Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Binns Lecture

Yesterday, I went to the Binns Lecture at William Jewell College and I was appalled to say the least. The man spoke for about 2 hours and all that it consisted of was how much of an oppressed nation we live in. "White Supremacy" is what kept being reiterated throughout his entire speech. But it made me think how exactly "people of color" are being oppressed.

While I was sitting their pondering the oppressing of blacks in this day and age The man gave an analysis that sent my head spinning and my eye twitching. He said that just as Christ was hanged from a tree, so were blacks hanged from the limbs of trees. My ears opened wider and my eyes focused. There is no way that a black theologian man just said that.

Stupid me, I thought that if you went to Seminary school then you must be....Christian? or Jewish? or something? My head was reeling. I had to misunderstand that comment. There was just no way that someone could stand on the pulpit in from of hundred of college students, faculty and staff at a Christian college and say that. But my ears did not deceive me. He went on to say that Christ on the cross is to Christians that Lynchings are to Blacks.

This caused me to breakdown the comparisons. 1) They were both charged with no crime, I can conceded that. 2) They were both executed as a public show. 3) They both show some sort of heroic image. But here is the difference as the very maximum those that were hung in front of whites died for their fellow blacks, but CHRIST died for ALL people. Christ died for everyone. We are all his children, no matter what, black, brown, white, red, yellow, blue...he didn't care. His death was NEEDED so that we may LIVE.

Please give me a handful of black people that believe that Christ and a hanged black man are on the same level. I'm waiting, let me see it.