This is something that's been going around in my head for a while, so I'm just going to say it.
The question is not whether Black Lives Matter - we all agree that they do - the question is WHEN does a black life begin to matter?
We all know by now (whether or not people are willing to acknowledge/admit it, or whether or not people choose to live in denial of it) that Planned Parenthood was founded by racists as a eugenics project, specifically meant to decrease the number of people of color in the population. But what a lot of people don't know is that it is STILL this same ongoing project, as it generally targets lower income neighborhoods full of people of color when it comes to deciding where to put its "clinics." More black lives have been ended by abortion than by "gun violence" or systemic racism or whatever. I daresay that if Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. were alive today, he would be horrified by abortion - in any case, his niece, Alveda King, is a pro-life activist. She gets it.
So if you want to say Black Lives Matter, you need to say that they begin to matter at conception, because otherwise, if they don't matter from conception and when they are most vulnerable, then they don't matter at all. Needless to say, all human lives matter from conception. And if not, what does that say about Jesus, who became human in his incarnation, which happened at his conception?
Dear friends - Please take 10 minutes to watch this personal update from me:
I'm back, up and running, and ready to go - I should have a new JOURNEY episode within the next week or so - and because you are my loyal peeps, here is an exclusive, just-for-you, behind the scenes SNEAK PEEK into my new office:
I mentioned in The Journey that I wrote a song based on Isaiah 2, which is one of my favorite OT passages:
In days to come, the mountain of the Lord’s house
shall be established as the highest mountain, and raised above the hills.
All nations shall stream toward it. Many peoples shall come and say:
“Come, let us go up to the Lord’s mountain, to the house of the God of Jacob, That he may instruct us in his ways, and we may walk in his paths.” For from Zion shall go forth instruction, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
He shall judge between the nations, and set terms for many peoples.
They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; One nation shall not raise the sword against another, nor shall they train for war again. House of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord!
I hope you like the song!
The problem with us men is that often we don't have the wisdom to be a father until we're a grandfather.
This may sounds like some ironic statement that makes you nod your head in agreement but shrug your shoulders in resignation, thinking, well there's nothing we can do about that. But the practical application of that is that it demonstrates how important it is for kids to grow up around their grandparents. But as in our culture the family becomes ever more fractured and spread out, that is harder and harder to do.
Lately I've been thinking that part of the problem is the whole concept of college. It used to be that everyone thought a person had to go to college to make a good living. Not only is that not the case (truck drivers make more money than I do) but now college has gone from useless to actually ruining our kids. But when I went to college, what you were supposed to do is figure out what career you wanted (as if anyone knows that at age 18) and then go away to the college ...
And don't forget, if you would like to read my latest novel:
The Sword and the Clover - just let me know by email.
I'm happy to send you the PDF version, even if you haven't been a monetary supporter of the community - all I ask is that you don't share it with anyone else.
My email address:
Keep in touch!
JIm
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