Kwanzaa: Do We Really Need It?

For perhaps the last thirty years, the day after Christmas has traditionally meant beginning the celebration of an invented holiday called Kwanzaa. African Americans, young and old, celebrate this event with parties and family gatherings, designed to promote the "seven principles of Kwanzaa". The word Kwanzaa, derived from the Swahili words "matunda yakwanza" means "first fruits".

There was a time, not knowing any better; I celebrated this made up event. I suspect that the reason many celebrate Kwanzaa was similar to my own; a yearning for all things authentically black, stemming from an insecurity within my own being. Now I realize that most will not admit to this type of reason for choosing to celebrate Kwanzaa with little investigation into its origin or founder; however, that does not mean the reason for celebrating is less true. There are and have been many things I fail to admit about myself which are factually accurate and true nonetheless.

Kwanzaa is the "brain-child" of a man known by the name Ronald McKinley Everett, aka Dr. Maulana Karenga. Dr. Karenga was the leader of a violent group called "US", which stood for United Slaves. Yes, this is the same group whose members shot and killed two Black Panthers on the campus of UCLA in a struggle to control the newly created Black Studies Department at the university. Everett, known then by that name, was an informant for the FBI. He served time in prison for various crimes, including the torture of BLACK female members of his radical group. Of course, he alleges victim status, categorizing all charges and convictions as the work of local, national and even international law enforcements efforts to silence him, despite the evidence that included victim testimony.

With most violent black radicals from the sixties, liberal whites practiced the "forgive and employ tactic" in order to "compensate" them for having the courage to forcefully stand up against "the man" when non-violent Christian behavior was not working fast enough. Consequently, in 1979 Dr. Karenga became the chairperson of the Black Studies Department at California State University-Long Beach. What can I say; good work if you can get it.

The examination of Kwanzaa's inventor and his shady past is only one reason this celebration should give every African American who believes in liberty some degree of pause. Karenga's so-called "seven Principles of Kwanzaa" are the same as the seven snakeheads on the logo for the Symbionese Liberation Army (SLA). Yes, the same heavily armed group that kidnapped Patty Hearst, then robbed a few banks and shot some police. Karenga was not a good person, according to his past record.

Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson (a black author and civil rights activist who works to educate American blacks about their own history) terms Kwanzaa the "black anti-Christmas," and says that is why the "celebration" takes place December 26 – January 1. He says, "Kwanzaa is about as "African" as its Parsonsburg, Maryland born (July 14, 1941) inventor". Incidentally, Everett/Karenga makes no effort to hide his fakery. In 1978, he told the Washington Post that: "People think its [African], but it's not. I came up with Kwanzaa because black people in this country wouldn't celebrate it if they knew it was American." Enough said.

Kwanzaa purports to celebrate blackness and Karenga defines this in his seven principles. They are:

• Umoja (unity)—To strive for and maintain unity in the family, community, nation, and race.
  
• Kujichagulia (self-determination)—To define ourselves, name ourselves, create for ourselves, and speak for ourselves.
  
• Ujima (collective work and responsibility)—To build and maintain our community together and make our brother's and sister's problems our problems and to solve them together.
  
• Ujamaa (cooperative economics)—To build and maintain our own stores, shops, and other businesses and to profit from them together.
  
• Nia (purpose)—To make our collective vocation the building and development of our community in order to restore our people to their traditional greatness.
  
• Kuumba (creativity)—To do always as much as we can, in the way we can, in order to leave our community more beautiful and beneficial than we inherited it.
  
• Imani (faith)—To believe with all our heart in our people, our parents, our teachers, our leaders, and the righteousness and victory of our struggle.
  

On the surface, these principles appear to be just what back folks need, all good reasons to improve our communities and ourselves. No one could argue the value of these ideas applied to any group of people. However, there was no need to gather these ideas and apply them specifically to black people because the Bible has already done that with the most effective of these ideas. Some of these ideas smack of the "Marxist" designs of Karenga, who is a Marxist. For example, there is a chance that "cooperative economics" could be code for what we now know as the "share the wealth" plan. In addition, his so-called "faith" principle has no mention of God our any cosmic being. Marxism rejects religion as the opiate of the masses.

Our problem is that we seem to need something "black" to follow. For many, the search for truth binds itself to ethnicity. We chime, "If it meets my ethnic standard, then I will consider it truth. If it does not meet that standard, then it cannot be true". The perversion of true Islam by the Nation of Islam and fundamental Islamic terrorists are examples of a dependence on the ethnic truth standard gone wild.

It is heartbreaking that we often look for gimmicks as reasons to grow spiritually and intellectually. For me, Christ is reason enough.

The real tragedy of Kwanzaa is that the retail industry uses this made up day to profit off the desire of black people for authenticity and recognition. As we celebrate our freedom from white slave masters of the past, we welcome the new Master(card) and Visa into our lives. This is why Kwanzaa made the mainstream; it could generate a dollar. However, as we know, profitability has never guaranteed that something is good. After all, illegal drug sales are highly profitable, yet all would likely agree that they are destructive and murderous in nature.

Building the black community and developing a positive future for our young does not require the celebration of a "black" holiday. It requires a retreat to the values that existed before the guilt of white liberals along with the collaboration of the black grievance class resulted in the negative behavior patterns now woven into the fabric of black Americans. The need for black Christians is to lose the fear of affirming their relationship with Christ, and boldly state allegiance to the Word of God as sufficient for all matters of life. If those of us who say we are Christians would simply practice our faith daily, this celebration of Kwanzaa would be as unnecessary as a stop sign on a racetrack.

I choose not to celebrate this holiday for the aforementioned reasons. If you celebrate, then certainly that is your choice, but as for me, and my house, we will choose to live the principles of Christ that call for us to love and relates to all people, and not just to those who look like us.

Thinking of Others a Priority This Christmas

Here we are in the midst of another Christmas celebration. Every year it seems that there is more commercialization than ever before and the meaning of Christmas gets lost as we channel surf away from the latest commercial.

This year I am acutely aware of several things happening this holiday season. I thought I would take this opportunity to share a few observations with you. Read on if you dare.

First, is there anybody more thankful than President Bush is for the end of this year? After taking a daily beating in the media for nearly six straight years, I am sure he is looking forward to some quiet time at home. I know some of you are glad, but I wonder if anyone deserved the castigation he faced in leading this nation. Additionally, I hope our new President will learn from the errors and successes of his predecessor, but if he does not, I hope he never has to face such insulting scrutiny.

Furthermore, this season of giving is tougher than most on many families. Some who would give have less to share this year, making it difficult to obtain help for the most needy among us. Those who can give, please remember those in need.

One thing is clear; every child needs the gift of education, even at the expense of a PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360. I never understood giving a child a video game console, when they need help reading and doing math. For Christmas, I would like to give the gift of common sense to every parent who puts entertainment before his or her child's education.

Is there anything more ridiculous than the fight to remove Christmas from the national landscape? If you are an atheist and do not believe in God or His redemption of the world through Christ, that is your right. However, for the other 90% of us who enjoy this celebration of God's expression of love, we have the right to celebrate as well. If you do not like manger scenes, here's a thought; look the other way! It is no more a force of religion upon you than the saturation of reproductive television commercials irritates some of us.

Another thing I notice is how much time people spend angry and upset at Christmas time. Perhaps if we who believe would demonstrate the true values of this season in our daily lives, those who do not believe would have better examples to possibly follow. This is just a thought for you to ponder.

In addition, I think about our troops who fight for our freedom every day on foreign and domestic soil. There are so many separated from their families because they were brave enough to believe in the defense of this country from all enemies, foreign or domestic. I thank God for their sacrifice, and especially for those who gave their lives in past and current conflict on behalf of our freedom.

Finally, as this year ends, I look back with gratitude to all of you who read this column, send in your comments, email your criticisms and thoughts. I have not been perfect in this effort; in fact I threw a couple pitches I would like to have back, but all in all it is a blessing for me to communicate with you. I look forward to next year with earnest.

To each one of you, have a Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year.

 

Has the Church Outlived Her Usefulness?

In many areas of the country, pastors are reporting that church attendance is at an all-time low. This does not affect mega-churches on the same level that it affects small, community churches. If this is true, it begs the question as to why. Why are people not attending and in many instances not supporting ministries as they once did?

In African American communities, the church was once the pillar of the neighborhood, the pastors well respected and members committed to the nuances of being in a faith community. In fact once considered hallowed ground by even the nefarious element of the community, the church had the respect of all. One would never hear of a church robbery or desecration in any manner. Furthermore, even those who were outside of the church, would "straighten up and fly right" as they approached church property of even the presence of pastors or those mothers of the church.

Today, we see perhaps what the Apostle Paul describes as the "falling away" in 2Thessalonians 2:3. Are we experiencing the realization of this prophetic word from Paul? If one examines the evidence, it would be hard to argue that the church as an institution maintains the same influence it once wielded. People seem to be dissatisfied with institutions in general and religious institutions in particular. Every major denomination is reporting a drop in attendance, loss of revenue and the view of indifference from those who remain in the pews.

If these things be true, then there must be reasons for their occurrence, valid or not, but reasons nonetheless. In speaking with many people who once attended church but now do not, one recurring theme keeps surfacing on the horizon of this conversation. People believe that the church as an organization is hypocritical and hyper-judgmental. They believe that churches tolerate sinful behavior among their members and leaders, while publically condemning those outside of their memberships.

Before we react with our emotions, it is fair to address these concerns based on whether they are meritorious complaints. Does the church tolerate sinful behavior among leaders and members, with an eye of Pharisaical judgment toward those who do not belong? This is a legitimate question to ponder in an age where church attendance is dropping, and criticism of God's house is on the rise. Certainly, many of us may be able to point to instances where the behavior of church leaders and members has not reflected the values espoused in the Gospel of Christ. In fact, if enough of us recall these instances and their frequency, then perhaps we arrive at a point that evidences the complaint against us.

What seems to be true in all of this is that very public instances of poor Christian testimony deals a serious blow to the witness of the church in a culture that is no longer willing to "look the other way" at hypocritical behavior. In addition, we must consider the means by which we exalt leadership beyond their ability to sustain. In many black churches, tradition mandates the elevation of pastors to positions of spiritual completion that make failure catastrophic. Whether we like it or not, we all, including our spiritual leaders, are works in progress.

In fact, the standards of behaviors for church leaders are higher than for those they lead. They should be because this is what Scripture teaches (See James 3). Yet when there is no provision for restoration of the repentant leaders, then can there really be restoration for any? Galatians 6:1-3 teaches, "1 Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted. 2 Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. 3 For if anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself." (NKJV) There is a mandate for us to restore.

So why then does it seem that people have lost faith in the church as an organized institution? Perhaps it is the failure to address issues of sinful behavior in a public and biblical manner, which includes a public process of restoration. People who are not Christians know Christians fail; one need not be spiritually mature to recognize that fact. Maybe what they seek is a place that is honest and open about failure, preaching and practicing repentance as well as restoration.

The truth is that many of our houses of worship are in decline or barely maintaining, with 20% of the people doing 80% of the giving. This leads to distress among members and leaders, while potentially having a negative impact on the spread of the Gospel. Let us who believe, search our own hearts, then address these issues within our congregations and see if we can reach more of our people for Christ.

A Gift to My People

In the spirit of the Christmas season, I wish to give all of my readers a very special gift. I wish to give to each of you the power to be a free thinker. Forgive me if you already possess this most precious of gifts, yet feel at liberty to re-gift it to all whom you know need it.

Now some of you may be wondering where I get off giving a gift such as the power of free thought, and your question may indeed be valid, since I do not own free thought, nor did I purchase extra in order to give it away. Free thought is one of those inalienable rights that come with being a free person. So technically, I am giving you something you already have. Consider me to be like the person that teaches you to program the DVD player you have or the one that shows you how to use that computer program for which you paid top dollar. Although you already possess the instruments, it often takes another to demonstrate their use.

Still you may ask, "Why free thinking as a Christmas gift?" In my mind, Christmas represents a time when Almighty God gave the best he had to offer, His Son Jesus the Christ. In like manner, when I consider the meager contributions I can give others; teaching and challenging others to think freely and without the encumbrance of group paranoia simply is the best gift I can offer.

To be a free thinker means to consider and examine evidence carefully, arrive at opinion of truth without others telling you what you should believe simply because everyone in your ethnic group, neighborhood or nation believes something to be true. The phenomenon called "group think" is dangerous on many levels, perhaps most dangerous because it robs the individual of lessons learned on the journey of self-discovery. I cannot rave enough about valuable life lessons learned from my being right as well as being wrong. Of course, it is perfect fine to agree with the group on issues of common sense, such as do not play in traffic to discover its danger or put one's hand in fire to discover it burns.

On the contrary, the designation of freethinking applies to the determination of values and core beliefs. How did you arrive at what you say you believe? This is a crucial question in determining whether you practice as a free thinker. If someone told you that a certain value was in your best interest, and you accepted that value as truth for you without examination on merit, then you may not be a free thinker. For example, I became a Christian on faith in Jesus Christ as my Savior, but subsequent to even that faith, the examination of Christian values produces a commitment to their merit for my life.

How does this apply today? The proof of the absence of freethinking in our contemporary culture is the manner in which we lash out at those who look like us but have the audacity to embrace different opinions. I experience this among my own ethnicity in reaction to my thoughts and opinions. To criticize our own behavior seems to mean that one must wish to disassociate themselves from the group. As a free thinker, I say the opposite is just as much a possibility. Constructive criticism is evidence of great love and hope for improvement. If my mother said, "do not leave the house without combing your hair", does she wish to disassociate from me? On the contrary, her desire is to see me improve myself as well as my representation of my family. Has my mother ever publically corrected me? Of course, she has, when she deemed it necessary. This too was a demonstration of her love for me.

To deny the right of those who love us to speak freely and openly of our problems under fear of indictment as "Uncle Toms", "house Negroes", "white man negroes" and the sort, is to effectively ignore the evidence of our need for help exposed on a daily basis. Read the newspaper, watch television, listen to the radio with an open, freethinking mind, and tell me if you come away with the notion that all is well among black folks. Ignore the so-called "white media" and listen or read only "urban media" and be honest about your conclusion. Do you still think no one should say anything? Five minutes of listening to the callers on the Michael Baisden Show tells me we are in deep doo-doo.

This is why I offer the gift of that which each of you possesses already, the ability to form your values and beliefs based on your own examination of the presentations made to you. You can do it, you can think for yourself. You do not need some pundit to think for you, all you need is to examine the evidence and decide what you believe to be true. Be sure to remember that every free thinker welcomes dissent either as a means to be courageous enough to modify beliefs, or as a means to strengthen one's own stance.

So this Christmas I offer this simple phrase, to my people from 1 to 93, though it has been said many times and many ways, Merry Christmas and let your thinking be free.