WELL, WELL, WHAT DO YOU KNOW...? PART I
In March of this year, 29 graduating seniors of the Interdenominational Theological Center (ITC) in Atlanta signed a written protest against that institution's selection of Bishop Eddie Long as May commencement speaker. Though the event has passed and though the posting of these observations at this time may not have its optimum effect, I do believe that the thoughts expounded in this three-part series have some validity. I hope this is your experience also. Thanks to my friend Anthony Carter for suggesting this medium.
It is about time that some Blacks would freely and openly disapprove of one of Black religion’s "Untouchables," one who has increasingly hoodwinked his congregation with an eclectic admixture of Word Faith Theology, Prosperity Teaching, unconscionable heresy, rank mysticism and personal duende. It is encouraging that some circles in the Atlanta area are courageously speaking out against the theology and conduct of one of Black America's most visible, prominent and popular religious icons, Bishop Eddie Long, Pastor of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Lithonia, Ga. It is laudable that some have come to the point of saying that enough is enough -- in the words of Roberto Duran, the nonplussed recipient of a relentless pugilistic pummeling by Sugar Ray Leonard, No más! It is commendable that some would lift every voice above and against the obsequious din showered upon Long and sing: this fellow does not represent us!
I'm speaking of the representative group of 29 graduating ITC students (hereafter called the ITC 29) who vented their firm opposition to President Michael Battle's invitation of Long as this year’s commencement speaker. The remonstrants’ letter was clear and cogent, sound and objective, articulate and accurate, and responsible –it amply supported its claims by solid documentation. Among the many reasons for the ITC 29’s disapproval of the beleagured Bishop Long were his:
discrediting the mission and vision statements of ITC.
ethical foibles: the August 28, 2005 “Atlanta Journal-Constitution” reported his receipt of $3.07 million in salary, more than half the amount paid to intended beneficiaries, and many other material/financial benefits from a nonprofit corporation founded by him.
vituperative denunciation of less popular Black preachers as ".. a bumbling bunch of preachers who can't talk … who spend time baptizing babies." See my previous article.
(incorrect) analysis and disqualification of women from some leadership positions in the Church.
disparagement of the value of theological education and his denunciation of ITC's leadership as "antiquated hindrances.." and "obsolete traditions" out of touch with the "fresh move" of God among His people.
rash and irresponsible exegesis of 1 Jn 2:22; 1 Sam 3:1-10; and the account of the beheading of John the Baptist, to support his nonsensical idea that today's church must sever itself from past, otiose traditions in order to hear the new message that God is speaking.
"lack of scholarship" and blatant disrespect for ITC faculty.
There’s More To The Matter
In addition to the ITC 29’s protest, there is another dimension to this situation. The May 11 Atlanta-Journal Constitution reports that, because of ITC's invitation to long, Dr. James H. Cone, the father of Black Liberation Theology (which is by no means Biblical Theology), has refused to attend the commencement exercises. According to the AJC, Cone, a prolific writer, respected scholar and Systematic Theology professor at New York's liberal Union Theological Seminary, cites Long's Prosperity Teaching as the premier cause of his objection. He contrasts Long’s commitment to personal and corporate prosperity with slain civil rights leader, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s life and legacy of fighting for and identifying with the causes of the poor. Cone stated "King devoted his life to the least of these.. King could have been just like Bishop Long with all the millions he has, but he chose to died poor. He would not use his own message or his own movement to promote himself." Cone would not attend the commencement, the AJC article continues, because "he doesn't want to appear to condone Long's ministry."
Cone’s remarks are important for a few reasons. They:
seem to be an accurate summary of the conflict between the biblical model of servant leadership, pre-eminently patterned by our Lord Jesus Christ and the American, TBN business/commercial/entrepreneurial model practiced by Long, Creflo Dollar, T. D. Jakes, Ike Hilliard, and others.
attack the major tenets of Prosperity Teaching-- that God prospers the faithful with financial blessing in his life; that this divine blessing starts with leaders and consequently and derivatively flows to the followers; that material prosperity is emblematic of spiritual well-being; that such blessings are available now, in this life; etc.
expose the intrinsic fallacy of Word Faith Theology and its abominable disdain for Scripture in that it reverses the explicit teachings of the Word of God on the need for all Christians, especially ministers, to be content under all circumstances, Phi 4:10-13; to shun the stifling cravings for wealth, to pursue holiness, fight the good fight of faith, store up treasures in heaven as a foundation for the future, Mt 6:19-21; 1 Tim 6: 9-19, passim; etc., and defiantly perverts them into practices and standards for gaining wealth, a type of wealth that proves spiritual well-being.
emphasize the need for ministers to be faithful to their call by wholehearted devotion to the studying, preaching and teaching of the Word of God rather than being lovers of money, cf. 1 Tim 3:3.
along with the ITC 29 's protest, confirm that the prosperity professors are no longer immune to criticism from the Black religious community.
have the potential to be a catalyst spawning the opening of more eyes and mouths against the insidious “Prosperity Gospel.”
For these and other reasons, Cone’s and the ITC 29 's comments and actions are to be dearly cherished.
In Part 2: The Bigger Picture: Cone's Theology Is Not Orthodox. What Does He Really Teach? Cone/ITC and Long Have Many Similarities
posted by Michael Leach @ 7:51 PM
2 comments
2 Comments:
To ronde love and friends:
Shalom.
I certainly appreciate and agree with your comments about the need to communicate in such a way that the audience can understand. However, one of the purposes of communication is to edify. Effective writing entails the building up of the readers. This is especially true when it comes to the matter of biblical doctrine. I count it a humbling privilege that the Lord would use me in a way to challenge you and other blogoshere frequenters to grow along with me. As I learn from others who are themselves growing, I desire to pass on this experience to you.
I do not agree that the average Black person cannot understand the terms I used. How do you measure this? How do you conclusively know the comprehensive powers of the average Black person? Besides, is it profitable to speak of the average Black person when the category of average keeps getting lower and lower, when educational standards in general are sinking in dizzying rates? It is true that our public education system stinks, but it is also true that in most cases, even in the state of Georgia, which is the last but one of the states as far as educational achievements are concerned (the last being South Carolina), SAT scores are rising. But what is not being told is that the levels of difficulty and challenge in these tests are also being lowered so that an advanced grade level 9 reading test in 1988 was much easier than its grade 4 equivalent in 1964. See Marva Dawn, Reaching Out without Dumbing down, page 7. "Educators" have figured out the answer to this dilemma: schools are instructed to teach and coach students toward gaining better results on standardized tests.
Today, it is not only the dumbing down of education that is rampant but also, and more despicably, its slumming down. In the eyes of many, the lower the better; dumb is the celebrated target to which we must (non-) aim. The hood, no longer a place to escape from as one seeks economic and social improvement, thanks in part to the Hip-Hop explosion, is now championed as our mecca and our salvation. The clarion call of today's post-literate culture is to raise the hood! The American post-literate society is so crippling that our youths have a very extensive ignorance: very few know of Duke Ellington and John Coltrane; very few have read the works of accomplished Black writers as Phyllis Wheatley (a Christian), Paul Laurence Dunbar, Langston Hughes, Richard Wright, Frederick Douglass, and others. Very few read!!! Hubie Blake? Paul Robeson? Dr. Charles Drew?, vague, even non-existent entities. But these persons were the focus of standard private reading a few decades ago.
Among other things, we have no sense of our rich history; our fixation on the present is both arrogant and stifling and is typical of our entertainment-oriented, consumeristic society.
When I write, I do not seek to impress my readers -- I will not answer your ad hominem charges. I want to share the breadth and depth of biblical religion with them. It is true as, one responding blogger said, we must put the cookies on the lower shelf; it’s no point writing to an audience which does not understand what you're trying to say. But leaving the cookies there will never mature our people to reach for the sirloin on the middle shelf or the caviar on the top. The language of Scripture is the language of God's covenant community. The historic church's language that developed in the course of strengthening biblical doctrine against heresy is patently absent in most Black evangelical circles. We have great need to recover these.
Growth requires effort, pain and initiative. When we've finished a meal, we feel satisfied; when we are paid for our work, we feel rewarded; when we read a book or a blog, we must feel challenged and we must accept that challenge to grow-- even if we disagree with the writer's worldview or theological perspective. My brother, anything you did not understand in my last blog could easily be clarified by a few clicks on your mouse. I refuse to write in such a way as to leave my readers unchallenged; this is the essence of the irresponsibility that promotes the stultification of our people.
I have learned from you and urge you to read the remaining parts of my series on the Long/ITC/Cone matter. If you need to speak to me off-line, my e-mail address is mleach818@comcast.net. In the meantime, Grace and peace.
christmylife
I'm not preaching. Should I send you one of my messages? I'm/we're engaging in robust, polemical theological writing in order to bring the dynamic, eternal truth of Reformed thought to our people. I agree that the pulpit is the place to preach Christ and Christ only, according to the intellectual and spiritual capacities of our audiences. But even here they must be challenged with sound doctrine, they must be introduced to things they never heard before or else they won't grow, Heb 5:12-6:6. Non-growth does not lead to stagnation but to regression and even to apostasy, 6:4-6. Growth is a command, 2 Pe 3:18.
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