Extemporaneous musings, occasionally poetic, about life in its richly varied dimensions, especially as relates to history, theology, law, literature, science, by one who is an attorney, ordained minister, historian, writer, and African American.
Friday, August 24, 2018
'SLAVES' OBEY YOUR 'MASTERS'
A Good Slave is a Good Christian...
“Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ.” (1 Peter 2:18: )
H/t Kweku Ofori
[Unfortunately, this New Testament scripture has fueled several false narratives, when coupled with the photo. "African" is synonymous with "slave" to those of us who scarcely know African American history. When this was written there were more white slaves than there were Africans, since neither the Islamic nor Christian slave trades has begun at that time. Second, Christianity itself began in Africa since the Greeks and Romans and satellites who later copied , stole, appropriated it as their own were all pagans! But many people lack knowledge of the origin of Christianity as lack who lack knowledge of world history. Ignorance is the evil here, for addressing the text forthrightly, it is true that obedience of children, soldiers, servants, students, employees, citizens, church's members is a desirable thing of any color! On the other hand men may misuse anything for any purpose! So, ever be on your guard for deceit! Many African American "slaves" rejected the attempt to misuse the Bible for the sake of white supremacy and their oppression. They ran away to freedom by the tens of thousands; they fought in and defeated the slave holders in the Civil War. They are still fighting through their descendants like me and some of you! Finally in his book JESUS AND THE DISINHERITED, late Dr. Howard Thurman of South Carolina says colored folks would reject white preachers who brought slave sermons, preferring slave preachers who preached freedom in the forest's brush arbors, and elsewhere. There they could worship freely with their own preachers like Richard Allen, Denmark Vesey, Gabriel Prosser, Nat Turner and many more anonymous ones, who saw through the delusion that the white devils on earth had used to try to separate original black man from God! "1 Corinthians 7:23 (ASV) Ye were bought with a price; become not bondservants of men."}