IDENTITY AND POWER

Liberia: Here is a link to the reports from the August trip to Liberia which began our three year commitment to these Pastors and church workers. Please read these short reports and it will give you an idea of the opportunities before us and the pictures will help you to understand the teaching conditions. I must confess that as I reread these reports this morning I once again wept in praise of God's grace and truth at work in human hearts in Africa. <http://trainingleadersinternational.org/trips/207/liberia-august-2017>

Over the last couple of weeks we have heard about white nationalist and white supremacy demonstrations and counter demonstrations, some accompanied with violence and the tearing down of confederate monuments. As I think about these marches for white rights and the larger protests against this racism I have to come to my conclusion and a biblical response.

White supremacy march in Virginia

Richard Spencer, leader of the alt-right movement, says, "Race is real, race matters, and race is the foundation of identity". For most people in this world their identity is taken from their work, their education, their accomplishments, their religion, sexual preference and as we are hearing about more and more their gender. But I think the the primary marker of identity today for most people is still race. Even nations of the world today often have specific identities such as race (tribal groups) or religion which they seek to defend against any outside influences. For the past couple of centuries Canada and the USA have been dominated by the white race and its religions, forms of government and chosen lifestyles. The fear of the western white man is that he is now loosing his white majority, white rights, and white power and therefore his identity. As one spokesman has said, "We must secure the existence of our people and the future for white children". White supremacy goes beyond saving identity and believes that the white man is superior to all other racial groups. The great fear is white genocide. "The white genocide conspiracy theory claims, that mass immigration, racial integration, miscegenation, low fertility rates, and abortion are being promoted in predominantly white countries to deliberately turn them minority-white and hence cause white people to become extinct through forced assimilation." So my conclusion is that the issues at stake are identity and power.
Now as believers in the midst of all this violence and confusion we must be clear that our identity and our power is not in being white and belonging to a white nation, as beneficial as that has been in the past. Our identity, and our power and authority is IN CHRIST. That is not only a truth for the future but for today's present realities. Yes it is more than likely that the white race will become a minority people in the West over time in spite of Trump's last stand, but we are to shine as followers of Christ and not defend our whiteness or what we consider our rights. We are to stand for equality and justice and mercy and love which actually means that we will be hated by both whites and upcoming minority groups. The reason why white nationalist and white supremacist groups target Christians is because they believe that orthodox Christianity leads to white genocide in its stand for equality, justice, mercy and love. There is also a great hatred for Jews who are seen as conspirators to exterminate the white race by promoting white genocide to take control of the world and its resources.
So my fellow Christians, I would encourage you today to view these clashes over white supremacy and superiority from a heavenly perspective where you are seated in Christ Jesus. Strive to see and live out your identity in Christ, and know and stand in your authority in Christ until that day when God's authority fully rules all the earth in His heavenly kingdom.