The Cost Of Reparations

I know many of my regular readers may think I may have gone off the "deep end" over reparations talk etc. Well, truth is, although reparations is not an end all to all problems associated with our community and in particular the Black community and the Black church (and don't give me this that the church is colorless, it is NOT.), the issue or reparations is one that every church and pastor should be fully aware of and enlightening the congregations about. 

Why? 

We spend time praying for people's financial needs to be met and addressed. Some of you critics have implemented more "give to get" schemes than a little bit. Consistently telling, many times, poor people, to give and expect a blessing...Well, what if our church, your church, can raise itself to a level that everyone could give out of abundance and with greater purpose than looking to receive? What if families, can be equipped, to not simply occupy land and homes while renting and making others fat, but to actually own their properties, raise their families, create their own schools or at least have the ability to self direct and take control of their financial horizons and outcomes? 

This is the story and the land (so to speak) of reparations, which our ancestors paid for! They PAID through abuse, blood, sweat, tears, loss and suffering for our ability to come up in this world and not only take a greater place, our rightful place within society, but also advance the Kingdom of Christ from a position of strength. 

Reparations is an answer to long prayed prayers and a direct demand for our Government to finally get the issues right and address her response to the underlying atrocity of slavery and the resultant rejection of the era of reconstruction, the implementation of Black Codes, Jim Crow and failed promises of social and financial restitution. This issue is important whether one embraces 1619 under British North American rule or our country's founding as a Constitutional Republic 1776, as both segments embraced slavery as a method and practice. The minister, bishop, pastor, evangelist, missionary, must familiarize themselves with the issue and educate the people on why this particular time is so important and why prayers over decades could now finally be answered. 

Living In The Past?

I once thought that too. Until I really looked at the reparations argument. First, America has never failed to restore groups of individuals for their suffering. American has sent over $1Trillion in 2 years to Ukraine, taken in dislocated Afghans at a cost of $80,000 per individual, illegal immigrants (now calling them migrants) to the tune of $20,000 to $50,000 per individual, compensated Japanese Americans over $20,000 each (over 120,000) for 3 years of internment during WW2, overseen the settlement of some of the Jewish reparations as a result of Holocaust to the tune of over $55Billion dollars, the reparation of 11 Italian American's lynched in 1891 ($25,000 paid in 1892 a modern equivalent of $800,000 per family)...NOBODY accuses any of these folk who were repaired or who's sufferings were acknowledged by direct payments to their families as "living in the past". Individuals have those sentiments for Blacks because they can and or think they should.  In other words, many, who say they are "Christian" perpetuate the abuse of generations before them without regard for what God thinks and or concepts of righteousness, morality, justice and or truth. 

Yes, this may be challenging. Yes, like me, you may have to rethink what your once casually dismissed, but it is an effort certainly worthy of your time and one that history demands that we regard.