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Same way, different day: Life of Jesus reflects Black problems and promise

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Recently, various sources have shown that in the United States today, African Americans are faced with a mixed bag of strengths and challenges.

Some experts note that many of those same strengths and challenges can be found in the life of Jesus of Nazareth, who is recognized as divine by most Americans and regarded as an important historical figure around the world for his role as founder of the Christian faith.

ā€œJesus’ experience and the Black experience are very similar,ā€ said James Cone, professor of systematic theology at Union Theological Seminary in New York City.

In an exclusive interview on the topic with the Recorder, Cone added, ā€œJesus was concerned with people who are in Black peoples’ situation.ā€

In 1969, Cone released the book Black Theology and Black Power, a landmark account of the gospel of Christ, the church and their usefulness in the fight for racial equality and self sufficiency among African Americans. Cone has published other influential works on the topic, including God of the Oppressed (1975) and 2011’s The Cross and The Lynching Tree.

Cone and other scholars, religious and secular, often agree that for generations, the Christian church has been viewed by most Black Americans as a source of spiritual hope and practical empowerment. This is especially true as African Americans sought ways to cope first with the brutality of slavery, then with Ā the pervasive racial discrimination of the Jim Crow era that triggered the Civil Rights Movement.

Churches were often one of the few places where Blacks could legally meet in large numbers, but they also shared the gospel of Jesus Christ, who some say had a life and a ministry that many Africans Americans could relate to as they sought to improve their conditions.

ā€œOne way you see that is by looking at the fact that Jesus was born in a stable, or you might say, the ghetto,ā€ Cone told the Recorder.

Marvin Scott, a professor of sociology at Butler University in Indianapolis, can also pinpoint similarities in the experiences of Jesus and Black Americans, along with examples of coping tactics that can still be used today.

ā€œThere are definitely parallels (between the two experiences),ā€ Scott said. ā€œJesus provided ways for Ā Black Americans to be able to cope and train to overcome insurmountable odds.ā€

Scott mentioned the famous Lifting the Veil of Ignorance statue at Tuskegee University in Alabama, which depicts educator and civil rights activist Booker T. Washington removing a veil off the heads of African Americans so that they can be equipped with the knowledge to reach their highest potential.

ā€œIt’s quite a gripping statue,ā€ Scott said. ā€œWhat I’m saying is that Jesus did the same thing for our people in providing an opportunity to have a way to live in dominant society, or the wider society, with our heads high.ā€

Many of the teachings from Jesus, Scott added, have been used by activists fighting for freedom and equality, such as those who participated in the Underground Railroad movement to shelter runaway slaves and the Civil Rights Movement. Ā 

Cone noted that Jesus was a ā€œpeasantā€ who was among the poor and identified God with the poor. African Americans today, he said, symbolize those who are at the bottom in this society just as Jesus and Jews were at the bottom in Roman society.

ā€œIf we believe that God came in the form of Jesus, a Jew who was colonized and oppressed by Rome, then we must also assume that God is concerned about Black people who are also oppressed by white Americans,ā€ said Cone.

Jesus, he noted, also did not have the support of government on his side.

ā€œHe lived under Roman occupation just like we live under white supremacy,ā€ said Cone. ā€œRome was a white state and Jesus represented the people of color who were colonized by Rome. African Americans were colonized by whites in the same way Jesus was in his time.ā€

In 2017 alone, various events have revealed the unique challenges that are still frequently faced by Blacks in America.

Last month, the fatal shooting of unarmed 15 year-old year old Jordan Edwards by a police officer in Texas became the latest example of violence that gave rise to the Black Lives Matter Movement and other organized efforts to stop alleged acts of discrimination by law enforcement.

In its State of Black America 2017 report, the National Urban League (NUL) called attention to the fact that Blacks still live with stubborn economic inequality. According to a carefully-measured social index used by researchers, the NUL reported that the standard of living for African Americans is 72 percent that of the average white American, and Hispanics are at 78 percent.

The report also states that incendiary rhetoric, mostly by Donald Trump and some of his supporters Ā during and after the 2016 presidential election, led to a sharp rise in discrimination against immigrants, Hispanics, African Americans and other minority groups.

ā€œThe social cancer of hate continues to metastasize, thriving in a climate conducive to hostility towards religious and racial minorities, permeating even at the highest levels of national discourse and threatening to further crack our fractured nation,ā€ NUL President Marc Morial wrote in the report.

Congressman Al Green, who is African American, recently received threats of being lynched after calling for the impeachment of President Trump. Green believes Trump committed obstruction of justice by firing FBI director James Comey during an investigation of alleged close ties between Trump’s campaign and Russian interests.

ā€œWe’re not going to be intimidated,ā€ Green, a Democrat from Texas, said in a statement. ā€œYou cannot hide hate. You have to confront hate. Itā€™s unfortunate many African-Americans have to live knowing they can be threatened with lynching.ā€

Cone said just as Jesus was crucified on a cross, Black people were lynched on trees.

ā€œThe lynching of Jesus was very much analogous to the lynching of Black people,ā€ he said. ā€œLynching was done in Rome’s time for the same reason as why Black people are shot down in our time.ā€

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Examples of what can be done

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Although there are many challenges still on the horizon, experts note that there have also been improvements and progress for African Americans as a demographic group.

The NUL’s State of Black America 2017 also reported good news, such as a slight rise in the number of Black owned businesses, and an increase in high school graduation rates as more African Americans go to college. Life expectancy for Black Americans has also improved.

This month the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reported that the age-adjusted death rate among African-Americans declined 25 percent from 1999 to 2015, which means Blacks are living longer. Ā 

Although observers often highlight the more gentle qualities of Jesus such as his compassion, kindness and peaceful manner, experts say that he also showed signs of strength and leadership that offer examples on how to obtain more improvements. His life, they believe, demonstrated how African Americans, particularly Black men, can lead the way to growth in their communities.

ā€œJesus is a natural leader,ā€ said Kenneth Sullivan, pastor of New Direction Church in Indianapolis. ā€œYou don’t draw fishermen and the average ā€œworking Joeā€ type to you if you’re not a manly man.ā€

Sullivan’s church is located in the Forest Manor area on the Eastside of the city, not far from the Meadows neighborhood that has been successfully fighting back against high rates of unemployment, poverty and crime. Ā Ā 

Sullivan said Jesus bravely stayed with a cause he believed in, and stood up for the rights of people while healing those were sick and facing other difficulties. People today, he said, can lead the way to more stability in the community by standing for justice, mentoring young people and helping those struggling with poverty become more self-sufficient.

ā€œJesus didn’t preach a pie in the sky message to the people. He led them to God while also addressing their physical and practical needs.ā€

Some scholars point out that although Jesus did not have a lot of political power, but he had plenty of influence among the people who flocked to hear his sermons and teachings. He used that influence to make a positive difference for those around him. In other words, Jesus did not let his limited power stop him, and he used what he had to make things better for people in his community.

Scott, the Butler professor, said many Christian evangelical churches are carrying on that mission today.

ā€œThat is specifically what they’re doing,ā€ Scott said. ā€œSome people may not be highly educated in those areas, but they speak to the soul of the people. It speaks to further legitimacy of their being here on the planet. They have collective influence including people in political places who speak on their behalf, and people in all kinds of organizations. So I think Jesus speaks through them today.ā€

Sullivan noted that during his Sermon on the Mount discussed in the book of Matthew, Jesus recounted the Beatitudes, or groups of people who have traits that are blessed by God, including those who are ā€œpoor in spiritā€, Ā seek righteousness, are meek and peaceful and persecuted for the sake of righteousness.

Cone believes that Jesus did not believe in a victim mentality, and demonstrated how to stand for justice. He said Christian principles call for people be to compassionate in their own communities, families and around people who treat them like human beings. However, he added, that compassion does not mean Jesus expects anyone to be a passive person who endures oppression.

ā€œThe best compassion and love you can have for somebody who is trying to lynch you or shoot you down is to fight them,ā€ Cone said. Jesus never called us to be contented with slavery or oppression. Jesus called us to be liberated and free.ā€

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James Cone is the professor of systematic theology at Union Theological Seminary in New York.

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