The obvious answer is “Yes.” As others have pointed out, “The gospel is quite clear that there is no distinction between the saved prostitute and the person who grew up in church.” (see Galations 3:28) And yet, if someone does have a problem with accepting them…I think it’s important to understand why. Let’s talk about it.
Very often, what I’ve observed from some Christians is essentially this sentiment of, “God accepts them, so shut up. It’s not your place to have an opinion on it one way or the other. You’re no better than they are, so don’t get cocky. Everybody’s a sinner! Everybody sins! We’re all the same! You’re nothing special.”
Here, at Stage in the Sky, we aim to explore those feelings and dig deep as to why anyone would harbor animosity towards the reformed Christians in the first place. Maybe then, we can get over it, let go, and come to accept them?
Sometimes when more scholarly Christians toss around words like “Redemption” or “Sanctification” it can be a bit difficult to comprehend or understand what that looks like or what it is. What’s so appealing about it? Why should I care?
Seriously…when I was a kid, my parents used to talk about the “kingdom of heaven.” Then, I looked around the church and thought to myself, “No, Thank You!” That’s because I couldn’t understand what the Kingdom of Heaven was. Back then, they made it seem like “heaven” was this place where there was nothing but a bunch of stiff, pious, monks and nuns who don’t really do anything interesting.
It’s like being back in Advanced Algebra. When I asked when I would ever need to use things like the Quadratic Formula in real life? The teacher didn’t have an answer. And since I saw no benefit, I wasn’t motivated to learn. I didn’t care about getting better beyond that which was required to pass the class because…what’s the point?
I think it’s the same with concepts like “Redemption” or “Sanctification”. Now, to be completely honest. I was prompted to write about Redemption and encouraged by another website called, SigmaFrame. You should check it out, because Jack’s an awesome intellectual and the comments sections are always full of thinkers I’ve come to have a tremendous amount of respect for.
But after much reflection and ample prayer…I asked myself, who do I want to reach? Who’s my audience? Other knowledgeable Christians who are already striving to do what’s good in God’s eyes? I don’t think so.
Instead, my aim has always been on those who call themselves Christians but don’t know what Christ taught. I also target the agnostics who are on the fence, and the Christians who are indifferent towards the Truth because of terrible experiences they may have had with Christianity. If my aim is to help the layman to “embrace” the truth, I believe we have to talk to them at their level. So here goes…
I wasn’t going to make a post about this video I recorded, but after reading one of the responses, I felt I had to dive deeper.
In the Caption, I say “I want to make it clear that I don’t speak for All Black People in this video…at the same time, I hate it when people who have the spotlight…THEY speak for all black people as if we all agree, as if we all feel the same. We don’t.”
As expected, there were a lot of people who saw the title of the video and just jumped to conclusions and posted comments without having actually watched the video. Which is alright. That seems to be the way of things. Not to mention, I think it brings a smirk to the faces of those who did watch the video and know I addressed a point the commenter was trying to make.
The whole point of me doing my videos, or writing my essays with a particular angle is to bring to light an opinion I haven’t seen presented on a greater scale. For instance, I didn’t post anything about the Will Smith slap for months because already I’ve seen it being covered. However, when it comes to the dreaded “N-word” and the controversy surrounding BYU and the Duke Volleyball player…I felt it was time to say something.
Recently, the comedian Aries Spears made some jokes about Lizzo’s weight and appearance. Lizzo and her fans fought back where one of their arguments were, “But he’s fat too!”
As one who used to weigh 378lbs, I believe I have every right to speak on the subject. And I hope you can tell from my tone in the video that I really am coming from a place of love. This isn’t to mock or slight anyone.
Points Discussed:
Can Men Talk about Women’s Bodies? – @1:14
Should You Hate Yourself If You’re Fat – @3:11
My Inspiration to Lose Weight – @5:40
I Tried to Help a Friend Lose Weight – @7:15
Will You Still be Body “Positive” in your 50s? – @10:11
How I Got Up to 378 pounds – @12:01
I Was So Fat I Got Stuck in the Closet – @17:28
How I Felt When I Reached My Weight-loss Goal – @22:29
Expounding on this notion of, “But he’s fat too”…I don’t think I’ve ever respected this argument. I’m talking about the notion of, “You have no right to talk about a subject if you’re failing in the subject too.”
We need to talk about what’s happening between Black Men and Black Women. I’m noticing that there seems to be a growing rift between the genders, a great deal of resentment and hostility that’s getting out of control. But don’t worry, I have solutions!
The issues have been going on for years and it’s getting progressively worse. From the “Color Purple” to “What’s Love Got to Do with it” and even in the 2000s with Tyler Perry’s Madea films…it appears we black men are simply not acting right. We’re players. We’re dusty. We hump everything that moves. We’re not making 6 figures. We’re not keeping up with the education and professional careers of women. We shirk out on our responsibilities, making a whole bunch of babies and never sticking around to take care of them. We’re told to do better, do better, do better! And of course, one of the worst things black men do that provokes all kinds of ire…is date and marry women of another race.
This is a little embarrassing to admit because…as men, we’re told we have to be “masculine” and apparently everyone’s coming up with their own pre-conceived notions of what masculinity is…but if you know me, then you know honesty is forte.
This is about getting Likes or even Emojis for your work, posts, and social media. Essentially, it is “validation.” It’s cool to say things like, “I don’t NEED any validation”. Sure, sure.
The truth is…I don’t “NEED” it. But would I like it? Absolutely! Why does anyone post ANYTHING, if not to share and get some kind of reaction or validation back from the people who “follow” them. This isn’t a bad thing. We’re humans living in the age of technology. Once upon a time, we had local fairs and town squares. Now, we have social media.
I’m almost done with my third reading of 1 Samuel and I had to get my thoughts down about King Saul, the first King of Israel.
There’s so many lessons here that we can apply to our own lives, in today’s modern world. Mainly, the importance of patience and obeying God’s commandments even in the face of overwhelming pressure and anxiety.
Points Discussed: Modern-Day Christians Want God to Help Them Right Away? Why Some Humans Prefer Human Leadership over God’s Leadership – @1:20 Lack of Patience Under Intense Pressure – @3:48 Saul Failed with the Amalekites – @5:22 Obeying God’s Commandments is Better than Sacrifices – @7:18 If God Doesn’t Answer Your Prayers, Will You Reject God? – @8:32 Saul Relied on Mediums – @10:10
Is it true that Black Men have “abandoned the church”? Clearly, there are still black men going to church. It’s not like you’ll walk into one and NOT see a black guy.
But from watching the pastors on Jason Whitlock’s show and hearing Kevin Samuels over the past few years, there does seem to be this perception that “black men have given up on the churches”. I thought this was strange. And personally, I’d have no way of knowing whether any of this is true…because *chuckles nervously* as a black guy, I don’t go to church.
First off, I want to make it clear that I don’t think churches, religious assemblies, and congregations are bad. I truly believe church and congregations are great and amazing events. The Old Testament taught that God loves assemblies. So, being that I’m a Christian…why don’t I go to one?
The issues I’m going to bring up may be reasons why other men have stopped going and we’re just too embarrassed to admit it. I haven’t seen anyone else address or mention the MAIN reason why I personally don’t go…So here goes…
THE CHURCH HAS CAVED TO MODERN WOKE IDEOLOGY –
Let’s begin by addressing the common reasons I heard about why Black Men have stopped going to the church. Mainly, the sentiment is that the message, the pastors and ministers, have stopped preaching the Truth. Instead, the “Truth” is being watered down to walk lock-step with today’s woke ideologies. And in turn, they’re catering to women, telling women what they want to hear, instead of what the Bible actually says.
For this one, I had to get my thoughts down about Will Smith. I didn’t speak up or publish any essays about the Will Smith/Chris Rock slap when it first happened because everyone was talking about it. But for this, I want to focus on the perspective of young black men “like myself” (not ALL black men) and why we were especially upset/disappointed with Will Smith.
Just a heads up, I’m very critical of Black Culture in this video and I talk about Christianity towards the end.
Stage In The Sky 