PraiseNet Archive
Love. If I had to start someplace, and I guess I do, the most egregious problem with today’s black church is its lack of love. The lack of love is the first and most obvious sign that a person does not know Jesus Christ. And I don't care if that person’s title is “bishop” or “apostle” or the new, really stupid one, “Pastor Apostle.” Paul said, “...but [without] love, I am nothing...” [I Cor 13:2]. Without love, we are powerless. Without love, we are defeated. Without love, we are in bondage. Pettiness is bondage. Childishness is bondage. Impatience, beloved, is bondage.
The practice of the church is often out of sync with the nature of a divine and progressive God. Meanwhile, the common currency of black culture is shockingly anti-moral and anti-intellectual. It is my conviction that ministry, real ministry, is as much about education, dialogue and discourse as it is big hats and organ music. We should all be what we choose to be— from playaz to preachaz. But we should be an informed people. A knowledgeable people, about ourselves, our culture, and our belief system. The church should never have a routine, but should always have a purpose. The two are rarely congruent and almost never interchangeable. In routine we find comfort and reassurance in the structure of ritual. In purpose we find the anxiety of the unknown and the reward of the unexpected. The unexpected gifts of unexpected people.
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