by Bob Beanblossom
12 January 2017
It seems to me that we are sometimes too quick to hang labels on people. Trained as we are by short sound bites and carefully crafted factoids of information, we fail to look for depth and breadth, to discern truth. In the simplistic labeling of folks, we miss the depth and breadth of existence in a real world. We only see caricatures of real people. Fredrick Douglass is an example. An escaped slave, political reformer, and devout Christian, his detractors and supporters generally saw him only through the distorted lenses of their own prejudices.
M.P. Aymer, in his book First Pure, Then Peaceable: Fredrick Douglass Reads James [LNTS 379 (London, T&T Clark, 2008)], wrote that Mr. Douglass left his Christianity behind when he became an abolitionist in the years before the Civil War. His misinformation influenced many people to believe that Douglass had forsaken a disinterested God. As in many disagreements in the Christian world, slave holders held that Scripture supported slavery, while abolitionists believed that God’s Word supported their position. Religion had become a tool of man instead of an experience with God. How often have we seen opposing sports teams, armies, and others at odds with each other call upon God to honor their particular cause–in lieu of seeking His blessings upon their pursuit of His will.
Digging down through the distortions to the to the facts, we find that Douglass said, “Do you declare that a thing is bad because it has been misused, abused, and made a bad use of? Do you throw it away on that account? No! You press it to your bosom all the more closely; you read it all the more diligently; and prove from its pages that it is on the side of liberty–not on the side of slavery (F. Douglass, “The American Constitution and the Slave,” in G.T. Thompson and F. Douglass, Constitution of the United States [London Emancipation Committee: Tract No. 5 (London, 1860)].
Douglass held James 3:17 as foundational: But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. Rather than abandoning his faith, Douglass embraced it the more, sharing this verse in at least five speeches before the war.
Today we are still in the throes of an election past as an unsettled and emotional America (and world) see lines in the sand, black and white strife, and me-you challenges in everything; in all that our political leaders–incoming and outgoing–say and do. Labels are attached on minimal or fabricated information. Proof of false information is unheeded as the planted hate grows profusely. The distorted past is more important than the future, and the present is the battleground.
Christians, mandated to exemplify God on earth, ignore commands such as: But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness . . . (Matthew 6:33), and: I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, with all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (Ephesians 4:1-2).
Or, this: I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks. be made for all men; for kings (or Presidents), and for all that are in authority (such as those in Congress, the courts, law enforcement and so on); that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our savior ( Timothy 2:1-3).
The real Douglass should be an inspiration to each of us, and an example to: Prove all things; hold fast that which is good (1 Thessalonians 5:21).
The question is not whether we are activists or Christians, but are we Christian activists, following His lead, serving His will. As Paul acknowledged in the Ephesians passage above, we are to be servants or even slaves to His will. This is a difficult concept for the self-sufficient American mindset, but the authority is far above ego. It is the will of our Creator.