Today’s Scripture Readings (January
3, 2015): Romans 6
A recent
article struggled with some of the reasons why Bill Cosby is receiving so
little support from the Black Community. And the conclusion that it arrived at
had very little to do with the charges that are being leveled against the
comedian. The problem seems to be that the majority of younger Blacks in
America have very little remembrance of Bill Cosby as the great American father
figure, Dr. Heathcliff Huxtable. For them, the comedian has become more like a
cranky uncle who is always complaining about something. For the past few
decades, Cosby has railed against the younger generations for everything from
how they dress (please pull up your pants) to child raising (where are the
fathers of your children anyway.) However, it is decidedly unfair to place the
blame entirely on the shoulders of American Black youth. The White Community is
struggling in some of the same areas. The things that Cosby has chosen to
criticize the youth of his race for could apply to all youth of any race. And now
as the rape charges are surfacing against Cosby, the younger generations are
starting to talk back. How come you told us to pull our pants up when
apparently you were inappropriately pulling yours down? Why is it us that is
the problem? Isn’t your part of the problem much greater than ours?
I need to
insert a disclaimer here. I am old enough to remember Cosby as the great Father
Figure. Even through the race barrier that exists between us, Dr. Huxtable was
in many ways the father that I wanted to be. And as Cosby made fun of the youth
of his race, I laughed – not at the Black Youth that Cosby was pointing his
finger at, but at the White Youth who I believed needed to hear the same
message.
But there is
another phenomenon that seems to be at work here. As a speaker, I know that the
things that I rail against are the very places where I know that I am vulnerable.
Recently I spoke to a congregation and I mentioned three of the areas where I believe
the contemporary church is currently struggling – three areas where we were
telling God to keep his hands off. For me, the three areas were family, money
and addictions. Some were not happy with my analysis – effectively proving that
I was right; these are the three areas where we will brook no interference from
God. But I didn’t arrive at my three areas through a careful examination of my
church, or of my culture. I arrived at my three through a careful examination
of my own life. These are three areas where I am vulnerable. It might be, and I
really have to stress the word ‘might,’ the same for Cosby. It might be that
the things that Cosby has spent his considerable fame railing against were the
very areas where the comedian needed help. I recognize that we will never
really know whether that is true for Cosby, but I know it is true for me.
So Paul
speaks the Roman church about the importance of faith and grace; that God was
moving in their midst in spite of them. But then he follows up with the next
line of thought. So does that mean that we can stay the way we are and never
improve? Does faith and grace form the twin pillars of a foundation that means
that sin can reign in our midst or that sin no longer matters to God? And Paul’s
answer is a resounding no. There is no room for sin in our midst. Christianity
is a journey in grace, but it is journey toward perfection. We need desperately
to deal with the sin that remains in our lives. And so I rail against the
things where I know I need to grow – I rail against the sins that I need to
deal with. I can never be content with where I am. I need to be better. I need
to deal with the sin and the weaknesses in my life, and I am not doing the job,
a job that I believe God has called me to do, unless I am challenging others to
do the same thing in the weak areas of their lives.
And if the
accusations against Bill Cosby are true, then this may be one of the areas of vulnerability
for the comedian. He may have forgot that in the midst of playing the great
American father, that he was still a man that needed to tame the demons raging
inside of him. That he was on the same journey with the youth that he pointed
his finger at – that all needed to be better.
Tomorrow’s Scripture Readings: Romans
7
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