What Do You Think? Wednesday
The Christian has the obligation to speak out (Psalm 82:3-5). This came to me yesterday when I was overcome by the pain of four missing black women being found dead in car trunks. The brutality of their abuse and all abuses toward black women over the years brought me to pain and tears and I was moved to speak on their behalf.
This poem is my speaking out, my sharing what Christ can do to redeem what’s been lost:
What do you think are the ways Christians should speak out against injustices?
Nice Min. Rhonda…
Thank you, Ajene.
Hello Rhonda
I don’t celebrate Kwanzaa either. No real reason but I am not really into celebrations. I never celebrate my birthday in any big way. I always go to work. My anniversary is important but Steve and I don’t make a big deal out of it. Valentine’s Day is nice but we don’t go overboard or put a whole lot of effort into it. I think you get my point. I celebrate when I feel moved to celebrate not at prescribed times. So I have no real beef with Kwanzaa. I think if you analyze holidays long enough you could find contradictions with being a Christian and all holidays. So I am not going to pick on Kwanzaa. But I see no contradiction between the principle of self-determination and its undergird self-definition and Christianity. Self-determination and by extension self-definition simply means you make choices independent of influences, traditions, norms, and images. Being a follower of Christ requires the same. You have to choose Christ as your Lord and Savior. Just because we live in a Christian influenced country, does not make you a Christian. Just because you grew up in a “Christian home”, does not make you a Christian. My point is that you have to decide that Jesus is Christ, determine that you will follow Him and define yourself in His likeness to be a Christian. That is self-determination at its essence. Self-determination does not have to mean that I do what I want to. I would call that narcissism. Self-determination means scanning your world for the many paths and choices that are offered and choosing which ones you will follow and which ones you will discard.
I like your definition of self-determination, Marla, though I don’t see this as the only definition. I do believe some people can be self-determined to the point of narcissism, the only influence in their definition of self being themselves. And you are so right about analzying any holiday long enough and finding contradictions with being a Christian and that that holiday. Yes, ma’am, I totally agree. My caution is that people know the roots of what they are celebrating so they aren’t blindly following something, particularly in a way that contradictions their Christianity.