that bridge when I get there.

Maiden, I Say Unto Thee—Get Out of the Box!
Back to UGST again. Sometimes I really feel like, “God, what am I doing? Am I outside my mind?” But then the realization slowly flows through me that there comes a time where you just need to get out of the box. (And it may include getting outside your mind.)

Spanish word/phrase of the day: loco (LOH-koh) = crazy

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

RE: The State of Apostolic Music—How Bad Is It?

The Piquing of Interest
I read with great interest the email exchanges between Kent and Courtney in the recently featured ninetyandnine article “The State of Apostolic Music—How Bad Is It?”.

I also read with similar interest the fervor on this week’s letters page. I would have to say that the letter to which I most echoed “Right on!” was the one written by Paul Povolni of Missouri.

The whole thing brought up a lot of issues dealing with A/P music that I had never even thought of before . . . some, which I’m sure, may explain why I don’t own any.

My Music History
I won’t subject you to a saga of my tumultuous musical love life. I’ll just say this: Currently, my music collection consists of mainly rock and a few hip-hoppish artists of the Contemporary Christian genre—Newsboys, Audio A, Jars of Clay, TobyMac, The Afters, Katinas, Salvador, Switchfoot, Mat Kearney . . . the list goes on. I used to be a lot more into secular artists, but God . . . brought some things to my attention, and I reluctantly broke up with those guys. But I digress. Ahem.

If you tried to mix up my music tastes with that of the A/P stuff available at the Pentecostal Publishing House (PPH) booth after Ladies Retreat service or whatever, they would fuse just as easily as oil and water.

Now, This is Just Me
Please pardon me if I’m being too simplistic or over-generalizing here, but I think there are two types of Christian music. There is the Praise and Worship kind—stuff you’d sing in choir, stuff you sing during song service, stuff that you clap your hands to, lift your hands to, and Shout to the Lord to (or even get your own “shout” on to!); and then, there’s the, what I like to call, Christian entertainment kind—stuff you can nod your head and groove/play air guitar to and wouldn't necessarily sing at church, but has a positive, Christ-centered message.

I get my Praise and Worship on at church and when I listen to the black gospel radio station in the car. But the music that I actually buy is usually the Christian entertainment kind. Honestly, the usual black gospel/Southern gospel/ “special song” offerings from PPH don’t fall into that category for me.

A/P Music and the Bottom Line
Simply put, the A/P music genres are very narrow, and understandably so because there is a very limited market, therefore artists’ choices are limited, and they do what they gotta do to sell. The quality, as has been mentioned in many of the afore-linked commentaries, is not stellar either because of limited resources.

In the end, because of the limited genres, limited market, and less than quality product, as a whole, A/P music doesn’t cater to 20somethings that may be up for a more fresh, contemporary, higher quality, out-of-the-box sound.

Everything’s Not Lost
I haven’t lost hope, though. From a few of the letters I read, there are A/P efforts at large to change things and to minister to a wider demographic. I applaud those efforts, and I encourage those that are trying to make a difference not to get discouraged if they are not always accepted. I guarantee, there are people (like me) who are looking for something anointed and new.

Spanish word/phrase of the day: la música (lah MOO-see-ka) = music

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

Ordered Steps

The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way (Psalm 37:23).

Decisions, Decisions
I’ve been facing a major decision concerning my education, and it’s something I’ve been worrying about/praying about/seeking direction about for a while. See, my problem (and I’ll be willing to bet I’m not alone) is that I have a controlled checklist that I hold in a very tight fist. Once one thing has been checked off, I move on to the next, and the items must be done in that order. Go to college—check. Graduate—check. Get a job—check. Further my education—uhhh . . .

1st Convo Between Me and God
Me: (holding checklist so tightly in fist that I’ve nearly crumpled it) Look, God, it’s on my list, and it’s going to happen the way I planned it.

God: I know it’s on your list, and that’s fine, but have you ever considered handing it over to Me? You should know by now that things don’t always happen as you plan them.

Me: I know, God, but honestly, I hadn’t considered checking this one off the way You seem to be telling me to. Wouldn’t I be kind of going out of my way? All right, I’ll admit Your way is a little more in line with my overall goals, but my way is easier. I just need some confirmation that this is really, truly, undeniably You.

God: All right now, girl. You asked for it.

So Crazy It’s Got to Be God
You know those things that, when they happen, are so crazily “coincidental” it’s got to be God? All day Sunday, God was like, “Oh, you wanna be sure, huh?” BAM! “Oh, still not convinced?” BAM! “Girl, what else am I gonna have to do for you believe it really is my will?” BAM! Okay, God, I give up, I give up!

I keep a personal journal, and I wrote my concerns down about this decision during prayer on Friday. Sunday is when God started doing His thing and the “BAM!”s started happening. The title of the message was “Ordered Steps” it directly addressed those things I had written down. If that wasn’t enough, the pastor preached a continuation of “Ordered Steps” tonight and quoted scripture I had written in the same entry. If that wasn’t enough, when I went up there during altar call the pastor said, “If you’re standing here thinking, ‘God, is this your will?’ the answer is yes. You’re doing the right thing and you’re right where He wants you.” A few tear-and-snot-filled tissues later . . .

2nd Convo Between Me and God
Me: (Slowly handing over crumpled checklist) Okay, God, I give up, I give up!

God: Hey, girl, you can’t say I didn’t warn you. You did ask for it.

Me: (HONK! sniff, sniff) Yeah, You’re right . . . about everything.

God: (eye roll) Ya think? It’s not like I’m the Creator of the Universe or anything.

Spanish word/phrase of the day: Dios es impresionante. (dee-OHS ays eem-pray-see-oh-NAHN-tay) = God is awesome.

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