The Myth of the White Man's Religion...
Most of us have given up on the idea of getting to the Promised Land…as a people.
We are more focused on getting there by ourselves.
Where our Christian faith as Black people was once focused on marching to beautiful, beautiful Zion, we have now embraced the “rugged individualism” of America.
Our only hope is to find a faith that has not been coopted by White supremacy…a faith that is untainted and unadulterated by that corruption.
You’ve heard that before…
Our brothers and sisters who’ve embraced Islam or other African religions say it all the time: You must abandon the White man’s religion.
The problem with their claim is that Christianity is not the White man’s religion. Africans were Christian LONG before White people had even heard of the Christian faith.
The Ethiopians have been Christian since just after the Resurrection of Christ…
…And behold, a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace the queen of the Ethiopians, who had charge of all her treasury, and had come to Jerusalem to worship…
This Ethiopian was the Finance Minister (or Secretary of the Treasury). He was coming to pay the Temple Tax on behalf of the Ethiopian Empire. And with his conversion, he took Christianity back to Ethiopia. The Queen then converted and her Empire became Christian.
(btw…Ethiopia is the only nation in the world whose State religion was Judaism and then converted – as a State – to Christianity)
The (pre-Arab Invasion…still Black African) Egyptians tell a history of Jesus’ exile in Egypt, where a series of miracles were performed that aligned with the prophecies of Isaiah, especially the toppling of the idols, mentioned in Isaiah 19. According to Coptic tradition, the descendants of the Pharaohs started believing in Christ during His exile.
Christianity is not the White man’s religion. So, we don’t need to abandon Christianity…
We need to abandon the White man’s interpretation of Christianity
This act will emancipate us from mental slavery and free us to complete the journey out of the wilderness and into the Promised Land.
But how do we really do that…not just talk about doing it…?
Have you given that any thought?
When we find and embrace a Christian faith that has not been tainted by White supremacy, we can empower the Talented Tenth to end racial injustice and disparity.
That’s when the Black experience in America…slavery, lynching, Jim Crow segregation, the New Jim Crow and prison industrial complex…all of it will begin to make sense…
So what does it take to abandon White interpretations of Christianity? What does that even mean and look like…right?
Well…before I tell you that, I want to share a related story that roots the controversial position I’m about to take…
Some of you will flip out…and that’s ok.
Others of you will give thanks for what I’m about to share…
Because there has to be a reason God has allowed us to experience the horror of White supremacy and institutional racism…right?
Well, there is…
And it’s wrapped up in something Jesus said about Makeda, the Queen of Sheba – in Ethiopia – who “came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon…”
The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it…
After Solomon, Makeda was the wealthiest ruler of their time. And because of her power and influence, she learned of a king who was supremely wise. And just like Solomon knew the value of wisdom, Makeda also valued wisdom…so much so that she makes the journey to Israel in order to test Solomon with hard questions and riddles to see if he was wise enough for her to learn anything from him. When Solomon’s responses satisfy Makeda, the Queen of Sheba presents Solomon with lavish gifts.
Then she gave Solomon one hundred twenty talents of gold, spices and precious stones in great quantity. There was never again such abundance of spices as the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon. The ships of Hiram that brought gold from Ophir also brought great quantities of uncut timber and precious stones…There never again came such uncut timber, nor has the like been seen to this day.
The reality that this Ethiopian queen was powerful enough to leave her empire for a great length of time, without worrying about its governance and travel over 5000 miles simply to speak with another king…for no other reason that to “pick his brain,” then shower him with gifts the likes of which have never been seen again speaks to the tremendous power and wealth of this Ethiopian woman. #RealLifeWakanda
The name “Ethiopian” we owe to the ancient Greeks. When the Greeks came in contact with the dusky inhabitants of Africa and Asia, they called them the “burnt-faces.” The Greek word for burnt was “Ethios” and the word for face was “ops.” So ethios plus ops became Ethiopian. The Greeks reasoned that these people developed their dark complexion because they were closer to the sun than were the fairer inhabitants of Europe.
And since Western Civilization had long determined that all Black people are Ethiopian and therefore kin to the Queen of Sheba, then they have also determined that Black people will rise in judgment of this generation who stands in opposition to God and unjustly abuses both humanity and creation.
And this is where it gets really interesting…
