I became a better “Christian” when I stopped being one (980 hits)

I became a better “Christian” when I stopped being one.


While the obvious contradictory nature of this statement may be overwhelming, the essence of this pronouncement reaches deep into the Blackness of my soul and brings forth a great spiritual awakening that cannot be contained within the tiny religious box in which the European has placed me. Unfortunately, many of us remain trapped in the theological prison of Eurocentric Christianity from the cradle to the grave. We have suffered from the inability to break the spiritual chains that were placed on us by our oppressors and we have failed to define our relationship to the Creator from our own experience.

I am not the first who has come to the crossroads where European Christianity and Afrocentricity meet. Unfortunately, many have refused to articulate this feeling of alienation and have instead chosen to sit quietly on the pew in the back of the church trying to convince themselves that if they just sit through one more sermon, the lottery ticket in their pocket will hit and all their worries will be over….

The relationship between Black folks and Christianity has been the subject of many essays, books and lectures and most would agree that what is called “Christianity” was a religious practice forced on our ancestors. There is no denying the fact that Christianity has been used by the European as a form of nationalism and an agent of social control. The fallacy of a blue eyed blond haired Jesus and the factuality of the Blackness of the original Hebrew Israelites has also been discussed at length by some of our greatest minds.

But the question here is can one be both Afrocentric and Christian or is the term a misnomer such as Communist-Capitalist, Republican-Democrat, African-American ?

Many Afrikan people see Christianity as something that was forced upon our ancestors with whips and chains, our parents by a giant propaganda machine and ourselves with a belt if we did not get up in time for Sunday school. Under these circumstances, we had no choice but to become Christians. Since it was forced upon us, we did not have a chance to make the connection between the religion and our Afrikan spirituality. So the thing that was supposed to make us FREE became the tool of our continued oppression.

Sadly, many Black folks may never feel the need to grow beyond the theological teachings of their childhood. As long as they have FAITH in a God who will show up when the bills are due, send them the perfect spouse and forgive them for sneaking around with a member of the usher board , they are willing to go with the flow without once asking themselves; what does it really mean to be a Christian and who makes that decision?

But Christianity becomes problematic when one begins to discover his “Blackness” and trades in his comic books for books on African history and starts spending less time in the clubs vibin’ to the latest Hip Hop jam and more time attending lectures about the struggle of Afrikan people. What happens when these two worlds collide; the immovable object of Eurocentric Christianity and the irresistible force of Afrocentricity. Can Christianity with its strong Euro-nationalistic overtones coexist with the quest for Black self determination?

This conflict often leaves the Afrocentric Christian isolated. Alienated from the church because he is Afrocentric and alienated from the Afrocentrists because he is a Christian. On one hand the church is saying that he is going to hell for getting involved in “that Black stuff” and on the other hand the Afrocentrist hides behind the shield of Black Unity and religious tolerance while all the while belittling his religious FAITH. Does it make one less of a Child of God because he refuses to let the white man define his existence or his relationship with the Creator. Or does it make one less valuable to the struggle of Afrikan people because he follows the teachings of a Black revolutionary born in Northeast Africa? Does using the words of the original African Hebrew Israelites (the Bible) make one less Afrocentric than a Brother or Sister who has chosen another path to the Creator?

The reason why the white supremacist system never wanted us to dig below the surface of Christianity is because they have always known that the religion that they transported to Rome is African at its core. And the revelation of this would signal the end of the white control of the minds and spirits of Afrikan people.

But the question remains can one still answer to a Roman derogatory term and claim Afrocentricity ? And if I am no longer a Christian how do I define my religious convictions ?

The answer to this goes back to our power to define who we are and our relationship with the Creator. My personal conversion from an Afrocentric Christian to a Messianic Afrikan along with the rejection of a blue eyed Jesus Christ and the acceptance of Yeshua, the Black Revolutionary Messiah was more than just an exercise of semantics; it was the missing link between my religious belief system and African spirituality. As far as trying to put a name on my religion; If Yeshua taught that he is the WAY, TRUTH and the LIFE, then my religion is the TRUTH that is the WAY to a better LIFE for Afrikan people.
When it is all said and done, after all of our prayers, chants and religious symbolism, isn’t that what we are all striving towards.

Each day we strive to gain more KNOWLEDGE, WISDOM and UNDERSTANDING of the Creator and we are all stumbling in the darkness searching for the LIGHT but as they say in the church’ “We will understand it better by and by.” Posted By: DAVID JOHNSON
Thursday, February 14th 2013 at 11:51PM
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