black church fires

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Mark Bassett wrote:

> If you dont want to receive mail about godhead issues, then
> unsubscribe. If you want to receive mail about issues where race
> baiting and hatred occupy significant places in the content, subscribe
> to another list also. 

Does this sound nice, friendly and Christlike?  Me thinks not.

You say if I don't want to receive information about the Godhead, 
then unsubscribe.  I don't think that all discussions about race or 
bigotry, discrimination or anything else along those lines 
necessarily leads to a negative conversation.  It is through 
conversation that people learn, share ideas and make change.  I agree 
with Bro. Bowden that it might always be a good idea to pray before 
such conversations take place.  That way God can be in the midst and 
direct people's hearts toward the right direction.

I took a cross cultural communications course at the Christian 
college I was attending last year, and the professor began each class 
with prayer.  I thought that was good.  And we were able to learn and 
share together.  No doubt, there were some heated discussions, but I 
believe in the long run it was helpful to all of us.  We have to live 
in a racially diverse world.  We cannot stand behind our faith as if 
race is not an issue.  As Christians or better yet, Apostolics, we 
are supposed to be a light. If you have never had these discussions 
or thought about such things, how would you respond if put in a 
situation that needed help with regard to race relations.  How would 
you respond to a new child in the neighborhood who may be being 
mistreated because they are of another race?  How would you respond 
to someone on the job who was not promoted because of race?  I mean, 
these are issues that affect us regardless to our religious 
convictions and yet are even more important because we profess 
Christ.

If we look at the Civil Rights Movement of the 60s, you can see what 
I mean.  I am sure there were many, many saved folks who were 
witnesses to the cruelty and abuse that was inflicted upon those who 
were just seeking equality.  Yet we know from the record that not 
many stood up or came forward to help.  No one was there talking 
about Jesus and equality.  They just stayed inside and hopefully 
prayed.  Nothing wrong with that.  But sometimes we need examples.  
If we didn't need an example we wouldn't have pastors and Elders and 
Missionaries and Prophets.  Sometimes we need someone to lead the 
way, to start he march, so to speak.

Finally, there has to be more to us than just discussions about the 
Godhead.  Nothing wrong with it.  But how many times are you going to 
debate the Trinity issue.  I think that is definitely one that we 
need to pray about.  That God will open the eyes of those who don't 
understand the difference between a name and titles.

I am sorry if some think that saved folks shouldn't discuss race.  I 
am even more sorry that you don't think talking about things that are 
in the forefront of our society are not important.  When you walk out 
of your prayer closets, you are thrown into a very cruel, hateful 
world.  We need to know how to deal with it and we need to know how 
to relate.

Kay
However, at this point, NOTICE that my request
> to pray was directed to EVERYONE, not exclusively to you. *I*, (yes, *
> the big *I*) feel that these kinds of discussions are very, very
> destructive and without prayer will never produce anything but hatred
> and bitterness.
> 
> Offering your comment as an example:
> >Why is it that white people feel that they have to always play "one 
> >up?"  Everytime something happens to us and there is a little press, 
> >white folks start fussing about this happens to them too.  Come on.
> 
> Everyone is getting milage on this stuff, politicians, religious
> people, ... everyone except the people who get hit by satanic
> violence. Once again, lets just pray instead of using the "news"
> factories latest effort to divide America into factions as an excuse
> to make a lot of racist comments.
> 
> -mwb
> 
>