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It is March 22, 2007 and I receive from Mr. Richard Brown my copy of the compilation of articles he brings to the African American Program´s weekly meeting for men on parole. He brings these articles with the intent to inform, challenge and inspire attendees as they seek to rebuild their lives after prison. The articles are gleaned from Internet sources and are mostly written by leading black commentators and thinkers. One of this day´s articles is written by Salim Muwakkil a Chicago journalist and is entitled, Black Men: Missing?
Reading this article causes my heart to sink as these types of articles always do since once again, I feel helplessly bombarded with statistics that show what I already painfully know so well: black men and our community are in trouble! My work through Strong Man Ministries is an attempt to make a difference, but the problems are huge and legion. While I serve a God who can do anything, His hands are tied in this case without the heartfelt faith of more praying mothers and godly women (Matthew 13:58). I write to appeal for your support.
First of all, Happy Mother´s Day! Your men are missing in action as husbands, fathers and sons in numbers I am sure none of us really truly appreciates. Mr. Muwakkil in his article references other articles that point out black men are missing to such an extent that there is a significant national gender imbalance of 26% more women according to 2002 Census data in the black community. In individual cities such as East Orange, New Jersey, the percentage of women outnumbering men is 47%!
You know the natural causes, poverty, low educational attainment, disease, violence, incarceration, murder etc. You also know the deeper causes behind the natural causes, spiritual poverty and family dysfunction (including the cycle of absentee fathers and often drug addicted mothers who are rewarded by our government with pay for bearing still more children out of wed-lock). This is my frustration with our commentators and thinkers, (professional and otherwise): everybody knows the problems, but offer very little in the way of workable, long-term solutions! Even Mr. Muwakkil can only offer a "unless we strenuously intervene…" to end his article.
God Almighty supplied answers for what ails our community long ago in His Word, the Bible. These are perfect solutions that would miraculously reverse our current situation faster than the secular solutions of education, jobs etc. if they worked. But these do not work long-term since they cannot eliminate spiritual poverty as the core problem. However, our God through His Son, Jesus Christ can (Isaiah 55:1-3; Matthew 5:1-6; John 7:37-39)! Family dysfunction is directly tied to spiritual poverty. Thus, this problem will never be solved without God´s Word and power either! So, what´s the hold up? We have the solutions, let´s roll--not!
It seems mothers, that the rebellion against God, His Son and Word that flowered last century in the sixties has been fully embraced by the movers and shakers of our community today. They reject God´s will, way and Word! Oh, many go to church for show, but their hearts are far from God. These men and women you scrubbed floors and ironed tons of clothes to send to college do not serve the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob as you have from the heart. With tears I admit they are my parent´s generation, my own and those after.
Some are afraid of offending their supposedly spiritual, but not religious, politically liberal, multi-cultural peers; others of losing their jobs if they talk too much about Jesus. Still others could care less about the God you took them to Sunday School to learn about, preferring instead to serve the god of green denominations, the larger the better! A few even profess to acknowledge God, but their denial of His Son and mouths full of "cursing and bitterness" reveal the darkness of their hearts (John 5:19-23, 15:23; I John 2:22-23; Romans 3:10-18).
Even in the churches the spirit of rebellion and Jezebel has taken hold. Godly women that a generation ago would not have even permitted themselves the thought of going against God´s designation of men to lead the churches are breaking forth! The men allow it out of fear--we are thoroughly outnumbered--or because we are weak and have also rebelled against God´s Word! As was the case with the real Jezebel, the Lord Jesus declares a severe judgment on the woman with Jezebel´s spirit in His church who calls herself to her role and her supporters (I Kings 16:29-33, 18:4, 19:1-2, 21:1-26; 2 Kings 9:30-37; Revelation 2:18-23)!
Mothers, godly women, you see and know all the things I have written. I appeal to you to turn from your silence before God. It was in part your tearful prayers born of an unshakable faith in God that gave our post-World War II generations the opportunities we enjoy. It was your hope and hard work for a brighter and better future for us that we now squander or can a people who forget God long endure (Job 8:11-15)? Please return to your knees one more time for us. We have lost our way and our minds believing God is not judging!
Pray for God in mercy to send the Holy Spirit to bring conviction, repentance and revival to our hearts according II Chronicles 7:13-14 and Psalm 51:1-17. Pray that we will see that God´s ancient design of the family and the man´s roles in it are perfect. Pray that godly women understand it is in their best interest to restore our men lest they have none to marry and bear godly children with (Isaiah 3:10-4:1).
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