It is always painful to hear liberals attack America with inherent racism accusations, but it is especially painful to hear pastors---Black or White—spew such propaganda! I have mentioned this pastor before, who I think has a good heart, and sincerely believes he is helping, but he is not! (Here is the 11-minute segment).
  Let me cut to the chase: far too many liberal White people attempt to help Blacks, using liberal compassion, which is actually pseudo compassion! Remember, liberalism’s greatest tactic of deception is word manipulation; of which one category title is: ‘re-defining words’. Liberals have re-defined compassion to mean the approval of politically acceptable sin! On the contrary, God is by nature compassionate—which means all compassion originates in Him (Ps86:15; Ps145:8; Matt9:36; Mk9:22; Rom9:15)…yet He can never approve of sin! As a matter of fact, Jesus went to the cross for sin! Therefore, sin approval is blasphemy!
  Back to the pastor:
  “The slogan that was spoken at the beginning of this presidential race that got a person elected was, “We’re going to make America great again”. When I first heard that I looked at the crowd,  and it was predominantly my race cheering for that statement. If I’m going to be a Christian, I need to filter that statement through the lens of other races, not just my own. I’m thinking to myself, if I’m a black person, a young black man in America, I’m thinking when was America been great for you? When was there a season of time in the last 240-something years that America was great for you? History tells us that between 17-60 million slaves died in that transition. The greatest tragedy of one race against another, way bigger than the Holocaust. Because my race we don’t want to feel guilty.”
   Every pastor should know God’s purpose for the nation where he serves!! If he doesn’t know, he should immediately seek God, or inquire of one who does. Sadly, it is painfully obvious this pastor has no clue of America’s purpose!!!
   First, referring to the contention of America’s greatness, the pastor declares, “If I’m going to be a Christian, I need to filter that statement through the lens of other races, not just my own.” This statement is the bedrock foundation for his error! On the contrary, it is liberalism* that looks through the eyes of certain people…or races…or individuals…or minorities—to determine right and wrong! This error interprets life, circumstances, tragedies, and even history---through feelings! Although this thinking consumes the entire American culture---it is a complete contradiction to God’s word! The scripture teaches to “walk by faith---not by sight” (2Cor5:7)! To walk by faith means to walk by God’s word. Whereas, the Greek word for “sight” in this verse means appearance, fashion, shape, sight (Strong’s). In other words, 2Corintihains 5:7 expressly forbids us not to walk by man’s philosophy; or how something appears from man’s point of view; or…do not walk by feelings.
     In their proper place, feelings are important, because God created them, but were ‘never’ designed to determine objective truth. On the contrary, truth is absolute, and not subject to personal feelings. Whether America is great for Black people cannot be determined through the pastor’s subjective standard: “lens of other races”!  This is evidence of the pastor’s heavy liberal influence. Under no circumstance…should a Christian, especially a leader of Christians, interpret either life or truth, through “the lens of other races”! On the contrary, Christians use the Bible to determine right and wrong, or good and evil!
   The pastor’s statement: “When was there a season of time in the last 240-something years that America was great for you (Black people)?” reveals more liberal influence! On the contrary, Blacks have prospered in America to a greater degree than in any nation on earth! Incredibly, not only does American Black Gross Domestic Product (GDP) exceed the Blacks of every Black African nation; but it exceeds the GDP of the top four Black African nations combined!!!
   In an effort to appease, i.e. ‘score points’ with Black people, this White pastor left the Word of God!! Black people---like any other people---do not need appeasement, pampering, placating, or pity…we need God’s word! For God’s word not only makes the captive free**—but when applied---will prosper any person; any family; any race; any ethnicity; or any nation—in any circumstance!!! American Blacks are evidence of this great truth!!! Let me make this perfectly clear: the rise of Blacks in America---from slavery to contemporary prosperity--is nothing short of a divine miracle! As far as I am aware…there is no other ethnic minority group in a nation, that has ever risen so far, and as fast, as Black Americans…in human history!!
 
    F.Y.I. This sincere pastor made two other blunders! He declares: “History tells us that between 17-60 million slaves died in that transition.”
   A simple google search reveals the gross exaggeration of this statement. Black liberal historian Henry Louis Gates wrote: "Between 1525 and 1866, in the entire history of the slave trade to the New World, according to the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade Database, 12.5 million Africans were shipped to the New World. 10.7 million survived the dreaded Middle Passage, disembarking in North America, the Caribbean and South America. And how many of these 10.7 million Africans were shipped directly to North America? Only about 388,000. That's right: a tiny percentage. In fact, the overwhelming percentage of the African slaves were shipped directly to the Caribbean and South America; Brazil received 4.86 million Africans alone!"
    In real numbers, 12.5 million minus 10.7 million equals 1.8 million Africans, who died in transit to America! 1.8 million is a far cry from 17-60 million!
   Lastly, referring to American Black slavery the pastor says, “The greatest tragedy of one race against another, way bigger than the Holocaust. Because my race, we don’t want to feel guilty.” Once again, the pastor reveals his ignorance—this time of the history of slavery! There are books written refuting this statement. One of the best is ‘Black Rednecks and White Liberals’ by economist and historian Thomas Sowell.
  In conclusion, the Bible declares God has a calling on every nation…which is why He gave to  each nation an inheritance (Deut32:8)! Is America a nation? Yes! Then it has an inheritance from God, and a calling from God!
   During the Constitutional Convention, Benjamin Franklin confirmed God’s calling on America, "I have lived, Sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth -- that God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid?"
  Because God is great(Ps145:3), what He creates, He creates according to His nature of greatness! Therefore, the simple fact that God both created and called America makes America great…especially for Black people!
 
  Stay tuned! Next time we will look at America’s first Black millionaire born in 1766…and that’s no typo!!
 
 *For example, historian Howard Zinn, who declares history should be viewed from the bottom up.
** John 8:31

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Progressiveness is looking forward intelligently, looking within critically, and moving on incessantly. WALDO PONDRAY WARREN

    “The 4th of July has always been a sham. Always.” – Shaun King, Black activist. The context of Mr. King’s point is to convey to his followers that America is unjust and evil—from the beginning!
   To prove his assertion, Mr. King cites a paragraph from Frederick Douglass’ speech on July 5th, 1852:
     “What, to the American slave, is your 4th of July? I answer: a day that        reveals to him, more than all other days in the year, the gross
      injustice and cruelty to which he is the constant victim. To him, your
      celebration is a sham; your boasted liberty, an unholy license; your
      national greatness, swelling vanity; your sounds of rejoicing are
      empty and heartless; your denunciations of tyrants, brass fronted
      impudence; your shouts of liberty and equality, hollow mockery;
      your prayers and hymns, your sermons and thanksgivings, with all
      your religious parade, and solemnity, are, to him, mere bombast,
      fraud, deception, impiety, and hypocrisy — a thin veil to cover up
      crimes which would disgrace a nation of savages. There is not a
      nation on the earth guilty of practices, more shocking and bloody,
      than are the people of these United States, at this very hour.”
 
   Wow!!! These are certainly some scathing words!! So…what gives? Is Mr. King correct about July 4th? Is freedom for Blacks in America really a sham?!?!
   To begin, always remember liberalism has an agenda. Because of their rejection of God and His word (Rom1:18), they often misrepresent truth.* For example, the liberal Mr. King conveniently cites ‘one’ paragraph from the entire Douglass speech!! On the other hand, if we really want to understand Mr. Douglass’ July 5th words, it is better to review the entire speech; along with his life, and the time he spoke.
   First, in this very same July 5th speech Mr. Douglass declares:
--“the Constitution is a GLORIOUS LIBERTY DOCUMENT (emphasis his, not mine). Read its preamble, consider its purposes. Is slavery among them? Is it at the gateway? or is it in the temple? It is neither.”
   Furthermore, regarding the Founding Fathers, Mr. Douglass declares,
--“illustrious Fathers of this Republic”
--“Your fathers were wise men”’. 
--“Fellow Citizens, I am not wanting in respect for the fathers of this republic. The signers of the Declaration of Independence were brave men. They were great men too — great enough to give fame to a great age. It does not often happen to a nation to raise, at one time, such a number of truly great men.”
   Mr. Douglass continues:
--“The 4th of July is the first great fact in your nation’s history.”
--On America’s freedom, Mr. Douglass declares, “the fathers of this republic, did, most deliberately, under the inspiration of a glorious patriotism, and with a sublime faith in the great principles of justice and freedom, lay deep the corner-stone of the national superstructure, which has risen and still rises in grandeur around you.”
--“Allow me to say, in conclusion, notwithstanding the dark picture I have this day presented of the state of the nation, I do not despair of this country. There are forces in operation, which must inevitably work the downfall of slavery. “The arm of the Lord is not shortened,” and the doom of slavery is certain. I, therefore, leave off where I began, with hope.”
   Let’s be totally honest…do these words sound like a man who agrees with Shaun King’s assessment of America: “The 4th of July has always been a sham. Always”?!?
  What then was happening with Mr. Douglass’ scathing remarks? First and foremost, Frederick Douglass was a man of God, a prophet, a preacher, called by God to America! Like the prophet Nathan with King David(2Sam12), or John the Baptist with Herod(Mk6:18), he did not mince words at sin! Furthermore, it is most interesting that the people of this July 5th gathering even invited an ‘ABOLITIONIST’ to speak about July 4th!!! With their divisive reputations, and fiery personalities; and especially Frederick Douglass’ incredible presence, intellect, and oratory skills, they had to have known they were not in for a nice, pretty July 4th celebration!!!
  Furthermore, in this same July 5th speech, Mr. Douglass referred to the Fugitive Slave Law. A law which passed two years earlier in 1850, in the context of California’s desire to enter the union as a “free” state. In response to the great opposition of the south, the government created: “The Great Compromise”! The compromise granted statehood to California in exchange for the passage of the Fugitive Slave Law. This demonic regulation made it lawful for any Black in America to be grabbed by slave catchers and returned to slavery! This treachery was already happening illegally as evidenced by the case of Solomon Northrup, in ‘Twelve Years a Slave’. But now, the Fugitive Slave Law codified this kind of behavior all across the nation! As a consequence of the Fugitive Slave Law, slavery was now being re-introduced into the north!!
   Frederick Douglass, and the abolitionists, had been working diligently for over two decades to end slavery…and had seen positive movement. Yet, through this one act, any and all past progress was completely obliterated!! What’s my point? Rightfully so…Frederick Douglass was angry…with righteous indignation!!! The July 5th speaking engagement--although constructive—was a perfect opportunity for Mr. Douglass to vent his inimitable wit!
   In conclusion, Mr. Douglass did not think America’s July 4th freedom was a sham--even for Blacks…who were still enslaved!!! I mean, he later sent two of his sons to fight in the Civil war! How dumb would he be to send his own sons to fight for an American freedom he believed was a sham?!?!
   Unlike liberalism, which rejects God’s sovereignty and purposes; Mr. Douglass’ very life and work revealed that he fully understood God’s purpose for America was to be a beacon of light for ‘freedom’…for the world!! Yet, like a dog returns to its vomit, and swine to mud(2Pet2:22), because he saw America returning to its slavery past, on July 5th 1852, the eternal God, tapped Mr. Douglass’ who stood and gave a prophetic word, calling America back to His great purposes!!
   Contrary to Mr. Shaun King and liberalism, because of America’s freedom, no group or race of people, has risen from slavery to prominence, in such a short time as African-Americans…in the history of the world!!
   I am proud to be an American!  
​
*To get the context of Mr. Douglass’s entire speech, rather than just this one paragraph, please read it or listen to it on youtube. 

“Sometime in 2013, the African American consumer market exceeded the trillion dollar mark* for the first time. To put this figure in perspective, that market is larger than the market for the entire nation of Spain.” 
 
  What are God’s purposes for America?**
1.Righteousness (Pro14:34)
2.Freedom (Gal.5:13,1; 1Pet2:16)           
3.Unique Purpose (2Tim1:9)
4.Israel (Gen12:1-3; Deut32:8)
5.Wealth Creation (Duet8:18 (entire chapter))
6.To make known God’s name in the earth (Deut28; Rom9:17)      
 
   For this tidbit, I want to limit my focus to the 5th purpose: Wealth Creation. In other words, one of God’s reasons for America is to help people facilitate wealth. In spite of all the lies circulated by liberals about America’s inherent racism, it appears the evidence supports the fact that America’s Wealth Creation is working for African-Americans!
   What does the above “trillion dollar mark” actually mean? First, if you use the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of each of the over 200 current nations, if African Americans were in fact a nation, the “trillion dollar” figure makes American Blacks float between the 16th to the 18th most productive nation on the planet!!***
  The spending power of African-Americans is so large that major companies specifically target Blacks: “The spending of the top 80 advertisers in Black media are detailed in the report. The No.1 company, Procter & Gamble, spent $78.9 million in 2011, while the No.80 company, Apple, spent just $1.6 million.” 
    I was shocked that even the liberal Huffington Post, published a piece by an African American, who quoted Black historian Henry Louis Gates: “On one hand, the percentage of African Americans making at least $75,000 annually more than doubled from 1970 to 2014, to 21 percent. Those making $100,000 or more nearly quadrupled.”
   Furthermore, Bradford Wilcox reports in Black Men Making it in America, “More than one-in-two black men (57%) have made it into the middle class or higher as adults today, up from 38% in 1960, according to a new analysis of Census data. And the share of black men who are poor has fallen from 41% in 1960 to 18% in 2016.
   However, the most intriguing evidence supporting the incredible financial growth of American Blacks**** is the comparison of African-Americans with Black African nations. Remember, my next few facts are not meant to declare that America, nor African-Americans, are better than Blacks in Africa! For the quality of a human being is ‘NOT’ based upon the amount of money one possesses…nor one’s potential to produce! The quality of a human resides solely in the image and likeness of God (Gen1:28)—which is given to every human! In spite of the previous fact however, what a person produces, and the opportunity for one to produce, vary based upon factors like potential, purpose, gifts, talent, character, work ethic, and freedom of opportunity. I repeat, in spite of the liberal myths about Black oppression in America, my next couple of points focus heavily on the incredible productivity this great nation has offered to African-Americans—that sadly, Black African nations do not currently possess.
    First, as I have already stated, African Americans produce over 1 trillion annually in spending power. Incredibly, this figure represents a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) that exceeds the GDP of the top four Black African Nations---combined! Nigeria 408; South Africa-370; Angola-119; Kenya-88!!!!
   Second, if you factor in the population variable, this incredible feat by African-Americans is multiplied!!! For example, there are 37 million Blacks in America (google); 186 million in Nigeria; 50 million in South Africa; 29 million in Angola; and 48 million in Kenya. This means, 37 million African-Americans produce more than 313 million Black Africans!!!
   I repeat, these facts do not indicate that African-Americans are in any way better than Black Africans!!  To be candid, the top Black producers in America hail from Africa and the West Indies!!
   Third, don’t for a minute believe America’s Wealth Creation is working only for African Americans! Mexicans land at 36 million(google) in America, and produce 1.2 trillion, which is the same GDP as the 120 million people of Mexico!
  What’s the difference? The answer is really quite simple—God has blessed America! And one of the signs of that blessing is Wealth Creation!!
                    “Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD…” Ps33:12
 
   Americans--including African Americans--who choose to tap into the purposes of God for this great nation—will experience the greatness of His purposes!
    All Americans ought to THANK-GOD for July 4th!
 
 *“Black buying power of America” puts the figure at 836 billion rather than 1 trillion. So, you may choose the figure that fits your position. My point is that Blacks in America are prospering like no where else on earth! 
**Actually, these purposes are for all nations—not only America.
*** Wikipedia offers slightly different numbers:
****African American Economist Walter Williams says the rise of economic gain among American Blacks--from slavery to this present day--is the greatest among any ethnic group in the history of the world!


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"We succeed in enterprises which demand the positive qualities we possess, but we excel in those which can also make use of our defects."
- Alexis de Tocqueville