Each February we celebrate Black History. During this month, we often reflect on the accomplishments of African-Americans in this country. Many people do not know the names Garrett A. Morgan, Frederick McKinley Jones, or Dr. Charles Drew. Morgan invented the automated traffic signal in 1923. Jones invented the portable air conditioning unit used at military field hospitals in WWII. Drew discovered the technique for storing blood plasma.
The Impact of the Black Church
Interestingly enough, I never learned anything about these men during my early years in history class. We have seen the continued advancement of Black Americans after the Civil Rights Movement, which helped change race relationships in our country. Amidst the struggles curtailed in this movement, we find the Black Church. As stated by Elgia Wells*, “They became meeting centers for the organization and strategic planning of the effort for equal rights. Regular church members, church leaders, and pastors took a position at the forefront of the work to change a racially and ethnically segregated America.”
When we realize the impact of the Black Church in the lives of Black Americans, we must realize its impact on America as a whole. There have always been risks, as those of us who are old enough to remember churches that were burned and bombed during the Civil Rights Era; but Black Christians continued in the struggle. They remind us of the church’s great tenacity.
The Task of Reconciliation Belongs to a United Church
Unfortunately, we are still challenged by a divide between men with different features and skin colors who share a common relationship with Jesus Christ. The struggle is not over, and the local and national headlines remind us there is still a journey ahead; but it will not be completed with the Black Church or White Church. The task of reconciliation will be completed when we simply become the Church.
Latasha Morrison, founder of Be the Bridge Ministry, indicated**, “One of the foundational verses for Be the Bridge is John 17, which says that we should be one, so that the world will know who Jesus is. Jesus’ heart is not for Him to see us be the same. We can be uniquely whom He created us to be and still be one, because unification doesn’t always look like agreement. It means putting the gospel of Jesus at the center of everything that we do.” She continued to say, “I do believe that the Body of Christ is the only place that is equipped to do this well and do this right. . . . That credible witness for His glory as it relates to racial reconciliation. We are all created in His image. We’re called to love our neighbor regardless of who they are or who they look like. This is something that’s become cliché; but at Be the Bridge, we want the church to be just that.”
I’m hopeful that we will continue to remember the great contributions African-Americans have made to this great country. But let us remember that to reach the unity Morrison spoke of, we cannot be a Black Church or a White Church; we must be the united Church of Jesus Christ. Let Black History Month serve as a reminder to the Church to be the Bridge that unites all people!
By Dr. L.W. Edwards
* Wells, Elgia, http://www.lifeway.com/Article/Black-history-month-celebrate-black-church-life, February 3, 2017.
** Morrison, Latasha, http://www.christianitytoday.com/women/2017/january/latasha-morrison-church-is-only-place-equipped-to-do.html, February 3, 2017.
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