Why the Black Church is in Such a Mess Right Now - It's all GOD

God said He was Beginning "A Unique Shaking and Cleansing of the White and Black American Church"
Op/Ed By Harry R. Jackson, Jr. (April 4, 2008)

FOUNDING EDITOR'S NOTE: After reading the following article and referendum, please consider signing it. Harry Jackson will be on FOX NEWS approx. 2pm EST again on Friday, the 4th of April. Bishop Jackson is being a bridge between White and Black, and between the media and the Church. He is both a PEACEMAKER and a man with great wisdom for this hour as it relates to bringing about Reconciliation between the races. Remember to consider "signing" this referendum, and be SURE to let Harry know—within the same email—if you're a pastor, minister or any type of ministry head. Blessings, Steve Shultz, BCN.

Eight years ago, I was waiting for God to show me what was happening in the presidential election. I remember fasting and intensely seeking the face of God during that time. Many were shouting that blacks had been disenfranchised in several states. Many Bible believing whites felt that God had ordained George Bush's presidency in order to avert a major judgment from God. I felt uneasy with the typical assessment of both black and white Christians. I was uniquely aware of the different set of moral priorities that these two powerful branches of the Church embraced. As I agonized in prayer, the Lord spoke to me that He was beginning a unique shaking and cleansing of the American church.

DEALING WITH WHITE-LED AND BLACK-LED CHURCHES DIFFERENTLY

The Lord said that He was dealing with the white-led church and the black-led church differently at that time. He also showed me that there was coming a time when He would bring these two wings of the American Church together, implying that He would integrate the Church in a greater way than ever before.

The Lord showed me that the white-led church was about to enter into a period of extreme chastening, followed by the black-led church experiencing the same kind of cleansing. At the end of these back to back dealings, the Lord would have a new group of "bridge churches" ready to lead the American Church into a new phase of Biblically based justice that would glorify His name. For the last eight years the Lord has prepared many local churches to receive a huge influx of new ethnically diverse members. The preparation has been one of the heart and outlook of leaders and members. All of this is a part of the great awakening that God showed to me.

CLEANSING OF BOTH THE WHITE-LED CHURCH AND THE BLACK-LED CHURCH

The black church had entered into a time of harvest in 2000. The Lord told me that, beginning in 2000, He would judge, cleanse, and realign the white-led church in America, leaving the black-led church in a continuous time of harvest. After He finished cleansing the white-led church He would begin an aggressive cleansing in the predominately black church. The Lord then said to me, "As the second judgment on the black church begins I will [introduce] many people to new wineskins." I got the distinct impression that all of this was to be in preparation for a huge visitation from God—a third great awakening.

EXPOSURE OF SIN INCREASES—FIRST IN THE WHITE-LED CHURCH

Shortly, after that word, the massive national expose' came out concerning priests engaged in molestation. Today everyone is aware of the numerous court cases that the Roman Catholic Church has been involved in nationally. Next came the struggle about ordaining openly gay ministers in the Episcopal Church. The consecration of an openly gay bishop in 2003 marked the height of voluntary rebellion against the written Word of God. This is all a part of God cleaning house in the white-led church. Scores of Episcopal churches in the US have withdrawn from American leadership and submitted to Anglican Archbishops like Peter Akinola of Nigeria and other African leaders who still believe in the authority of Scripture.

Next we saw Ted Haggard, head of the NAE, fall from grace and become a national disgrace just before the 2006 elections. As an aftershock of this scandal, many national and regional leaders were exposed for sins of "Biblical proportions" according to the press. In addition, political leaders who seemed to be aligned with Christian values have repeatedly been exposed by the media. The mid-term election shakeup of the Congress and Senate was partially a signal from God that He does not choose parties—He chooses faithful men.

NOW THE LORD HAS BEGUN TO DEAL WITH THE BLACK-LED CHURCH
– Jeremiah Wright controversy and his bitter message demonstrates the Lord's chastening of the black-led church.

The recent problem with Jeremiah Wright (Barak Obama's former pastor) shows that the Lord has begun to deal with the black church. Time and time again, I have been told by liberal Christians that Pastor Wright's preaching is in the "prophetic" tradition of the black church. Nonetheless, people of goodwill will recognize the bitterness of both the message and the messenger. This is a very visible sign that we have entered into the season of the Lord's chastening of the black-led church. True black prophetic voices will come forth as the house of the Lord is cleansed.

So where does all of this leave us?

You and I have an opportunity to create a new wineskin for the glory of God. We must end prejudice in the Church on our watch. In response to John 17, we can make up our minds to become a unified, racially reconciled Church. The secular world will know that Jesus is Lord if we show His love. Racial reconciliation within the walls of the Church will be the beginning of the nation's next great awakening.

Please remember that in the first great awakening, race was dealt with, and blacks heard the Gospel. After the second great awakening, an awareness of the need for the abolition of slavery led to the Civil War. Next, the justice, grace and anointing on Martin Luther King, Jr. pricked the conscience of the entire nation forty years ago.

The following article will appear in major newspapers in the next few weeks to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.

Chuck Colson, Tony Perkins, Marcus Lamb, Rick Joyner, Steve Strang, Wellington Boone, Gary Simons, Steve Shultz, and scores of other pastors are signing on to the letter which we have called the Reconciliation Referendum. We plan to end the segregation of the Church in the next decade. It can be done! Once we're healed, we'll heal the nation.

You can sign on by sending an e-mail to info@hilc.net. Please remember to let us know if you are a pastor.

Source: Harry Jackson Jr. - High Impact Leadership Coalition

In recent weeks, there has been a national debate about the appropriateness of sermons preached by Dr. Jeremiah Wright from the pulpit of Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago. Two weeks ago the controversy led Senator Barak Obama to deliver an important speech on race in America.

Opinion leaders in the national media praised the speech as courageous, but the notion that simply more talk is needed will no longer suffice. While politicians like Barack Obama and the national media wring their hands over a problem that has persisted in this country for nearly 400 years, they offer no solutions to the problem.

The tragedy of this most recent revelation of America's racial divide is that incendiary remarks by Rev. Wright were delivered in a church, at the pulpit, by a pastor of a Christian church. If there is one that can and is healing the racial wounds of America, it is the Church. However, this latest incident underscores the lack of progress and the urgent need for a deliberate and coordinated effort among Christian pastors and spiritual leaders in America to lead the nation in racial reconciliation.

The failure of good Christian people to provide a clear and convincing example of racial unity within the Church has contributed to the divide between the races in the nation and it only appears to be widening.

We must recognize that racism is not just a social problem in America; it is also a spiritual problem. It is a matter of the heart. Healing racism in the nation is, therefore a challenge facing our country that must first be addressed in and by the Church. We believe that contrary to what Americans have seen in the last few weeks, the Church can and must help lead the nation toward reconciliation among the races.

This diagnosis of the nature of racism in the US is in keeping with the clear teaching of Scripture. Jesus prayed that His followers would be united. He also said in John 17:21 that the world would believe His mission and message because of the unity of His followers.

A racially reconciled church can eventually unite the nation. Evangelical churches are especially prepared to seize this strategic moment in American history because of their shared theology and value system.

The basis of our action is an empowerment theology that is based upon the Scriptures. In contrast, liberation theology as preached by people like Rev. Wright, if taken to the extreme, can fan the flames of class struggles and racial prejudice.

Many churches have already done a great deal to solve this problem, but there will be dire consequences if the racial tensions of the nation are not addressed. Just 16 years ago, on April 29, 1992, a major race riot sent shockwaves from Los Angeles around the world. Seven hundred million dollars of property damage, 13,212 arrests, 2,383 human injuries, and 54 deaths lay in the wake of an initial lower court verdict concerning the beating of Rodney King by four L.A. policemen.

We believe that a repeat of that riot is possible today. The protagonists may be black, white, or Hispanic but the danger of unresolved race-based anger deserves a national "intervention" by the Church.

There is no time to waste.

It is time for America to see the Church as an unbiased representative of Christ. We want to commemorate the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by announcing this Reconciliation Referendum on April 4, 2008-the 40th anniversary of his assassination. Over 40 leading ministers—20 whites and 20 blacks—have made a commitment to bring racial reconciliation to our nation within the next decade. We collectively make a commitment to take the following intentional and purposeful steps to begin the healing:

1. Pray for racial healing and spiritual awakening in America.

2. Strategically evangelize across racial boundaries.

3. Conduct pulpit exchanges in our communities or regions which congregations of different racial majorities.

4. Commemorate the contributions of Christian blacks, Hispanics and other racial minorities to both the Church and the nation through black history month and other dates of multi-racial and cultural significance.

5. Develop cross-cultural leadership within our local ministries, including spiritual and administrative positions.

6. Recognize that Biblical justice is a part of our social mandate.

7. Develop trans-denominational approaches to address domestic poverty.

What about practical solutions for non-churched people? In our book Personal Faith, Public Policy we give a visionary game plan for a racially reconciled Church to serve the entire nation. As the Church unifies, there are many specific public policy initiatives we can introduce in order to create a greater atmosphere of Biblical justice in our land.

We are calling for all Bible believing Christians to accept this Reconciliation Referendum and become proactive healing agents in this nation.

(You can sign this "Reconciliation Referendum" by sending an e-mail to info@hilc.net. Please remember to let us know if you are a pastor)