The First Epistle.
Sunday, October 29, 2000.
Through Faith,
God's Answers
Are Revealed.
By Rev. James R. Bingham
Special to corndancer.com
POSTED FROM Memphis, Tennessee
My dear readers and searchers for truth:
While living in this earth suit in Memphis, I continue to observe a pointless, on-going struggle to find peace and harmony among the races. This idea of racial balance will exist as long as we make it an issue. At one time I felt that the election of an African American mayor in Memphis would bring matters to a boiling point, meaning that the people would somehow, subtly, decide that if they were going to be under African American leadership, then the race issue should become a relic of misguided emotional associations.
I felt this would cause people to recognize that God does things to bring people together, and that only by realizing the movement of His hand can we see the true blessings that he has in store. Memphis, indeed the nation, has overlooked this realization. Instead of allowing our faith to direct us to seek God, we continue to look to politics and economics for the answers. Yes, money answereth all things, but this is true only when God is first. Otherwise money becomes an object of love. A word of caution is that the love of money is the root of all evil.
That brings me to the reason of my writings on the mis-education of the Judeo-Christian. We have used religion as the faith instead of living by the faith expounded by our religious doctrines. The just shall live by faith.
"The people of this fable-world imbibe toxic ideas... they are miseducated by cant; by historical, cultural, and political bias or ignorance of schoolish books; by insidious daily-diet propaganda sponsored by moneymongers;... by foolish slogans rampant in this world convincing many that 'if you White, you right; if you Black, stand back or catchup.' " I quote Eleanor Taylor from her provocative work, "The Fabulous World of Toni Morrison."
A History Based on Misinterpretations.
This is a comely quotation in a seemingly uncomely place. Without a doubt, we are educated according to the accepted and prevalent standards of society, which are guided by traditions and poorly researched practices that determine what can and cannot be taught. We have lived through and continue to dust off the results of a history that shapes our thinking -- a history based on misinterpretations and misplaced precepts that are used to support the political and economic direction of this country.
I speak of slavery and a thriving American-Eurocentric economy. The efforts stack races and control social mobility according to color and circumstances supported by ambiguity in philosophy and religion.
Oddly, the very basis of this country, and the reason for its existence as a beacon for the weary and downtrodden, is Christianity and the freedom of religion. The idea of the revolution was to seek out and find a place where men could be men, be treated as men, and worship together, if they so desire, as free men. Patrick Henry's famous words of 1775, "...give me liberty or give me death," were not for political liberty, but religious liberty.
Somewhere along the way, the movement toward liberty, though founded in good intent, was misdirected, leaving a trail of deceit and scriptural mis-interpolations. This altered trail produced a dialectic society, one that spouts a heartfelt, but erratically pursued desire to be one.
Break the Grip on the Souls of Men.
My passion, my calling, then, is to help break the grip of this mentality on the souls of men. It's time to change this well conceived, yet poorly implemented educational process, which so ingrained in the Western psychic.
I will not attempt to discolor varied techniques of preaching, nor will I promote any system of faith over another. They each have their place. Instead, I will explore, as is, the expressed calling of a Spirit-led minister, to pronounce the truth of our Lord and Savior, and provide a peephole into the eschatological basis of my faith, Christianity.
Hopefully, you will be enlightened, joyfully, to divide the Word further, without hesitation, but with fear and hunger.
Today's growth of understanding of the Spirit is one that was earnestly prayed for by John Calvin. I do not profess to be an ardent Calvinist, but, I do find his Five Points of Salvation to be encouraging and supportive of the Christian growth through the dispensations.
About Me.
I am a Baptist minister with a growing passion for non-denominational interlinings that diligently pursue spiritual truths.
Born and reared in the Helena-West Helena, Arkansas, area to a Baptist minister, I gradually broaden my horizons by exploring various political and religious involvements, including the Nation of Islam under Elijah Muhammad. Under his guidance I was given the name Nashid Madyun, which connotes a sincere student and messenger of the truth.
While a student at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, I discovered significance in the diversity of culture. I began to see how the inherent differences in the cultural backgrounds of my fellow students and teachers directed the interpretation and reception of varied truths. I saw that these perceived truths are designed to support the cultural traditions and mores of the dominant society.
Currently I serve as an assistant to the Pastor at Jerusalem Baptist Church in Memphis, Tennessee. I write frequently for various religious and secular publications, while serving as spiritual advisor to State Representative John DeBerry, State Senator Roscoe Dixon, and U.S. Congressman Harold Ford, Jr. and others who dare to dare about the truth of truth.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Rev. Bingham
can be reached by E-mail at
jamesrbingham@juno.com.
His phone number in Memphis is
901.785.5691.