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Rev. Jesse Peterson: Black Preachers Worshiping the Wrong Messiah

Discussion in 'Political Debate & Discussion' started by Revmitchell, Nov 14, 2008.

  1. Revmitchell

    Revmitchell Well-Known Member
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    Rev. Peterson: Black Preachers are Worshiping the Wrong Messiah

    …There shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies…2 Peter 2:1

    LOS ANGELES, Nov. 13 /Christian Newswire/ — With the November 4 election of Barack Obama, black preachers have been celebrating across the country. Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson, Founder and President of BOND Action, Inc. is rebuking these black preachers for their part in electing the most left-wing presidential candidate in American history:

    “Ninety-six percent of black voters supported Barack Obama and the majority of these voters were influenced by black preachers to put race ahead of their country and their faith,” said Rev. Peterson. “How can ministers who are supposed to lead their flock to Jesus Christ instead lead them to a socialist like Obama? The truth is that most black ministers don’t have a real relationship with God and they are leading their congregations to hell. These blind leaders helped elect their black ‘Messiah’. This ‘Messiah’ happens to be the most left-wing member of the U.S. Senate,” said Rev. Peterson.


    More Here
     
  2. JustChristian

    JustChristian New Member

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    This pastor has an interesting view on God's calling to the ministry.

    Rev. Peterson added: “For the past eighteen years I’ve said that most black preachers are not called by God, but instead are called by their mammas.
     
  3. Revmitchell

    Revmitchell Well-Known Member
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    ummm....that's not his view on God's calling.
     
  4. donnA

    donnA Active Member

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    He doesn't say thats his thought on God's calling to ministry, but that many preachers were called to ministry by mama. Which I have seen and known. In our area there is a great emphisis on being a preacher, and many are brought up told by mama they're going to preach. This is what he's talking about.
     
  5. JustChristian

    JustChristian New Member

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    Did you read your own article?
     
  6. JustChristian

    JustChristian New Member

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    So we should disrespect most ministers because you say they are not called by God. Correct?
     
  7. Revmitchell

    Revmitchell Well-Known Member
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    uh yea.....but you apparently did not.
     
  8. Jack Matthews

    Jack Matthews New Member

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    "Socialism" is a very broad term to define economic policies related to the level of government ownership of the means of production and distribution of the goods and services produced by a country. It has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with religious beliefs or the acknowledgement of the existence of God one way or the other. Its use in this particular campaign was as a late day scare tactic by the McCain-Palin campaign when the reality that they were going to lose the election began to sink in, and they picked up on some statements Obama made regarding Joe the Plumber and "spreading the wealth around" (which was not actually what he said, but in politics, truth doesn't really matter).

    Nothing Obama has proposed doing will increase the level of "socialism" that is already present in our economic system. Elements of economic practice which fit the definition of "socialist" have been present in our free enterprise system for most of its existence, going back to the time when the state legislatures, before the constitution, operated toll roads and seaports to facilitate trade and independently negotiated with businesses for specific advantages within their own boundaries. The current $700 million bailout, a largely Republican proposal by Bush 43, advocates government ownership of shares of businesses as collateral against the money they receive to bail them out, so to speak. That's a socialist as anything we've done since the New Deal.

    "Communism," on the other hand, is socialism mixed with social policy and philosophy of government, in which the government is controlled by the working class, and in turn becomes a dictatorship of sorts, control of which, in most communist systems, includes things we consider as basic rights, like free speech and religion. Even alluding that anything Obama has proposed is communist is an out and out distortion of the facts. Social liberalism isn't compatible with communism, so trying to label Obama as a liberal on the one hand, and accusing him of communism on the other is a demonstration of pure ignorance.

    There is also a major difference between political "liberalism", which is a position related to the size and scope of government, and "Classical Liberalism" as it relates to the Christian beliefs and practices of an individual or church group. They are not the same. There are many evangelical Christians who are staunchly conservative in their doctrinal views but very liberal in their political views. Calling Obama a political liberal does not in the least have a thing to do with his Christian faith.

    It is impossible for caucasian Americans to understand the prejudice and segregation that is the common theme in the African American community, and even the children of today, while removed from the worst of the persecution and violence, still have some encounters and experiences with racism. And yet, some of the most committed and vibrant Christians I have ever met, and some of the most ministry-effective, evangelistic, spirit-filled churches I have ever seen are congregations where the membership is made up largely of African Americans.

    In the early days of the civil rights movement, one of the tactics of the racists in power to attempt to limit changes that would have given political and social equality to African Americans was to burn their churches. Yes, can you imagine that? Good Christian folks who came home on Sunday afternoons and sat down to fried chicken at lunch with the preacher would go out and burn down the meeting house of an African American congregation in the hopes that would disperse them and demoralize them, and keep them from gathering together. It is a testimony to the work of the Holy Spirit that African Americans would remain faithful to the church when their caucasian "brethren" attacked their faith.

    I would not even venture to guess why African Americans, among whom there is a greater percentage of believers in Christ than among caucasian Americans, supported Obama to the extent that they did, and in so doing placed a lower priority on political/social issues like abortion than their caucasian counterparts. Perhaps they are more able to discern the hypocrisy on this particular issue among conservative politicians who have given the issue lip service, but have done nothing to stop it for more than thirty years now. Perhaps they place a higher priority on rooting out racism, a sin equal to abortion by any Biblical measurement. I don't have those answers, but I would say this criticism by Jesse Peterson is off base. An attack on the church, whether it is from within or not, and whether it is aimed at a segment of it that is primarily made up of one racial group, is still an attack on the whole church.
     
  9. Don

    Don Well-Known Member
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    Explain yourself. Are you saying that he's passing judgment on other pastors' calling, or that he's expressing something else?
     
  10. Dragoon68

    Dragoon68 Active Member

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    Maybe it's the truth even if it's not politically correct but then, perhaps, the same could be said of white preachers. Black liberation theology is a bad thing that's for sure. So is the "feel good" theology of some well known white preachers. I admire people that have courage to speak their mind and say the things that others only wish they could.
     
  11. JustChristian

    JustChristian New Member

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    Rev. Peterson: Black Preachers are Worshiping the Wrong Messiah

    …There shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies…2 Peter 2:1

    LOS ANGELES, Nov. 13 /Christian Newswire/ — With the November 4 election of Barack Obama, black preachers have been celebrating across the country. Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson, Founder and President of BOND Action, Inc. is rebuking these black preachers for their part in electing the most left-wing presidential candidate in American history:

    “Ninety-six percent of black voters supported Barack Obama and the majority of these voters were influenced by black preachers to put race ahead of their country and their faith,” said Rev. Peterson. “How can ministers who are supposed to lead their flock to Jesus Christ instead lead them to a socialist like Obama? The truth is that most black ministers don’t have a real relationship with God and they are leading their congregations to hell. These blind leaders helped elect their black ‘Messiah’. This ‘Messiah’ happens to be the most left-wing member of the U.S. Senate,” said Rev. Peterson.

    Here’s where president-elect Obama stands on key issues:

    * Believes in abortion on demand (virtually under any circumstance), and has told Planned Parenthood that sex-ed for kindergartners is ‘the right thing to do’ (as long as it’s ‘age appropriate’);

    * Has promised to repeal the federal Defense of Marriage Act and would allow homosexual ‘marriages’ to be made legal in all 50 states;

    * Would appoint far left activist judges who’d pervert and misinterpret the U.S. Constitution;

    * Has pledged to dismantle ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ in the military. Supports open homosexuality, bisexuality, and transexuality in all military branches, barracks and shower facilities.

    This is what influential black ministers said after the Obama election victory:

    * Bishop T.D. Jakes of The Potter’s House church said that Sen. Barack Obama’s campaign “encouraged, validated and gave inspiration to not only the people of the United States of America, but to the people of our world.”

    * At Harlem’s Abyssinian Baptist Church, Rev. Calvin Butts invited his congregation to stand up “and give God praise for the election.” Several hundred churchgoers rose as one and cheered, “Yes we can! Yes we can!”

    * Grammy-winning gospel singer, Rev. Shirley Caesar-Williams said, “Too long we’ve been at the bottom of the totem pole, but he [Obama] has vindicated us, hallelujah.”

    * Rev. John L. Lambert, Bethel AME Church in Indianapolis, “If ever there was an answer to ‘who cometh to our help?’ that was the answer…Look at what God has done.”

    * At Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, Rev. Otis Moss, III, said history would note that Trinity was the holy place where “God stirred a young man’s soul and put him on the path to the presidency.”

    Rev. Peterson added: “For the past eighteen years I’ve said that most black preachers are not called by God, but instead are called by their mammas.
    If there was ever a time that this was the case, that time is now. In order for black Americans to turn around, they must drop their anger, and find the truth within themselves, not from corrupt, racist preachers or from a false black Messiah.”

    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Looks like this one minister is saying most black ministers are not called of God. How else can this be interpreted? Since you're posting it I assume you believe that too. What's the difference between a minister who happens to be black and one who happens to be white? Why shouldn't we interpret this as saying most ministers of any race are not called by God?
     
    #11 JustChristian, Nov 14, 2008
    Last edited by a moderator: Nov 14, 2008
  12. Revmitchell

    Revmitchell Well-Known Member
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    Saying that he believes most black pastor are not called of God is quite different than saying he has an interesting view of God's call.
     
  13. JustChristian

    JustChristian New Member

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    As I said previously, let's don't discriminate. Is he saying this because of black pastors' role in politics? Then most pastors are not called of God (white, black, yellow).
     
  14. Revmitchell

    Revmitchell Well-Known Member
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    You seem to have a hard time bypassing your personal agenda and sticking to the issues in particular threads. Read it again.
     
  15. JustChristian

    JustChristian New Member

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    You don't seem to have the ability to read something and pick out the important points.
     
  16. rbell

    rbell Active Member

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    Jack, it's way off base to liken the OP's criticism of some black churches with the despicable acts of racism carried on by some years ago.

    My own observations:

    There seems to be two different threads of existence in black churches today. I'll use examples from a previous residence of mine, near the "black belt" in west Alabama.

    --> One stream is tied explicitly to the Democratic party and big government. One African-American church at my previous location held an annual seminar, called: "How to get the most out of your government check." (!) They are teaching the people, basically, how to professionally freeload.

    I will agree with BB that any church that explicitly ties itself with a political party is in the wrong. Many black churches have done that with the democratic party. Some also refuse to deal with issues such as the high illegitimacy rate, the vulgarity of the hip-hop culture, and the like. (Of course, before any of us throw stones, many predominantly white churches have skeletons galore in the closet).

    --> On the other hand...another church in the county just joined the Southern Baptist association in the area. They are heavily involved in community outreach and ministries--but they are parterning with predominantly white churches in the area. The kicker: It was one of the west Alabama black churches burned by arsonists. The Christian brotherhood, teamwork, and unity happening there now between this predominantly black church and many predominantly white churches is nothing short of amazing.

    When you get a chance, look up "Galilee Baptist", and "Pickens Baptist Association." It will do your hearts good.
     
  17. Revmitchell

    Revmitchell Well-Known Member
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    No you read the op and twist words to make it so. Like you did here
     
  18. Jack Matthews

    Jack Matthews New Member

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    Perhaps if Peterson hadn't painted with such a broad brush, his rhetoric would have a little more credibility. He misrepresents Obama's views as well, which is what most caucasian critics of Obama also tend to do.

    I'm always amazed when black churches are criticized for their political involvement, as if they invented it. Most are extremely careful to avoid the endorsement of candidates. Historically, white churches in the South were hotbeds of political organization, making sure that the right segregationists got into office and in many cases providing meeting space, free of charge and with hospitality from the ladies ministry, for the Ku Klux Klan.

    The rhetoric of this particular criticism is toned down somewhat, but it's the same sort of broad brush attack on African American Christians designed to leave the impression that there is something wrong with their faith because they do not buy into the politics of the religious right, which is as segregated a movement as any. This kind of rhetoric just gives voice to those who are critical of African American churches because they won't get on the same bandwagon.
     
  19. Revmitchell

    Revmitchell Well-Known Member
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    I see more talking points about mythical racism being carried on.
     
  20. JustChristian

    JustChristian New Member

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    I posted the article. I'll let others interpret it. OK?
     
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