I’ve struggled in my spiritual journey with prioritizing being a black man versus being a Christian. There are many of you reading this who may have wrestled with which one is more important, especially if your spiritual development was in an environment that prioritized one over the other. Society has painted the picture of Christianity as a white religion, and to be black and a Christian is to suggest in some way that we have no religious beliefs that are mutually exclusive to us. The research will prove much of this to be false.
On my journey to discovering my identity as a black man, I learned that my spiritual identity was the foundation of my existence. I realized that the reason for my presence was more than just being a black man but being a spiritual being who is to exist in the world as a black man solely to fulfill a unique purpose. God’s plan for me was to live in the world as a black man because it is the only way that I could uniquely carry out my calling. When we start to understand that our spiritual existence is primary and our natural reality is secondary, then we realize that there is a deeper meaning to our life. Jesus could only carry out his calling as a Jewish man. His existence in the world as a Jew was a tool but not the primary reason for his life.
In the Spirit of God, there is no emphasis on our ethnic background; however, God is very much aware of who we are in the natural. He uniquely designed us to be who we are, and He did it with our mission and purpose in mind. While there are many debates over which should be a priority one’s cultural identity or their spiritual identity, I am clear that who I am spiritually is of more value because I am a son of God. How have you approached being both a Christian and...?
