BLACK HISTORY
The New Slavemasters: Q &
A with Bishop George D. McKinney
Cook Communications Ministries
CBN.com
-- Following a September 2004 trip to South Africa for
the Pentecostal World Conference where Bishop George D. McKinney
represented his denomination, the Church of God in Christ (COGIC),
McKinney answered questions about his life and questions about
issues facing the African-American community, the same issues
that are the subject of his new book, The New Slavemasters.
How did you come up with the term “New Slavemasters”?
The term new slavemasters comes from my experiences,
seeing the devastation wrought in my community. One illustration
comes to mind that is particularly close to my heart. Here’s
a story about a 30-year-old man who was a hustler that had never
held down a job. He got saved in prison. We gave him a mentor
and part-time work. He received a two-year degree and did well
for himself. Eventually, he got married and had three kids. We
poured ourselves into this man, and he poured his life into his
family. A year ago, he chose to go back into that slavery after
11 years. Now, he is back in prison, and he can’t get out,
because of California’s ‘three strikes and you are
out’ law. He will go back to prison for 20 years. That’s
frustrating!
Why is the message of The New Slavemasters so
important today?
I hope The New Slavemasters is read by Christians and
non-Christians, alike, to provoke discussion and thought. The
essence of the book centers on the plan of God that we should
all enjoy freedom with responsibility. I am concerned that after
we [Christians] are born again, we volunteer to re-enter forms
of slavery because of pressure and prevailing temptations. In
other words, we continue into ‘stinking thinking.’
Freedom, when abused, leads to slavery...This is a critical time.
I hope African-Americans are ready to heed this message and break
free from this bondage.
What will happen if the negative trends don’t change
for African-Americans?
I hate to talk about that, but it could get worse. The group
that has the fastest growing cases of HIV is black women. That’s
frightening. The rate of incarceration among young black men is
also frightening. There is no relief in sight. Public education
in the urban setting is generally bankrupt. In some schools in
San Diego, up to 85 percent of all students are failing. No business
could keep their doors open under those conditions, and then to
realize the public schools growing alliance with the penal system.
The continued alarming rate of violence and murders is also frightening.
Our male youth are being devastated.
What are some positive signs of change in the African-American
community?
The presence of African-Americans in positions of power in local,
state, and national government has been an encouragement. Also,
major denominations in America have repented publicly, declaring
that racism is sin and have vowed commitment to justice. Many
denominations that were formerly silent on this issue are now
taking the position that justice and mercy must go together in
the Christian Message.
You recently came out endorsing President George W. Bush
for re-election, based on his stances on abortion, marriage, and
AIDS in Africa. Why is abortion an important issue to you and
a growing segment of the African-American church?
The innocent slaughter of 1.5 million babies a year is as evil
as slavery of Africans from 1619 to 1865. The legal murder of
our children through abortion is a modern form of human sacrifice
that incurs the wrath of a just and holy God. I believe that to
continue this practice is tantamount to committing national suicide.
Our casual and cavalier attitude toward killing babies does not
escape the attention of those who survive, either. I believe that
youth violence in the inner city is directly related to how we
condone the innocent slaughter of babies. Just as Frederick Douglass
and other abolitionists advocated the end of slavery, advocates
for the sanctity of life must continue to speak on behalf of the
voiceless babies. We must hear their silent screams and defend
their right to live.
How has your background equipped you to author The
New Slavemasters?
My dad had a third-grade education and I was born during the
depression era of the 1930s. My family was always two days away
from hunger. My father taught us two major vehicles for getting
out of the slave mentality. First, get to know Jesus Christ because
‘good religion’ allows you to deal with reality without
hatefulness and bitterness, and second, ‘good education’
prepares you to deal with life from an informed perspective.
Why is leaving strong legacies such an integral part
of breaking the cycle of depravity for African-Americans?
During institutional slavery, those physically enslaved in the
U.S. identified with the children of Israel: Moses, Joshua, and
Elijah became their heroes. African slaves learned the biblical
stories, and the victories of the people of the Bible became their
legacies. Knowing these stories, Africans were able to endure
the worst slavery ever devised by man! Now, I think we are in
big trouble because we have a generation that doesn’t read
or even understand what took place during the Civil Rights Movement.
When we don’t recognize our heroes, we become adrift. We
must make sure the educational process includes our heroes,
too.
Who are your role models?
Martin Luther King Jr., pastor and
civil rights leader, for his speeches on the primacy of love and
forgiveness. [Bishop McKinney and his wife, Jean, met and marched
with Dr. King on several occasions in the 1960s. They attended
a conference with him eight months before his death.]
Bishop Charles Harrison Mason,
1897 to 1963, the founder and leader of the Church of God in Christ.
He was a reconciler throughout his life.
Quaker Elton Trueblood, 1900-1994,
professor of philosophy at Earlham College and religious advisor
to the Eisenhower administration. He started half-way houses and
prison ministries, and led a movement to place religious faith
at the center of ethical, moral, and social principles.
A.W. Tozier, 1897-1963, author of The
Pursuit of God and pastor of Chicago's Southside Alliance
Church for 31 years. He became known as the 20th century prophet
for his penetrating books on the deeper spiritual life.
Dr. Carter Woodson, author of The
Miseducation of the Negro in 1933 who received a Ph.D. from
Harvard. He launched Negro History Week in 1926, which evolved
into Black History Month in 1976.
Dr. George James, author of Stolen
Legacy in 1954, his controversial and widely circulated text
that taught that North Africans, not Greeks, were authors of what
is known as Greek philosophy.
Why do anger and rage perpetuate the bondage of the new
slavemasters?
When we don’t forgive, anger becomes like cancer. Somehow,
we attempt to play God when we choose not to forgive. God understands
all the factors of our lives. We must learn to forgive and learn
the mystery of the healing power of God’s love. Forgiveness
is a deliberate decision to release the offender, and when we
release the offender, we too become free.
Earlier this year, you lost your wife, Jean, of 47 years.
She suffered from cancer for eight years. We were soul mates.
We walked together, served together. I was fortunate to be committed
in love with her—it was a satisfying God-blessed relationship.
Billy Graham recently nominated you to the U.S. Senate
Chaplaincy. What is your relationship with Mr. Graham?
I was honored that Billy Graham gave me a strong endorsement
for the U.S. Senate Chaplaincy. I first met him when he held a
crusade in San Diego during the 1970s. I was asked to mobilize
pastors in the inner city. I always respected Billy Graham, though,
at the time, many had not forgiven him for his racist positions
in the 1940s and 1950s. As a result, none of the black pastors
participated in the San Diego crusade that year. Later, Mr. Graham
became enlightened and embraced the Christian concept of the fatherhood
of God and the brotherhood of all mankind. He no longer held the
narrow position held by many White evangelicals that Blacks were
not their equals. Last year in 2003, I chaired his San Diego crusade,
and we had a huge response from black pastors.
You were named Race Reconciliation Man of the Year by
that National Association of Evangelicals (NAE). Why has race
reconciliation played such an integral role in your ministry over
the years?
When I examine the Gospel, I look at the person and work of Christ.
His whole enterprise is about reconciliation. I see that as the
core of the gospel—first, reconciliation between man and
God through repentance, faith and obedience, and second, reconciliation
between man and man through obedience to the Gospel message. With
that frame of mind, I seize every opportunity for healing and
restoration.
Reprinted with permission of Cook Communications Ministries.
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