After a very dramatic day yesterday, I had decided that I would take a break from Facebook for awhile. I wanted to step back a bit and get my head and spirit recharged and back aligned. For the first time in 3 months, I went back in the lab and spun out a stress relief mix, after which I prayed and read. In my reading I did log back onto Facebook to observe the chatter. I see that once again, my home state is making national news. 1) The pastor at the Providence Rd Baptist Church in Maiden, NC (my home is between Newton and Maiden. We claim Newton of course.) speaking from the pulpit some really hateful rhetoric about gays and lesbians. Catch the synopsis here (http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/bestoftv/2012/05/24/ac-intv-tuchman-lesbian-church-member-pastor-worley.cnn?iref=allsearch)Then to top the sundae off, 2) The Stateville, NC paper (http://www2.statesville.com/) the Statesville Record and Landmark, reported that the Klan is going to rally in Harmony, NC upon this weekend. Yup, that is right that Klan, the Ku Klux Klan. Nice. Lets deal with this in reverse order.
The Klan rally. For readers who aren't from my neck of the woods, I bet you are stunned at this development. I can say in my younger years living in Newton, NC, the Klan has marched downtown on several occasions. Am I surprised, no I am not. But in my eyes, the Klan is not, let me stress NOT a group that can be discounted. This is not fear speaking but as of knowing history and truth. Some have compared the Klan to other groups that have or is currently promoting some type of "supremacy" in regards to an ethnic setting. On its face, this can be argued, but take the time to dig deeper. I would argue that the Klan is the American Terrorist Group. All of the black men who were lynched. All of the families that were terrorized. All of the churches that were burned. All of the kids that we killed in the cross fire. All of the kids that subjected to the culture of hate. The Klan has a trail of blood attached to it that can only be matched by groups like the Taliban. This is why the Klan stirs up emotion in African-Americans. To hear anyone discount that is truly insulting. I understand the kumbayah stance put please people, brush up on your American history. (Billie Holiday's song "Strange Fruit" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4ZyuULy9zs puts the lynching aspect in perspective. This song was originally recorded in 1939.)
Yet, under the great laws of our land, and strangely enough, the Citizens United ruling, the Klan has voice and a right to speak like everyone else. Hell they have been exercising that right for well over 100 years strong. Now with the Citizens Untied ruling, that gives them a bigger foot hold in the political process. I would argue that the foothold has been strong for well over 100 years too. Folks are expressing anger at the Record and Landmark put they were reporting it as news. Taking it out on the paper is easy. Having the stones to stand up in one voice against hate is something completely different. That stand requires us to become even more engaged with the political and social aspects of our communities. Change has to occur within to exert change. Meaning, you gotta change on the inside to see change on the outside. More on this if needed...
Now to Pastor Worley down in Maiden, NC. The home of the largest Apple Data Center in the world. NICE Pastor. I would love to ask him simply this, from clergy to clergy. "How in God's name do you think what you said benefits the Kingdom of God?" How can anyone get Jesus' love, grace and mercy out of what he said? He doesn't have to agree with the gay and lesbian lifestyle and the idea of same sex marriage. Got that and doctrinal terms, he can't agree with it. But the hate and the language that he put out there is grounds for getting his tail canned. That is spiritual malpractice. I never knew that Jesus was down with the hate? I guess Jesus is out of the saving business. How can you bring anyone to Christ like this? Bottom line, bringing souls to Christ at this moment is not important to him. He got what he wanted, his time in the sun. This is why many people have lost trust in the church and in the faith. It is truly time for clergy to be true to the calling instead of political puppets. Just my .02 cents worth. Back to being quiet.
