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(Editor´s Note: This is the conclusion of an article urging men to let God renew their minds through faith in Jesus Christ.)
After briefly examining eleven major worldviews and coping strategies black Americans have developed from the interpretation of our experience as victims, none were found to be completely healthy and beneficial. The thinking, attitudes and behaviors of all eleven worldviews and coping strategies were sinful or flawed in the sight of God. As a result, they were self-destructive, self-defeating or unhealthy and yielded no worthy future vision for the whole race.
The Bible Christian Worldview
Praise be to God! There is a twelfth worldview that a relative few blacks since slavery have discovered and lived out. They discovered the Bible Christian worldview through becoming "born again" Christians and undergoing the renewing of their minds. In the renewing of their minds they learn not to start with man or circumstances to interpret their experiences, but God and His Word! Unlike others, they shun the wide gate and broad way of self-generated worldviews that lead to destruction. Instead, they enter the narrow gate and walk in the way that leads to life as Jesus Christ taught (Matthew 7:13-14).
The "born again" Christian black American lives as all other Christians by faith in God (absolute trust and confidence in Him)! As it is written, "…the just shall live by his faith," (Habakkuk 2:4; Galatians 3:11, NKJV). This is God´s express will of His people and the Christian coping strategy for all of life, no exceptions (Hebrews 11:6; I John 5:4). Faith is more than waiting for heaven. It is deliberately looking to and drawing upon the resources of God to triumphantly live in this fallen world. Against such faith no adversity or adversary can finally prevail (Romans 8:28-39)! This is the best life!
You cannot believe in the God of the Bible and not also believe His Word--it is impossible! Why? He is the Word (John 1:1-2)! Daniel believed in God and received great and amazing revelations; some delivered by angels. But when he tearfully sought God for the plight of his people, the Jews, he was moved by faith in the prophetic Word God had already given through Jeremiah the prophet written in the books (Daniel 9:2). The Jewish man God appointed to bring the Gospel to us Gentiles was given revelation too. But Paul also used the already written prophetic Word to preach Jesus to the nations (Romans 16:25-27).
A proper biblical interpretation of the black experience has been in our hands through the prophetic Word of God since slavery, but the many have rejected it because of lack of faith and knowledge, willful and otherwise (Hosea 4:6). What is it? It is seen in what I have written in this article refuting black worldviews. In summary, God, the Judge of the nations has caused the tribes of our race to drink from His cup of wrath through slavery among other means to punish our sins and raise up witnesses to His Son (Psalm 75:4-8, 107:10-16; Isaiah 18, 43:10-13; Romans 15:8-12)!
According to His Word through Jeremiah the prophet, no nation, people or tribe would escape drinking from God´s cup of wrath since He began serving it with His own people (Jeremiah 25:15-29)! With the coming of the Europeans to West Africa and slavery our time had come. Many peoples have drank from God´s cup since 605 B.C. and are no more. Their souls languish in Hades awaiting the final judgment. Our forefathers, in accord with His sovereign election and grace, drank from the same cup and were made slaves that we with all other grateful Gentiles might glorify God for His mercy and testify of His goodness in Christ!
But just as Peter began to sink when he took his eyes off Jesus in faith and focused on the stormy circumstances around him (Matthew 14:25-31), so many professing black Christians since the terror of Reconstruction have done the same. Some joined sinners and even willfully in anger rejected the Lord and His Word calling it "the white man´s lies." Realizing how the truth sounded many preachers corrupted it and made God a party to the lie of victimization. Christianity became a religion about comforting "me" rather than Christ and fulfilling His command to be His witnesses. Therefore, every preacher who could read the Bible from that time until now will give an account for not feeding God´s people the truth!
Nevertheless, God, who never leaves Himself without a witness, even put the biblical interpretation of our experience in a song that is sung robustly to this day. In 1900, James Weldon Johnson with his brother R. Rosamond penned the song Lift Every Voice And Sing for a school children´s program. Today, it is called the "National Negro Hymn." Many sing it, but do not truly comprehend the song´s spiritual significance for if they did, they could no longer think of themselves or our people as victims. They would clearly see God´s providence and redemptive purposes in our suffering and heed the warning not to fall drunk with worldliness!
What a testimony we have! Don´t you know every black Christian ever murdered in this nation is Christ´s martyr?! But alas, our greatest hour seems to have come and gone when for a moment with Dr. King we stood up as strong men of God. In the Spirit´s power nobody turned us around! Now, in worldliness, we have turned ourselves around as victims and spurned the God who brought us out to our ruin unless we repent (Psalm 81:8-16).
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