FROM A CHRISTIAN PERSPECTIVE
Seventy percent of Americans think Barack Obama’s presidency is going to help race relations, according to Gallup.
The majority, among all
races, see this as a milestone worth celebrating—a true victory for
civil rights. And after all the pre-election warnings about potential rioting in the streets
in the event of an Obama loss, that concern went untested. The election
came off smoother than any in recent memory. It produced a clear winner
and a graceful loser. No lingering question marks. No violence.
Does the fact that
America elected a black president end the argument that this is a
racist nation? Everybody seems to have an opinion. Mr. Obama garnered
more support from white voters than any Democratic candidate since
Jimmy Carter. Still, some are convinced his victory would have been
much larger if not for those whites who voted against him simply
because of his skin pigmentation.
The idea that Mr. Obama’s victory represents the end of racism in America has also been loudly shouted down by some blacks. Their view is essentially, Why should whites get to decide that there’s no more racism?
While there were
undoubtedly some whites who voted against black, this election also saw
an opposite and more powerful trend: white people embracing
Mr. Obama because of his race. His candidacy represented a promise to
some whites that they could wash away the stigma of racism. Supporting
him was a way to prove that they were not racist. Of course, there is a
contradiction in such thinking, as black author Shelby Steele
points out: “When whites—especially today’s younger generation—proudly
support Obama for his post-racialism, they unwittingly embrace race as
their primary motivation,” he wrote. “They think and act racially, not
post-racially.”
Nearly all blacks tend
to vote Democrat anyway, so the fact that 95 percent of them supported
Mr. Obama doesn’t of itself indicate racial bias. Still, it has been
interesting to see the swell in black pride the election has created:
t-shirts saying, “My president is black” and such. The Root, a sister website of the Washington Post written by and directed to blacks, warned its readers
(with tongue in cheek) not to act too arrogant about the victory:
“Don’t go up to every ‘redneck-y’ looking person and gloat. ‘It hurts
don’t it? It burrrrnnss!’” For an election that supposedly wasn’t about
race, it has been a huge topic.
Meanwhile—and more
dangerously—white supremacist groups are outraged by Obama’s election.
The Anti-Defamation League tracked a spike in activity on extremist online discussion forums
after the election. The main themes it saw included 1) expressions of
what a tragedy it is for the nation; 2) predictions of a race war, as
whites rise up en masse against the “injustice”; and 3) calls to
violence, or expressions of hope that the president will somehow be
killed.
Even a few wackos who
think like this could wreak havoc. Just one lone wolf could set off a
racist explosion. Imagine what would happen to the soaring hopes, and
the increased black pride, if Obama was felled by an assassin’s bullet.
Some of these fringers have said they want
to increase racial tension in the U.S. by attacking Obama. As Fred
Burton and Ben West of Stratfor point out, “Such violence would be
viewed as positive in this thinking, as open combat between whites and
blacks would bring their ideology to the forefront” (November 6).
Who knows exactly how
this will play out, but as much as we would like to side with that 70
percent of Americans who are optimistic regarding the future of race
relations, plenty of signs suggest their hopes are unwarranted.
And something else does too.
God’s prophecies,
recorded millennia ago in the Bible, speak of racial discord creating
enormous problems in our world today.
In the 1960s, during
the “golden years” of the American civil rights movement, the
organized, peaceful protests were awakening deep, long-held resentments
among people both white and black. National dialogue became heated;
cities and college campuses nationwide began erupting in race-related
violence.
Amid the hubbub, a
clear voice of cool reason spoke out. In response to the developing
crisis, educator Herbert W. Armstrong wrote from a unique
perspective—not white or black, but based on the eternal truths and
prophecies in the Holy Bible, delivered by the Creator of all races.
Mr. Armstrong correctly identified the problems—and then he issued
several warnings.
In the October 1963 Plain Truth
he wrote, “Make no mistake! This is no light matter to pass over
casually! Race war is coming! Racial tensions, passions and hatreds are
being deliberately stirred by organized planning. It will explode into
mass violence that will stagger the imagination! It will be whipped
into an accelerating crescendo until human blood runs like rivers!”
The February 1965 Plain Truth forewarned, “The prophecies reveal that this worldwide racial strife is going to intensify in the years just ahead. …
“According to the
prophecies of God’s Word, racial conflicts and virtual annihilation of
certain peoples is destined yet to occur …. Such race hatred will pale
into insignificance Hitler’s mass slaughter of Jews and Poles.”
Let’s look at one of those prophecies—which has yet to be fulfilled in its entirety.
“Ah sinful nation, a
people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are
corrupters: they have forsaken the Lord, they have provoked the Holy
One of Israel unto anger, they are gone away backward. Why should ye be
stricken any more? ye will revolt more and more: the whole head is
sick, and the whole heart faint” (Isaiah 1:4-5). God says the
government that leads Israel (primarily the United States and Britain)
is sick. There is corruption; there are disorders. As a result,
problems multiply among the people it is supposed to protect. But the
government’s heart is too faint, or weak, to solve those problems. So
they get worse and worse.
“Your country is
desolate, your cities are burned with fire: your land, strangers [or
Gentiles] devour it in your presence, and it is desolate, as overthrown
by strangers” (verse 7). These are prophecies for the time we live in
today. Our booklet Ezekiel: The End-Time Prophet explains these and other related prophecies in some detail.
Can you imagine cities burned with fire—even desolate—overthrown in massive race riots? God says it will happen!
The wounds of
victimhood, the emotions of grievance, the demand of each race for its
own version of justice, no matter the cost—these forces still simmer in
America. Soon, we can expect to see some event that causes the lid to
blow off.
“The historical
evidence suggests that racism, in varying degrees, is ubiquitous in
human societies, so much so that it might even be termed natural and
inevitable,” wrote historian Paul Johnson.
Why is that so? Because
of human nature—unbridled and undisciplined. It is human nature that
creates prejudice, jealousy and envy, competition and strife,
resentment of authority, vanity, lust, greed—evils that always end up
leading to violence.
But feeding that human
nature, inspiring it, is that invisible force, the “god” that
“deceiveth the whole world.” Satan the devil is the supreme racist—he
hates all races, and passionately aims to destroy the human race! And
he is stirring racial hatreds in the nations today. The optimism in
America today will prove short-lived. With race as out in the open and
under such intense discussion as it is right now, you can be sure the
devil is laying the groundwork for a terrifying social explosion.
The good news is, the
Creator of the races will not stand for that for long. His patience
with man’s unjust and bigoted rule over man is about up. His tolerance
of racial intolerance is at an end.
When Jesus Christ
returns to this planet from the clouds, in power and majesty, to
establish His Kingdom, just a few short years from now, two things will
change.
First, human nature will be altered.
Scripture reveals that
the devil will be banished, unable then to inflame prejudices and to
influence men to hate one another. Human beings will be educated in how
to coexist harmoniously, governed by God’s supreme law of love.
Second, race relations will be settled specifically in a way so as to bring peace.
At that time, people of
all races will abandon their own failed efforts to resolve race issues,
and humbly recognize the authority of their Creator. “God that made the
world and all things therein … hath made of one blood all nations of
men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the
times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation” (Acts
17:24, 26).
For those who
understand, the solution that will be enforced—not by “black power” or
“white power,” but divine power—is contained in those words. How happy
and prosperous each nation—each race—will be when they live as God
intended! There will be no prejudice, no discrimination. Everyone will
have an equal opportunity for success. All peoples can make the most
progress and be blessed, physically and spiritually, as God intended.
God “hath made of one
blood all nations of men.” We all come from a common ancestor—Adam.
Ultimately, we will all be one family, not in color—but in spirit and
in love. •
Will a Black President Heal America’s Race Wounds?
November 12, 2008 | From theTrumpet.comPeople are optimistic—but there are troubling signs.
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