1 00:00:05,840 --> 00:00:08,960 S1: Welcome to the radio backyard fence on Martin Luther King 2 00:00:08,960 --> 00:00:12,280 S1: Jr Day. Chris Fabry here. A program is recorded today. 3 00:00:12,320 --> 00:00:15,200 S1: Don't call us, but I do hope you'll stay with us, 4 00:00:15,200 --> 00:00:18,400 S1: because you're about to hear some words of Doctor Martin 5 00:00:18,400 --> 00:00:21,919 S1: Luther King Jr. That you probably have never heard. This 6 00:00:21,920 --> 00:00:26,720 S1: is from a message he gave in 1956, and you 7 00:00:26,720 --> 00:00:30,520 S1: will also hear several others through the history of the 8 00:00:30,520 --> 00:00:35,720 S1: African American church today, as we present the Swing Low 9 00:00:35,920 --> 00:00:40,600 S1: experience that's coming up with Doctor Walter Strickland Jr, straight 10 00:00:40,600 --> 00:00:46,239 S1: ahead here on Chris Fabry live online at Chris, Chris Fabry, 11 00:00:47,800 --> 00:00:51,080 S1: since our program is recorded, we don't have anybody answering 12 00:00:51,080 --> 00:00:53,680 S1: the phone today. But I want to thank Ryan McConaughey 13 00:00:53,720 --> 00:00:58,040 S1: doing all things technical. Tricia McMillan is our producer and 14 00:00:58,040 --> 00:01:01,260 S1: we are able to bring this conversation to you because 15 00:01:01,260 --> 00:01:03,980 S1: of those who support this program. And if you do 16 00:01:03,980 --> 00:01:07,500 S1: that in the month of January, we have how should 17 00:01:07,500 --> 00:01:13,860 S1: Christians Think about Israel? By our friend and compadre, biblical compadre, 18 00:01:13,900 --> 00:01:17,340 S1: Doctor Michael Rudnick. It's a quick guide to God's covenants, 19 00:01:17,340 --> 00:01:22,140 S1: biblical prophecy, and the Jewish people. It's a controversial topic 20 00:01:22,140 --> 00:01:24,700 S1: in today's world, and I'd love to send you a 21 00:01:24,700 --> 00:01:27,220 S1: copy of this little book, give a gift of any 22 00:01:27,220 --> 00:01:31,899 S1: size at the website, and we'll send it to you, Chris. 23 00:01:34,140 --> 00:01:44,420 S1: Or you can call our number and give that way 86695318669532279. 24 00:01:44,700 --> 00:01:47,339 S1: And thank you for your support of the radio. Backyard 25 00:01:47,340 --> 00:01:53,180 S1: fence doctor Walter Strickland. The second is associate professor of 26 00:01:53,180 --> 00:01:58,300 S1: systematic and contextual theology at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. He's 27 00:01:58,440 --> 00:02:02,560 S1: co-authored or contributed to several books, including For God So 28 00:02:02,560 --> 00:02:06,400 S1: Loved the World A blueprint for Kingdom Diversity. He's the 29 00:02:06,400 --> 00:02:09,919 S1: host of the White Horse Inn podcast and founder of 30 00:02:09,919 --> 00:02:13,960 S1: Cultural Engagement, and after learning, we talked with him a 31 00:02:13,960 --> 00:02:17,440 S1: couple of years ago about Swing Low Volume one, a 32 00:02:17,480 --> 00:02:20,359 S1: history of black Christianity in the United States, and then 33 00:02:20,360 --> 00:02:24,440 S1: the second volume of that, Swing Low, volume two, an 34 00:02:24,440 --> 00:02:27,919 S1: anthology of Black Christianity in the US. We have those 35 00:02:27,919 --> 00:02:32,359 S1: linked at Kris for Doctor Strickland. Welcome back. Thanks for 36 00:02:32,360 --> 00:02:33,280 S1: doing this today. 37 00:02:33,800 --> 00:02:35,720 S2: Oh, anytime. It's great to be back on with you. 38 00:02:36,480 --> 00:02:41,640 S1: Uh, your grandmother, Belva Jean Strickland, was with us as 39 00:02:41,639 --> 00:02:45,359 S1: well because on the program, the conversations we had, you 40 00:02:45,400 --> 00:02:47,400 S1: got to talk with my grandmother, and I did, and 41 00:02:47,400 --> 00:02:49,760 S1: it was just delightful. How's she doing? 42 00:02:50,280 --> 00:02:53,440 S2: She is doing great. She's still there in the Chicago area. Uh, 43 00:02:53,440 --> 00:02:54,640 S2: and she's fantastic. 44 00:02:55,720 --> 00:02:59,220 S1: We got, uh, Emails from people saying, oh, it was 45 00:02:59,220 --> 00:03:01,740 S1: so such a treat to hear from Bellevue and to 46 00:03:01,740 --> 00:03:05,060 S1: hear the sweep of her life. Uh, and so thank 47 00:03:05,060 --> 00:03:07,820 S1: you for sharing her with us. Now, I know that, uh, 48 00:03:07,820 --> 00:03:11,419 S1: you you took a trip last week. We're recording this 49 00:03:11,419 --> 00:03:14,260 S1: just before the trip. You said something to me about 50 00:03:14,460 --> 00:03:16,500 S1: doing this with you and your family, your wife and 51 00:03:16,500 --> 00:03:20,780 S1: your kids that you want to give your children experiences, 52 00:03:20,780 --> 00:03:24,500 S1: rather than just trinkets and toys. Explain that to me. 53 00:03:25,100 --> 00:03:28,900 S2: Yeah. So, uh, the Christmas season is just one that 54 00:03:28,900 --> 00:03:31,980 S2: gets very quickly swept up into lots of materialism. And 55 00:03:32,220 --> 00:03:34,540 S2: my wife and I put our heads together and we 56 00:03:34,860 --> 00:03:37,580 S2: we really begin to understand that our kids don't have 57 00:03:37,580 --> 00:03:40,980 S2: need for a lot. Lord's blessed us with, you know, um, 58 00:03:41,020 --> 00:03:43,300 S2: an opportunity to have a stable job. And so if 59 00:03:43,300 --> 00:03:45,100 S2: our kids need shoes, you know, we're able to do 60 00:03:45,100 --> 00:03:48,180 S2: the things like that. And, um, we or just whatever 61 00:03:48,180 --> 00:03:51,180 S2: they need. But for Christmas in particular, we said, you 62 00:03:51,180 --> 00:03:53,860 S2: know what? Rather than fill stockings with a bunch of 63 00:03:53,860 --> 00:03:56,370 S2: stuff that's going to be in the trash in the 64 00:03:56,370 --> 00:03:59,130 S2: next six months, or things that are going to be 65 00:03:59,130 --> 00:04:01,770 S2: broken down or they'll be bored with. Why not give 66 00:04:01,770 --> 00:04:04,610 S2: them something that they're going to treasure, which is lots 67 00:04:04,610 --> 00:04:06,810 S2: of memories with us. And so, by God's grace, we 68 00:04:06,810 --> 00:04:09,930 S2: have our health. Um, you know, we're the five of 69 00:04:09,930 --> 00:04:13,170 S2: us are are able to to go and be together 70 00:04:13,170 --> 00:04:15,130 S2: and just enjoy each other's company. And we figured that 71 00:04:15,130 --> 00:04:18,250 S2: would be much more valuable for them. You know, as 72 00:04:18,250 --> 00:04:21,170 S2: they go into their adulthood and really setting some relational 73 00:04:21,170 --> 00:04:23,809 S2: foundations within the family that are going to serve them 74 00:04:23,810 --> 00:04:24,610 S2: for a lifetime. 75 00:04:25,050 --> 00:04:27,450 S1: Somebody needed to hear that, even though we're doing this 76 00:04:27,450 --> 00:04:31,170 S1: program on MLK day. Uh, somebody needed to hear that 77 00:04:31,170 --> 00:04:35,850 S1: to give your kids experiences, because it's the relationship that's 78 00:04:35,850 --> 00:04:38,770 S1: most important. A lot of those things you said, you know, 79 00:04:38,810 --> 00:04:40,770 S1: at Christmas, a lot of those were returned for a 80 00:04:40,770 --> 00:04:44,770 S1: different size or color or whatever. But you don't return 81 00:04:44,770 --> 00:04:47,849 S1: these experiences. And part of the experience, if you go 82 00:04:47,850 --> 00:04:51,210 S1: on a trip or vacation, whatever, uh, a lot of 83 00:04:51,250 --> 00:04:54,869 S1: that is you're overcoming some things in there as well. 84 00:04:54,870 --> 00:04:58,670 S1: There's some kind of roadblock or a stumbling block that 85 00:04:58,670 --> 00:05:00,229 S1: is put in front of you that you have to 86 00:05:00,230 --> 00:05:01,550 S1: get over together, right? 87 00:05:02,350 --> 00:05:04,870 S2: Yeah. You know, um, you know, on on some of 88 00:05:04,870 --> 00:05:06,950 S2: our trips, we end up doing things that are kind 89 00:05:06,950 --> 00:05:09,350 S2: of unnerving for one of our, one of our crew. 90 00:05:09,350 --> 00:05:11,990 S2: And so we'll do that together and, uh, we'll work 91 00:05:11,990 --> 00:05:14,910 S2: through that. And it's interesting how they go back to 92 00:05:14,910 --> 00:05:18,190 S2: those pictures over and over again and just show, hey, 93 00:05:18,230 --> 00:05:19,990 S2: you know, I did this. You know, my daddy or 94 00:05:19,990 --> 00:05:21,869 S2: my mommy helped me or my brother or sister helped me. 95 00:05:22,110 --> 00:05:26,110 S2: And so we conquer fears together. We laugh a lot together. 96 00:05:26,230 --> 00:05:28,990 S2: And there's nothing better than, you know, a family unit 97 00:05:28,990 --> 00:05:32,110 S2: just going out and having some good belly laughs together. Uh, 98 00:05:32,110 --> 00:05:36,029 S2: getting outside of the normal pace of school and homework and, 99 00:05:36,190 --> 00:05:38,710 S2: you know, my work and things like that to just 100 00:05:38,710 --> 00:05:40,789 S2: have some time to just hang out. 101 00:05:41,110 --> 00:05:43,710 S1: Yeah. All that important stuff that we do that we 102 00:05:43,710 --> 00:05:46,510 S1: fill our lives with when the really important stuff, you know, 103 00:05:46,550 --> 00:05:49,710 S1: and that is work is important. And doing the writing 104 00:05:49,710 --> 00:05:51,950 S1: and the work that you do and the talking that 105 00:05:51,950 --> 00:05:57,410 S1: we do here. But those relationships, that's so important. And 106 00:05:57,610 --> 00:06:01,050 S1: I'm glad that you were able to exhibit that, you know, 107 00:06:01,089 --> 00:06:04,090 S1: and introducing us to your grandmother, first of all, and 108 00:06:04,089 --> 00:06:06,969 S1: then with what you're doing with your kids. So, again, 109 00:06:06,970 --> 00:06:09,410 S1: I think somebody needed to hear that. Now, I wanted 110 00:06:09,410 --> 00:06:12,610 S1: to have you on today because of an email that 111 00:06:12,610 --> 00:06:17,010 S1: you sent to me. You said that after Swing Low, 112 00:06:17,050 --> 00:06:20,970 S1: volumes one and two came out, you developed an experience 113 00:06:21,330 --> 00:06:25,409 S1: that has been warmly received. You've kind of adapted this 114 00:06:25,410 --> 00:06:29,650 S1: for churches, institutions, organizations. Tell me about that. 115 00:06:30,610 --> 00:06:34,010 S2: So I got a call from, um, West End Presbyterian 116 00:06:34,010 --> 00:06:37,530 S2: Church in Richmond, Virginia, some wonderful folks that were doing 117 00:06:37,529 --> 00:06:40,690 S2: a book study of Swing Low, volume one, and they said, 118 00:06:40,690 --> 00:06:42,289 S2: we'd love to have you come out and to talk 119 00:06:42,290 --> 00:06:47,570 S2: about it. So we sat together, uh, virtually on zoom, 120 00:06:47,810 --> 00:06:52,110 S2: and we created this experience together. That really was a 121 00:06:52,150 --> 00:06:57,390 S2: joyful celebration of the contributions of African American Christians to 122 00:06:57,430 --> 00:07:01,070 S2: just the broader Christian discussion. And and we ended up, uh, 123 00:07:01,230 --> 00:07:05,630 S2: developing an experience where I started it by talking about 124 00:07:05,630 --> 00:07:08,550 S2: how we all have things to learn from each other. Uh, 125 00:07:08,550 --> 00:07:11,630 S2: in God's kingdom, uh, we sharpen each other as iron 126 00:07:11,630 --> 00:07:15,430 S2: sharpens iron. There's wonderful passages that we talked about, um, 127 00:07:15,470 --> 00:07:19,350 S2: you know, about God's people being so multifaceted from revelation 128 00:07:19,350 --> 00:07:23,510 S2: seven verses nine and ten, where that crowd of witnesses 129 00:07:23,510 --> 00:07:26,470 S2: from every tribe, tongue and people and nation, they were 130 00:07:26,470 --> 00:07:29,710 S2: unified by their declaration of salvation, belongs to our God, 131 00:07:29,910 --> 00:07:31,550 S2: who is seated on the throne and to the lamb. 132 00:07:31,950 --> 00:07:33,990 S2: And then we talked about how God is not a 133 00:07:33,990 --> 00:07:36,870 S2: tribal deity. And then basically, to all that to say 134 00:07:36,870 --> 00:07:41,790 S2: is that we all even, uh, certain expressions of the 135 00:07:41,790 --> 00:07:45,910 S2: Christian faith that emerge from different cultural environments, we have 136 00:07:45,910 --> 00:07:51,570 S2: these wonderful worship experiences and sermons and songs to contribute 137 00:07:51,570 --> 00:07:55,410 S2: to this broader conversation. So the Swing Low experience, it 138 00:07:55,410 --> 00:08:00,450 S2: brings together this kind of teaching. We sang spirituals together, 139 00:08:00,450 --> 00:08:04,489 S2: which are some historic, wonderful, rich songs that were sung 140 00:08:04,490 --> 00:08:07,250 S2: by a number of slaves and even sung into the 141 00:08:07,250 --> 00:08:10,410 S2: civil rights movement and even sung in churches today. And 142 00:08:10,410 --> 00:08:14,970 S2: then this experience, it really sort of culminates with hearing 143 00:08:14,970 --> 00:08:19,530 S2: the voices of these believers. And this is so much 144 00:08:19,530 --> 00:08:22,930 S2: fun and so powerful, because what we did is that 145 00:08:22,930 --> 00:08:26,410 S2: we had, um, in Swing Low Volume two. It has 146 00:08:26,410 --> 00:08:31,930 S2: 112 primary sources. And by primary sources that just means, uh, 147 00:08:31,930 --> 00:08:37,770 S2: sermons or oratory or theological treatise or autobiography and correspondence 148 00:08:38,010 --> 00:08:43,050 S2: of these African American Christians. And we read those. Uh, 149 00:08:43,050 --> 00:08:45,530 S2: and what was cool is that people from this church 150 00:08:45,570 --> 00:08:48,530 S2: actually read them. And before they got up there, I 151 00:08:48,570 --> 00:08:53,750 S2: gave some historical context about this person. Um, I offered 152 00:08:53,750 --> 00:08:59,309 S2: some biographical information, and I offered an introduction to why this, uh, 153 00:08:59,309 --> 00:09:03,030 S2: sermon or oratory was done. And they got up there 154 00:09:03,030 --> 00:09:05,550 S2: and read it, and it was as if we were 155 00:09:05,550 --> 00:09:09,550 S2: sitting there almost in the original as the original audience, 156 00:09:09,550 --> 00:09:13,109 S2: because we were able to hear their voices for themselves. 157 00:09:13,550 --> 00:09:15,470 S2: It was such a beautiful opportunity. 158 00:09:15,670 --> 00:09:17,910 S1: And I told you that this is we've done this 159 00:09:17,910 --> 00:09:20,910 S1: around Moody. Every now and then they'll have an actor 160 00:09:20,910 --> 00:09:25,630 S1: come and portray Dwight Lyman Moody and read specifically from 161 00:09:25,630 --> 00:09:29,030 S1: a sermon of his. And it's like, you close your 162 00:09:29,030 --> 00:09:31,510 S1: eyes and it's like you can picture yourself back in 163 00:09:31,510 --> 00:09:35,630 S1: the 1800s, late 1800s. And so that's what I wanted 164 00:09:35,630 --> 00:09:37,589 S1: you to do to bring us a little bit of 165 00:09:37,630 --> 00:09:42,630 S1: that today, the Swing Low conference. And, uh, we're you're 166 00:09:42,630 --> 00:09:45,150 S1: going to hear some music as we go through the 167 00:09:45,150 --> 00:09:48,610 S1: program today, and you're going to hear words from Doctor 168 00:09:48,610 --> 00:09:52,770 S1: Martin Luther King Jr that you probably have never heard before. 169 00:09:53,250 --> 00:09:55,610 S1: Doctor Walter Strickland is with us. If you want to 170 00:09:55,610 --> 00:09:59,050 S1: find out about Swing Low Volume one and volume two. 171 00:09:59,090 --> 00:10:03,730 S1: We have it linked at Livorno. Or if you hear 172 00:10:03,730 --> 00:10:06,450 S1: this today and you say, I want to bring this conference, 173 00:10:06,450 --> 00:10:11,090 S1: this experience to my church or my organization, we've got 174 00:10:11,090 --> 00:10:16,250 S1: a link as well. Just go to Chris. Chris for 175 00:10:17,250 --> 00:10:19,610 S1: more straight ahead on Moody radio. 176 00:10:19,690 --> 00:10:23,970 S3: Heavy me home. Oh. 177 00:10:34,010 --> 00:11:02,040 S4: There's a sweet. Sweet. Song. In. this place. I know 178 00:11:03,960 --> 00:11:14,040 S4: that it's love spirit. Of the Lord. 179 00:11:16,960 --> 00:11:17,880 S5: This is Chris Fabry. 180 00:11:17,880 --> 00:11:21,160 S1: Live on Moody Radio, Martin Luther King jr day, and 181 00:11:21,160 --> 00:11:25,679 S1: we've decided to have back Doctor Walter Strickland the second. 182 00:11:26,080 --> 00:11:30,359 S1: He's associate professor of systematic and contextual theology at Southeastern 183 00:11:30,360 --> 00:11:35,520 S1: Baptist Theological Seminary. He's written Swing Low, volume one and 184 00:11:35,520 --> 00:11:41,520 S1: volume two, and has developed and experienced the Swing Low experience. 185 00:11:41,520 --> 00:11:43,480 S1: We're going to bring that to you today. If you 186 00:11:43,480 --> 00:11:46,860 S1: want to bring him to your church or your organization 187 00:11:46,860 --> 00:11:50,939 S1: to have this swing low experience. We've got a link 188 00:11:50,940 --> 00:11:55,020 S1: right there at Chris. You can find the books there 189 00:11:55,020 --> 00:11:58,020 S1: as well. But also a link to that experience and 190 00:11:58,020 --> 00:12:03,100 S1: find out more. Chris Fabry live. All right. The first 191 00:12:03,100 --> 00:12:06,100 S1: person that you have as you go through this experience 192 00:12:06,100 --> 00:12:09,220 S1: is a man named Richard Allen, who was Richard Allen. 193 00:12:10,020 --> 00:12:14,340 S2: So Richard Allen, he was born in 1760. And so 194 00:12:14,340 --> 00:12:17,060 S2: this is prior to emancipation. And he's the founder of 195 00:12:17,059 --> 00:12:20,620 S2: the first independent black denomination in the United States called 196 00:12:20,620 --> 00:12:24,500 S2: the African Methodist Episcopal Church. So he was born in Philadelphia, 197 00:12:24,500 --> 00:12:27,540 S2: which is obviously up north. He became a Christian at 198 00:12:27,540 --> 00:12:31,500 S2: age 17, and then he purchased his freedom, and eventually 199 00:12:31,500 --> 00:12:35,059 S2: he moved away from Philadelphia. But he returned and he 200 00:12:35,059 --> 00:12:39,300 S2: became a he started going to Saint George's Methodist Episcopal Church. 201 00:12:39,700 --> 00:12:42,300 S2: And what's neat is that he actually developed a Bible 202 00:12:42,300 --> 00:12:46,200 S2: study that met at 5 a.m. on Sunday morning, full 203 00:12:46,200 --> 00:12:49,600 S2: of predominantly African Americans, and he really began to gain 204 00:12:49,600 --> 00:12:53,280 S2: a following amongst the African American people in the church. 205 00:12:53,760 --> 00:12:57,160 S2: And so, um, in addition to his teaching, he was 206 00:12:57,160 --> 00:13:01,360 S2: a prolific writer. And there was an instance at the 207 00:13:01,360 --> 00:13:06,520 S2: church where he and Absalom Jones, they walked into the church, 208 00:13:06,760 --> 00:13:11,600 S2: and it was during morning prayer, and they bowed their 209 00:13:11,600 --> 00:13:14,199 S2: heads to pray. And what happened was, is that there 210 00:13:14,200 --> 00:13:16,920 S2: was a reorganisation of where the seating was, and there 211 00:13:16,920 --> 00:13:19,920 S2: was an African American section where they would sit that 212 00:13:19,920 --> 00:13:22,440 S2: was moved and they couldn't find it. So they bowed 213 00:13:22,440 --> 00:13:25,719 S2: their heads to pray. And during the prayer, they were 214 00:13:25,720 --> 00:13:29,240 S2: asked to go to the African American section, uh, which 215 00:13:29,240 --> 00:13:30,960 S2: was now in the balcony. And they said, we'll do 216 00:13:30,960 --> 00:13:34,480 S2: that after the prayer. And then there was, uh, that 217 00:13:34,480 --> 00:13:37,040 S2: deacon went and got somebody else. And during the prayer, 218 00:13:37,040 --> 00:13:39,679 S2: and they were trying to encourage them to go up 219 00:13:39,679 --> 00:13:44,180 S2: to the balcony. And after this back and forth. Richard 220 00:13:44,179 --> 00:13:48,620 S2: Allen and Absalom Jones. They left this, uh, Saint George's 221 00:13:48,620 --> 00:13:52,220 S2: Methodist Episcopal Church, and they eventually were followed by all 222 00:13:52,220 --> 00:13:54,420 S2: the African Americans in the building, because he gained so 223 00:13:54,420 --> 00:13:57,260 S2: much trust with them from that Bible study. And then 224 00:13:57,260 --> 00:14:00,819 S2: they ended up establishing their own church, which is the 225 00:14:01,260 --> 00:14:04,940 S2: mother church of the AME, the African Methodist Episcopal Church. 226 00:14:04,940 --> 00:14:08,459 S2: And so Richard Allen is somebody who is well regarded, 227 00:14:08,700 --> 00:14:13,220 S2: very well known, uh, for establishing this denomination. And, uh, 228 00:14:13,220 --> 00:14:16,260 S2: he's someone who has written prolifically and he is, uh, 229 00:14:16,260 --> 00:14:19,420 S2: written in a dress. And this one is pretty famous 230 00:14:19,460 --> 00:14:21,940 S2: as to those who keep slaves and who approve of 231 00:14:21,940 --> 00:14:24,700 S2: the practice. And so I'm going to read this excerpt. 232 00:14:24,700 --> 00:14:28,100 S2: And this is the words of Richard Allen. And he said, 233 00:14:28,380 --> 00:14:31,700 S2: we believe that if you would try the experiment of 234 00:14:31,700 --> 00:14:35,860 S2: taking a few black children and cultivate their minds with 235 00:14:35,860 --> 00:14:40,580 S2: the same care and let them have the same prospect 236 00:14:40,580 --> 00:14:44,080 S2: in view as to living in the world as you 237 00:14:44,080 --> 00:14:47,200 S2: would wish for your own children, you would find that 238 00:14:47,200 --> 00:14:51,440 S2: upon the trial they were not inferior in mental endowments. 239 00:14:51,960 --> 00:14:54,520 S2: And he goes on to say, you would not suppose 240 00:14:54,520 --> 00:14:58,280 S2: that the Israelites to be utterly unfit for freedom, and 241 00:14:58,280 --> 00:15:01,560 S2: that it was impossible for them to obtain any degree 242 00:15:01,560 --> 00:15:07,600 S2: of excellence. Their history shows how slavery had debased their spirits. 243 00:15:07,880 --> 00:15:12,200 S2: Men must be wilfully blind and extremely partial that cannot 244 00:15:12,200 --> 00:15:17,080 S2: see the contrary effects of liberty and slavery upon the 245 00:15:17,080 --> 00:15:22,520 S2: mind of man. I truly confess the vile habits often 246 00:15:22,520 --> 00:15:26,960 S2: acquired in a state of servitude are not easily thrown off. 247 00:15:27,440 --> 00:15:31,280 S2: The example of the Israelites shows who, with all that 248 00:15:31,280 --> 00:15:35,920 S2: Moses could do to reclaim them from it, still continued 249 00:15:35,920 --> 00:15:40,120 S2: in their habits, more or less. And why will you 250 00:15:40,460 --> 00:15:45,100 S2: look for better from us? He asked. Why will you 251 00:15:45,100 --> 00:15:50,420 S2: look for grapes from thorns or figs from thistles? It 252 00:15:50,420 --> 00:15:54,979 S2: is in our posterity enjoying the same privileges as your own, 253 00:15:55,180 --> 00:15:57,940 S2: that you ought to look for better things. And then 254 00:15:57,940 --> 00:16:03,100 S2: later he says, we wish you consider that God himself 255 00:16:03,180 --> 00:16:07,940 S2: was the first pleader of the cause of slaves. And 256 00:16:07,940 --> 00:16:10,460 S2: those are the words of Richard Allen, as he is 257 00:16:10,460 --> 00:16:14,780 S2: encouraging people to say, you know what? There are long 258 00:16:14,820 --> 00:16:19,300 S2: term implications of having been in servitude. So if you 259 00:16:19,300 --> 00:16:22,420 S2: release somebody from servitude and then you're going to say, well, 260 00:16:22,860 --> 00:16:26,660 S2: they're not acting like other children or other people. It's like, well, 261 00:16:26,660 --> 00:16:30,700 S2: there are long term implications of having been a slave. 262 00:16:31,020 --> 00:16:34,020 S2: But if you raise somebody as a child, as a 263 00:16:34,060 --> 00:16:38,020 S2: free child, then they'll have similar prospects and have similar 264 00:16:38,020 --> 00:16:41,960 S2: endowments given as a gift by God, as an image bearer, 265 00:16:41,960 --> 00:16:44,880 S2: as anybody else. And so that little snippet is very 266 00:16:44,880 --> 00:16:47,080 S2: powerful from Richard Allen. 267 00:16:47,400 --> 00:16:54,040 S1: And pushing back again that idea that those of a 268 00:16:54,160 --> 00:16:59,200 S1: different skin color than white were deficient. They were not 269 00:16:59,200 --> 00:17:03,680 S1: mentally capable to do one thing or another. And pushing 270 00:17:03,680 --> 00:17:07,720 S1: back on that idea at that time in, in history. Right. 271 00:17:08,440 --> 00:17:13,760 S2: Oh, certainly. Because there are several different sort of theological, um, 272 00:17:14,200 --> 00:17:17,080 S2: you know, myths made up like The Curse of Ham 273 00:17:17,400 --> 00:17:21,200 S2: and other kinds of things to make people think that 274 00:17:21,240 --> 00:17:24,000 S2: Africans or people of African descent, no matter where they 275 00:17:24,000 --> 00:17:28,199 S2: were in the world, were mentally, emotionally or spiritually inferior 276 00:17:28,720 --> 00:17:32,640 S2: to those who are of a more Anglo descent. And 277 00:17:32,640 --> 00:17:35,160 S2: so Richard Allen, he was pushing back against that in 278 00:17:35,160 --> 00:17:39,629 S2: a very profound way and saying, you know, these children 279 00:17:39,670 --> 00:17:42,590 S2: have the same endowments given by God as anybody else. 280 00:17:43,270 --> 00:17:45,909 S1: So in the Swing Low experience, we would hear the 281 00:17:45,910 --> 00:17:49,750 S1: words of Richard Allen. Someone would speak those words to 282 00:17:49,790 --> 00:17:52,709 S1: those assembled and then what would happen? 283 00:17:53,390 --> 00:17:56,790 S2: So I would come back up and I would introduce 284 00:17:56,830 --> 00:18:00,470 S2: the the next piece that we would engage. And there's 285 00:18:00,470 --> 00:18:03,870 S2: this wonderful piece called Behold the Man that was delivered 286 00:18:03,869 --> 00:18:10,229 S2: in 1880 by Harriet a Kohlbacher. She was born in 1829. 287 00:18:10,630 --> 00:18:13,590 S2: And then she eventually who was as a free woman, 288 00:18:13,590 --> 00:18:17,310 S2: she married somebody who was enslaved. And they got wind 289 00:18:17,310 --> 00:18:20,870 S2: that his master was intending to sell him. And so 290 00:18:20,869 --> 00:18:22,750 S2: what they did is that they fled, and then they 291 00:18:22,750 --> 00:18:26,750 S2: built this wonderful life together, um, up north where African 292 00:18:26,750 --> 00:18:30,350 S2: Americans could be freed persons. But then in 1851, Mr. 293 00:18:30,350 --> 00:18:33,989 S2: Baker was recaptured because of the Fugitive Slave Law. And 294 00:18:33,990 --> 00:18:35,870 S2: I know the fugitive slave law is something that many 295 00:18:35,869 --> 00:18:38,290 S2: of us have heard about in school, but now we're 296 00:18:38,290 --> 00:18:41,850 S2: seeing there's some real world impact of this. Um, with 297 00:18:41,850 --> 00:18:45,970 S2: Harriet Cole Baker's life. And so Mr. Baker's freedom after 298 00:18:45,970 --> 00:18:51,090 S2: he was captured was later purchased for $1,400, which is, uh, 299 00:18:51,090 --> 00:18:53,930 S2: a large amount of money at that time. And then 300 00:18:53,930 --> 00:18:58,490 S2: what was happening is that in the midst of all this, uh, Mrs. Baker, 301 00:18:58,490 --> 00:19:03,010 S2: she was called to proclaim the goodness of God across 302 00:19:03,010 --> 00:19:07,290 S2: denominational and racial lines. And so she wrote this, um, 303 00:19:07,330 --> 00:19:11,330 S2: address called Behold the Man. And in this address, listen 304 00:19:11,330 --> 00:19:16,810 S2: for how Jesus is both powerful and victorious. But one 305 00:19:16,810 --> 00:19:20,330 S2: of the beautiful contributions of the African American Christian tradition 306 00:19:20,570 --> 00:19:25,090 S2: is pairing that with a meek and humbled Jesus. And 307 00:19:25,090 --> 00:19:28,290 S2: so she calls her audience to behold this man, Jesus, 308 00:19:28,730 --> 00:19:33,050 S2: who was sacrificed for our sins. And then somebody would 309 00:19:33,050 --> 00:19:37,389 S2: come up and they would read, this address called Behold 310 00:19:37,390 --> 00:19:42,750 S2: the Man. Uh, Harriet Baker says this. She says Jesus 311 00:19:42,750 --> 00:19:47,950 S2: was the immaculate son of God. Look at him as 312 00:19:47,950 --> 00:19:52,750 S2: he was before the world was. When the wonders of 313 00:19:52,750 --> 00:19:57,469 S2: creation were taking place, Jesus was there. When the Lord 314 00:19:57,470 --> 00:20:00,750 S2: divided the waters from the dry land and gave the 315 00:20:00,750 --> 00:20:05,310 S2: oceans its metes and bounds. Jesus was there when the 316 00:20:05,310 --> 00:20:09,750 S2: darkness was driven away, and the glorious light beamed forth 317 00:20:09,990 --> 00:20:14,750 S2: a newborn world. Jesus was there when the stars and 318 00:20:14,750 --> 00:20:19,310 S2: the planets were given their positions and orbits in the 319 00:20:19,310 --> 00:20:25,629 S2: immensity of space. Jesus was there when God said, let 320 00:20:25,630 --> 00:20:29,830 S2: us make man in our image, after our likeness. Jesus 321 00:20:29,830 --> 00:20:34,650 S2: was there when God created the fishes which swim in 322 00:20:34,690 --> 00:20:38,490 S2: the mighty ocean and the beautiful lakes, in the winding 323 00:20:38,490 --> 00:20:42,890 S2: rivers and the mountain streams. Jesus was there. And when 324 00:20:42,890 --> 00:20:45,970 S2: the beasts of the fields were made, and the birds 325 00:20:45,970 --> 00:20:50,090 S2: of the air sent forth their first notes of praise, 326 00:20:50,330 --> 00:20:53,970 S2: Jesus was there. And then she says to them. And, 327 00:20:53,970 --> 00:20:57,970 S2: dear friends, I want you to hear today of his 328 00:20:57,970 --> 00:21:02,970 S2: atonement for the sins of the world and his ascension 329 00:21:02,970 --> 00:21:05,970 S2: to heaven, where he has prepared a home for all 330 00:21:05,970 --> 00:21:10,970 S2: his people. Glory to God for the atonement and for 331 00:21:11,210 --> 00:21:15,090 S2: the resurrection. But I also want to speak of Jesus 332 00:21:15,090 --> 00:21:19,890 S2: in his meekness. Driven from Bethlehem by the wrath of 333 00:21:19,890 --> 00:21:24,250 S2: a King. Expelled from Nazareth by the violence of the 334 00:21:24,250 --> 00:21:29,090 S2: people received in Capernaum, at first only to be rejected 335 00:21:29,090 --> 00:21:33,950 S2: at last, denied the protection of the three homes which 336 00:21:33,950 --> 00:21:39,270 S2: was his by birth. By his residence and by adoption. 337 00:21:39,710 --> 00:21:44,390 S2: Jesus comes to Jerusalem to be betrayed and to Calvary 338 00:21:44,430 --> 00:21:48,830 S2: to die. And these are the words of Harriet Baker, 339 00:21:49,310 --> 00:21:52,230 S2: as she was in the midst of all of the 340 00:21:52,230 --> 00:21:57,149 S2: struggles of her life, trying to get her husband back 341 00:21:57,150 --> 00:22:00,830 S2: out of slavery. Uh, she was given a burden to 342 00:22:00,869 --> 00:22:05,910 S2: preach this gospel where she was encouraging people to behold 343 00:22:05,910 --> 00:22:09,949 S2: this majestic but also meek picture of Jesus that I 344 00:22:09,950 --> 00:22:12,390 S2: think really gives us a full picture of who our 345 00:22:12,390 --> 00:22:13,230 S2: Savior was. 346 00:22:14,030 --> 00:22:16,070 S1: Before we move on, you got to tell me the 347 00:22:16,070 --> 00:22:18,910 S1: rest of the story. What happened to her husband then? 348 00:22:20,230 --> 00:22:23,990 S2: So she ended up getting, uh, him his freedom for 349 00:22:24,030 --> 00:22:28,030 S2: the $1,450. And they ended up living a life together, 350 00:22:28,070 --> 00:22:29,949 S2: you know, sharing the gospel. And he was a a 351 00:22:29,990 --> 00:22:33,609 S2: comrade with her as they were doing the work of evangelism. 352 00:22:34,730 --> 00:22:39,210 S1: As you do this, then, Walter, as you present this, 353 00:22:39,250 --> 00:22:43,890 S1: it's called the Swing Low experience. Do you see something 354 00:22:43,890 --> 00:22:47,450 S1: going on in the people who are in the audience? 355 00:22:48,369 --> 00:22:52,170 S2: You know, I do. A lot of people have only 356 00:22:52,170 --> 00:22:56,570 S2: heard of little snippets of the story of the African 357 00:22:56,570 --> 00:23:00,530 S2: American Christian tradition, but very rarely have people heard the 358 00:23:00,530 --> 00:23:04,370 S2: voices of the people. And I think what this does 359 00:23:04,410 --> 00:23:08,450 S2: is the the stories in the background that I offer, 360 00:23:08,450 --> 00:23:11,290 S2: because I give a lot more background than I'm giving now, 361 00:23:11,890 --> 00:23:15,650 S2: but the historical background and the individual persons, they really 362 00:23:15,650 --> 00:23:18,850 S2: get attached to them and then they hear their words 363 00:23:18,850 --> 00:23:24,810 S2: like Harriet Kohlbacher exalting Christ, pointing people to just how 364 00:23:24,850 --> 00:23:29,330 S2: majestic their Savior is. In the midst of her difficulty, 365 00:23:29,330 --> 00:23:33,480 S2: I see their hearts warming for their brothers and sisters 366 00:23:33,480 --> 00:23:36,399 S2: and even being more open to hearing. Brothers and sisters 367 00:23:36,400 --> 00:23:39,080 S2: from different backgrounds. It's just one of the natural byproducts 368 00:23:39,080 --> 00:23:40,960 S2: of hearing from your brothers and sisters in Christ who 369 00:23:40,960 --> 00:23:41,879 S2: have come before you. 370 00:23:42,560 --> 00:23:46,919 S1: After this from Harriet, a Cole Baker. Then you sing 371 00:23:46,920 --> 00:23:49,480 S1: this little light of mine. Why do you sing that? 372 00:23:51,040 --> 00:23:54,119 S2: Oh, man, this is one of those wonderful spirituals where, uh, 373 00:23:54,119 --> 00:23:58,159 S2: the concept is that we have this light, you know, 374 00:23:58,400 --> 00:24:01,200 S2: who is Christ. And we're going to we have this light, 375 00:24:01,200 --> 00:24:03,560 S2: and we're going to let it shine for the world 376 00:24:03,560 --> 00:24:07,600 S2: to see. And that's exactly a theme for me that 377 00:24:07,640 --> 00:24:11,560 S2: Harriet Baker had as she was holding up Christ to 378 00:24:11,600 --> 00:24:14,960 S2: a world that I mean, going back in time. We 379 00:24:14,960 --> 00:24:18,119 S2: think about her as an African American and a woman 380 00:24:18,119 --> 00:24:21,760 S2: who is speaking the gospel to groups of people from 381 00:24:21,760 --> 00:24:25,800 S2: all sorts of ethnic backgrounds, and both to men and women. 382 00:24:25,800 --> 00:24:29,060 S2: And she had her light and she was letting it shine. 383 00:24:29,220 --> 00:24:31,380 S2: And there's a line in the in the song that 384 00:24:31,380 --> 00:24:35,020 S2: says hide it under a bushel. No. And that bushel 385 00:24:35,020 --> 00:24:37,179 S2: can be comprised of, if we can look at it 386 00:24:37,220 --> 00:24:40,740 S2: illustratively it can be comprised of cultural pressures. It could 387 00:24:40,740 --> 00:24:44,660 S2: be comprised of the fear of what somebody might do 388 00:24:44,660 --> 00:24:47,500 S2: to you because of who you are. But she says, 389 00:24:47,500 --> 00:24:49,380 S2: hide it under a bushel. No, we're going to talk 390 00:24:49,380 --> 00:24:52,380 S2: about this. Jesus, who is the one who created all 391 00:24:52,380 --> 00:24:55,379 S2: things and who was there and present when the creation 392 00:24:55,380 --> 00:24:58,740 S2: story was, was being told, and he was the active 393 00:24:58,740 --> 00:25:01,260 S2: agent in all that. So that's why we sing Little 394 00:25:01,260 --> 00:25:03,500 S2: Light of mine, this little light of mine. After we 395 00:25:03,540 --> 00:25:05,020 S2: talk about Harriet a kohlbacher. 396 00:25:05,700 --> 00:25:06,460 S5: It's Doctor Walter. 397 00:25:06,460 --> 00:25:10,859 S1: Strickland, author of Swing Low, volume one and volume two, 398 00:25:11,300 --> 00:25:13,780 S1: which is a history of black Christianity in the US 399 00:25:13,780 --> 00:25:17,980 S1: and an anthology of Black Christianity in the US. The 400 00:25:17,980 --> 00:25:22,420 S1: Swing Low experience is available for us here today as 401 00:25:22,420 --> 00:25:25,060 S1: we had this discussion, but also for your church or 402 00:25:25,060 --> 00:25:28,920 S1: your organization to have it right there in front of 403 00:25:28,920 --> 00:25:30,800 S1: you like we're talking about today. If you want to 404 00:25:30,800 --> 00:25:34,600 S1: find out more, go to the website. Chris. You can 405 00:25:34,640 --> 00:25:38,040 S1: see a link right there to the Swing Low experience. Chris. 406 00:25:38,320 --> 00:25:43,240 S1: Relive the words of Doctor Martin Luther King Jr coming 407 00:25:43,240 --> 00:25:45,399 S1: up straight ahead on Moody Radio. 408 00:25:45,440 --> 00:25:51,920 S4: Let it shine where I go where I go. Yeah 409 00:25:51,920 --> 00:25:59,320 S4: I'm gonna let it shine. Yeah. Where I go. Come on. 410 00:26:06,000 --> 00:26:09,080 S1: Thanks for joining us today on Martin Luther King Jr Day. 411 00:26:09,280 --> 00:26:13,320 S1: Doctor Walter Strickland Jr is with us today at the 412 00:26:13,320 --> 00:26:16,480 S1: radio backyard fence. You can find out more about him 413 00:26:16,760 --> 00:26:21,240 S1: and the books Swing Low volume one and volume two. 414 00:26:21,560 --> 00:26:25,159 S1: Just go to Chris Fabry lives. I heard about this 415 00:26:25,160 --> 00:26:28,860 S1: Swing Low experience that can come to your church or 416 00:26:28,859 --> 00:26:33,699 S1: your organization to to help you immerse yourself in the 417 00:26:33,700 --> 00:26:37,260 S1: history of the African American church. And we come now 418 00:26:37,260 --> 00:26:41,219 S1: to the man that is celebrated today in the US 419 00:26:41,220 --> 00:26:44,660 S1: for a lot of different reasons Doctor Martin Luther King Jr. 420 00:26:45,140 --> 00:26:49,939 S1: And you have an entire address that was given by 421 00:26:49,940 --> 00:26:52,139 S1: him that you told me. A lot of people have 422 00:26:52,140 --> 00:26:53,820 S1: never heard these words. 423 00:26:54,700 --> 00:26:58,140 S2: That's true. Um, doctor King is most notably recognized as 424 00:26:58,140 --> 00:27:00,540 S2: a political figure. People see him as a leader of 425 00:27:00,540 --> 00:27:05,100 S2: a social movement or the figurehead for justice or racial equality. 426 00:27:05,540 --> 00:27:08,020 S2: But I'm going to read a quote from Doctor King, 427 00:27:08,020 --> 00:27:11,459 S2: he said in the quiet recesses of my heart, I 428 00:27:11,500 --> 00:27:15,940 S2: am fundamentally a clergyman, a Baptist preacher. This is my 429 00:27:15,940 --> 00:27:19,500 S2: being and my heritage, for I am also the son 430 00:27:19,500 --> 00:27:22,780 S2: of a Baptist preacher, the grandson of a Baptist preacher, 431 00:27:22,900 --> 00:27:25,840 S2: and the great grandson of a Baptist preacher. So I 432 00:27:25,840 --> 00:27:29,840 S2: read that quote to you because while we often see 433 00:27:29,840 --> 00:27:33,560 S2: more of his public facing sort of engagement with the culture, 434 00:27:33,920 --> 00:27:37,480 S2: he sees himself as fundamentally a pastor. And so and 435 00:27:37,480 --> 00:27:40,280 S2: this is, I think, some of the primary resources that 436 00:27:40,280 --> 00:27:43,840 S2: really give us a more clear window into who Doctor 437 00:27:43,840 --> 00:27:45,680 S2: King was. I mean, he mentioned that he was a 438 00:27:45,960 --> 00:27:47,680 S2: the you know, he has a lot of preachers in 439 00:27:47,680 --> 00:27:53,400 S2: his own historical background. He was actually born Michael King, uh, 440 00:27:53,400 --> 00:27:56,400 S2: and his dad was also Michael King. But when his 441 00:27:56,400 --> 00:28:00,800 S2: dad went to Germany and visited the castle at Wittenberg, 442 00:28:00,800 --> 00:28:04,480 S2: where Martin Luther, the great reformer, nailed the 95 theses 443 00:28:04,480 --> 00:28:08,119 S2: to the door to sort of spark the Protestant Reformation. 444 00:28:08,720 --> 00:28:11,399 S2: His dad came back to the States. He changed his 445 00:28:11,400 --> 00:28:14,679 S2: name and he changed his son's name. And now we 446 00:28:14,680 --> 00:28:17,679 S2: have Martin Luther King senior and Martin Luther King junior. 447 00:28:18,119 --> 00:28:20,760 S2: And so that's just one of the examples of, uh, 448 00:28:20,760 --> 00:28:25,100 S2: the the impact that the Protestant tradition has had on 449 00:28:25,100 --> 00:28:29,540 S2: Doctor King's background, but also he has those those family 450 00:28:29,540 --> 00:28:32,900 S2: members in his life who are who are modeling what 451 00:28:32,900 --> 00:28:36,340 S2: it means to be a minister of the gospel. And 452 00:28:36,340 --> 00:28:39,700 S2: so as we come to his sermons now, it gives 453 00:28:39,700 --> 00:28:42,620 S2: us a little bit better understanding of how we can 454 00:28:42,660 --> 00:28:46,220 S2: begin to to understand him. And so he he preached 455 00:28:46,260 --> 00:28:49,860 S2: a variety of sermons at his church at Dexter Avenue 456 00:28:49,860 --> 00:28:54,420 S2: Baptist Church, uh, but also he became a pastor at, uh, 457 00:28:54,420 --> 00:28:57,860 S2: his dad's church, his home church in Atlanta. And what 458 00:28:57,860 --> 00:29:00,900 S2: he was doing in this one is that he's addressing 459 00:29:01,260 --> 00:29:06,220 S2: the congregation, uh, trying to give them a theocentric or 460 00:29:06,260 --> 00:29:10,620 S2: a God centered understanding of the world, especially in light 461 00:29:10,660 --> 00:29:13,260 S2: of some of the challenges that are going on in 462 00:29:13,260 --> 00:29:16,380 S2: the culture that they're facing, no doubt, every day. So 463 00:29:16,380 --> 00:29:19,540 S2: he was trying to encourage them, uh, in those moments. 464 00:29:19,540 --> 00:29:22,680 S2: And so this is where we get his sermon called 465 00:29:22,680 --> 00:29:27,280 S2: Our God is Able. So Doctor King says this at 466 00:29:27,280 --> 00:29:30,760 S2: the center of the Christian faith is the conviction that 467 00:29:30,760 --> 00:29:34,520 S2: in the universe there is a God of power who 468 00:29:34,520 --> 00:29:39,520 S2: is able to do exceedingly and abundant things in nature 469 00:29:39,720 --> 00:29:44,560 S2: and in history. This conviction is stressed over and over 470 00:29:44,560 --> 00:29:49,360 S2: in the Old and New Testaments. Theologically, this affirmation is 471 00:29:49,360 --> 00:29:54,120 S2: expressed in the doctrine of the omnipotence of God. The 472 00:29:54,120 --> 00:29:58,600 S2: God who we worship is not a weak and incompetent God. 473 00:29:58,880 --> 00:30:03,360 S2: He is able to beat back gigantic waves of oppression 474 00:30:03,360 --> 00:30:07,240 S2: and to bring low the prodigious mountains of evil. The 475 00:30:07,240 --> 00:30:12,280 S2: ringing testimony of the Christian faith is that God is able. 476 00:30:13,960 --> 00:30:17,840 S2: There are those who seek to convince us that only 477 00:30:17,840 --> 00:30:22,910 S2: man is able. Their attempt to substitute a man centered 478 00:30:22,910 --> 00:30:27,190 S2: universe for a God centered universe is not new. It 479 00:30:27,190 --> 00:30:32,430 S2: had its modern beginnings in the Renaissance and subsequently in 480 00:30:32,430 --> 00:30:36,990 S2: the Age of Reason, when some men gradually came to 481 00:30:37,030 --> 00:30:41,630 S2: feel that God was an unnecessary item on the agenda 482 00:30:41,630 --> 00:30:47,070 S2: of life. In these periods and later in the Industrial 483 00:30:47,070 --> 00:30:52,550 S2: Revolution in England, others questioned whether God was any longer relevant. 484 00:30:52,990 --> 00:30:58,270 S2: The laboratory began to replace the church. The scientist became 485 00:30:58,430 --> 00:31:03,110 S2: a substitute for the prophet. Not a few joined Swinburne 486 00:31:03,110 --> 00:31:07,670 S2: in singing the new anthem. Glory to Man in the highest, 487 00:31:08,070 --> 00:31:13,550 S2: for man is thy master of things. The devotees of 488 00:31:13,550 --> 00:31:18,910 S2: the new man centered religion point to the spectacular advances 489 00:31:18,910 --> 00:31:24,410 S2: of modern science as justification for their faith. Science and 490 00:31:24,410 --> 00:31:29,730 S2: technology have enlarged man's body. The telescope and television have 491 00:31:29,730 --> 00:31:36,170 S2: enlarged his eyes. The telephone, radio and microphone have strengthened 492 00:31:36,170 --> 00:31:41,010 S2: his voice and ears. The automobile and airplane have lengthened 493 00:31:41,010 --> 00:31:45,490 S2: his legs. The wonder drugs have prolonged his life. Have 494 00:31:45,490 --> 00:31:50,690 S2: not these amazing achievements assured us that man is able? 495 00:31:51,450 --> 00:31:55,730 S2: But alas, something has shaken the faith of those who 496 00:31:55,770 --> 00:32:00,570 S2: made the laboratory the new cathedral of man's hopes. The 497 00:32:00,570 --> 00:32:07,410 S2: instruments which yesterday worshipped today contain cosmic death, threatening to 498 00:32:07,450 --> 00:32:13,130 S2: plunge all of us into the abyss of annihilation. Man 499 00:32:13,130 --> 00:32:16,650 S2: is not able to save himself of the world unless 500 00:32:16,650 --> 00:32:22,190 S2: he is guided by God's Spirit, his newfound scientific power 501 00:32:22,190 --> 00:32:26,750 S2: will become the devastating Frankenstein monster that will bring to 502 00:32:26,790 --> 00:32:31,310 S2: ashes his earthly life. And now he gives them some hope, 503 00:32:31,310 --> 00:32:35,110 S2: he says. At times, other forces cause us to question 504 00:32:35,150 --> 00:32:39,790 S2: the ableness of God. The stark and colossal reality of 505 00:32:39,790 --> 00:32:43,590 S2: evil in the world, as Keats calls the giant agony 506 00:32:43,630 --> 00:32:48,750 S2: of the world ruthlessness, floods and tornadoes. They wipe away 507 00:32:48,750 --> 00:32:52,710 S2: people as if they were weeds in an open field. 508 00:32:53,350 --> 00:32:58,590 S2: Ills like insanity plague some individuals from birth and reducing 509 00:32:58,590 --> 00:33:03,710 S2: their days to tragic cycles of meaninglessness. The madness of 510 00:33:03,710 --> 00:33:09,470 S2: war and the barbarity of man's inhumanity to man. Why, 511 00:33:09,470 --> 00:33:13,390 S2: we ask, do these things occur if God is able 512 00:33:13,390 --> 00:33:18,490 S2: to prevent them? The problem, Namely, the problem of evil 513 00:33:18,530 --> 00:33:22,050 S2: has always plagued the mind of man. It would limit 514 00:33:22,050 --> 00:33:27,010 S2: my response to an assertion that much of the evil 515 00:33:27,130 --> 00:33:32,170 S2: which we experience is caused by man's folly and ignorance, 516 00:33:32,290 --> 00:33:38,250 S2: and also by the misuse of his freedom. Beyond this, 517 00:33:38,250 --> 00:33:42,690 S2: I can say only that there is always will be 518 00:33:42,690 --> 00:33:48,290 S2: a penumbra of mystery surrounding God. What appears at the 519 00:33:48,290 --> 00:33:52,490 S2: moment to be evil may be the purpose that our 520 00:33:52,490 --> 00:33:57,050 S2: finite minds are incapable of comprehending. So, in spite of 521 00:33:57,050 --> 00:34:00,690 S2: the presence of evil and the doubts that lurk in 522 00:34:00,690 --> 00:34:05,490 S2: our minds, we shall wish not to surrender the conviction 523 00:34:05,490 --> 00:34:09,370 S2: that our God is able. Let us notice again that 524 00:34:09,370 --> 00:34:13,410 S2: God is able to subdue all the powers of evil. 525 00:34:13,810 --> 00:34:17,990 S2: In affirming that God is able to conquer evil. We 526 00:34:17,989 --> 00:34:23,950 S2: admit that the reality of evil Christianity has never dismissed 527 00:34:23,989 --> 00:34:28,589 S2: evil as illusory or an error of the mortal mind. 528 00:34:28,750 --> 00:34:34,150 S2: It reckons with evil as a force that has objective reality. 529 00:34:34,670 --> 00:34:39,149 S2: But Christianity contends that evil contains the seed of its 530 00:34:39,150 --> 00:34:44,910 S2: own destruction. History is the story of evil forces that 531 00:34:44,910 --> 00:34:50,350 S2: advance with seemingly irresistible power, only to be crushed by 532 00:34:50,630 --> 00:34:55,430 S2: the battering rams of the forces of justice. There is 533 00:34:55,430 --> 00:35:00,910 S2: a law in the moral world, a silent, invincible imperative 534 00:35:00,950 --> 00:35:05,630 S2: akin to the laws of the physical world, which remind 535 00:35:05,630 --> 00:35:09,710 S2: us that life will work only in a certain way. 536 00:35:10,110 --> 00:35:13,549 S2: The Hitlers and the Mussolinis of their day, and for 537 00:35:13,590 --> 00:35:18,730 S2: a period they will wield great power, spreading themselves like 538 00:35:18,730 --> 00:35:23,370 S2: a green bay tree. But soon they are cut down 539 00:35:23,530 --> 00:35:29,930 S2: like the grass and wither as the green herb. God 540 00:35:29,930 --> 00:35:33,569 S2: is able to conquer the evils of history. His control 541 00:35:33,570 --> 00:35:38,490 S2: is never usurped. If at times we despair because of 542 00:35:38,650 --> 00:35:44,370 S2: the relatively slow progress being made in ending racial discrimination, 543 00:35:44,370 --> 00:35:49,210 S2: and if we become disappointed because of the undue cautiousness 544 00:35:49,210 --> 00:35:53,729 S2: of the federal government, let us gain new heart in 545 00:35:53,730 --> 00:35:58,410 S2: the face that God is able and are sometimes difficult 546 00:35:58,410 --> 00:36:01,810 S2: and often lonesome. Walk up freedom's road. We do not 547 00:36:01,810 --> 00:36:07,170 S2: walk alone. God walks with us. He has placed within 548 00:36:07,250 --> 00:36:11,690 S2: the very structure of the universe certain absolute moral laws. 549 00:36:11,930 --> 00:36:17,750 S2: We can neither defy nor break them. If we disobey them, 550 00:36:18,110 --> 00:36:23,030 S2: they will break us. The forces of evil may temporarily 551 00:36:23,030 --> 00:36:29,550 S2: conquer truth, but truth will ultimately conquer its conqueror. Our 552 00:36:29,550 --> 00:36:31,150 S2: God is able. 553 00:36:32,550 --> 00:36:37,910 S1: Words of Doctor Martin Luther King, Jr. From 1956. So 554 00:36:37,910 --> 00:36:42,310 S1: place that then in the context. Place it 100 years 555 00:36:42,310 --> 00:36:47,070 S1: before that 1856 before you know, the war between the States, 556 00:36:47,070 --> 00:36:50,870 S1: the Great War of Emancipation. And then a hundred years 557 00:36:50,870 --> 00:36:56,390 S1: later in 1956, when Vietnam was in the in the 558 00:36:56,390 --> 00:37:00,549 S1: future World War two, Korea were in the past. He 559 00:37:00,550 --> 00:37:05,110 S1: was speaking right there. And you can hear the echoes 560 00:37:05,270 --> 00:37:10,070 S1: in what you just read of. Don't give up, don't 561 00:37:10,070 --> 00:37:14,540 S1: give in. God is walking this trail with us. Persevere. 562 00:37:14,700 --> 00:37:17,540 S1: Be patient. And that was one of the, um, one 563 00:37:17,540 --> 00:37:19,859 S1: of the criticisms of Doctor King. He's like, it's not 564 00:37:19,860 --> 00:37:22,060 S1: going fast enough. You know, you need to do you 565 00:37:22,060 --> 00:37:26,980 S1: need to do more Doctor King. And you can hear that, uh, 566 00:37:26,980 --> 00:37:30,259 S1: reliance that he had, that God was at work and 567 00:37:30,260 --> 00:37:31,340 S1: God is able. 568 00:37:31,980 --> 00:37:34,819 S2: That's certainly true. One thing that's beautiful about what he 569 00:37:34,820 --> 00:37:38,740 S2: was doing is that he looked back at the, uh, 570 00:37:38,780 --> 00:37:44,219 S2: story of Israel in Egypt, and there was centuries of 571 00:37:44,219 --> 00:37:47,420 S2: them being there 400 years. But what he said is 572 00:37:47,420 --> 00:37:51,780 S2: that God has always been able all throughout those 400 years, 573 00:37:51,980 --> 00:37:55,299 S2: and God, too, is able to end the discrimination in 574 00:37:55,300 --> 00:37:58,379 S2: our time. And he wills to do it, but he 575 00:37:58,380 --> 00:38:02,700 S2: does it in his perfect timing. And so as he was, uh, 576 00:38:02,700 --> 00:38:07,300 S2: so clearly articulating some of the difficulties that they were, uh, 577 00:38:07,300 --> 00:38:11,000 S2: up against in their time, that cadence of our God 578 00:38:11,040 --> 00:38:13,759 S2: is able is in the background, and I think he 579 00:38:13,760 --> 00:38:17,160 S2: was doing that in order to let the people know 580 00:38:17,200 --> 00:38:22,000 S2: that even in all these meticulous details, there is somebody, God, 581 00:38:22,239 --> 00:38:25,279 S2: who is able and who sees them, and he is 582 00:38:25,280 --> 00:38:27,759 S2: going to one day fix all of this to his 583 00:38:27,760 --> 00:38:28,400 S2: own glory. 584 00:38:28,960 --> 00:38:31,400 S1: And I can, as you're reading that, I can hear 585 00:38:31,400 --> 00:38:36,200 S1: his voice. I can hear the musicality of his voice. Uh, 586 00:38:36,239 --> 00:38:40,279 S1: as as Doctor King, as we we hear the famous sermons, 587 00:38:40,320 --> 00:38:44,040 S1: you know, that were given through the years. Um, but 588 00:38:44,040 --> 00:38:47,520 S1: this one, this one is a little different. And you've 589 00:38:47,520 --> 00:38:51,440 S1: heard it here today from Doctor Walter Strickland the second 590 00:38:51,840 --> 00:38:54,960 S1: the Swing Low experience is what we're getting a little 591 00:38:54,960 --> 00:38:57,480 S1: taste of here on the program today. If you go 592 00:38:57,480 --> 00:39:01,080 S1: to Chris Fabriclive course, you'll see both of those volumes, 593 00:39:01,080 --> 00:39:03,680 S1: volume one and two of Swing Low, as well as 594 00:39:03,680 --> 00:39:07,000 S1: a link to the Swing Low experience. Just go to 595 00:39:07,000 --> 00:39:12,940 S1: Chris Fabriclive. Org. Chris Fabbri, Livorno two. 596 00:39:16,620 --> 00:39:27,780 S4: Oh, we shall only come one day. 597 00:39:34,780 --> 00:39:38,060 S1: Doctor Walter Strickland the second is joining us today. Associate 598 00:39:38,060 --> 00:39:44,020 S1: professor of systematic and contextual theology at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, 599 00:39:44,020 --> 00:39:47,420 S1: author of a number of books, including Swing Low, volumes 600 00:39:47,420 --> 00:39:50,260 S1: one and two. We have those linked at Chris Fabry Live. 601 00:39:51,820 --> 00:39:55,100 S1: We can't go through all of the music and the 602 00:39:55,100 --> 00:39:59,060 S1: messages that are given in this Swing Low experience. Again, 603 00:39:59,060 --> 00:40:03,339 S1: you can find a link at Chris. Org. But Doctor Strickland, 604 00:40:03,380 --> 00:40:05,580 S1: there's one other person that I wanted you to read 605 00:40:05,580 --> 00:40:10,080 S1: from today and his name is Clarence R Alexander Jr. 606 00:40:10,280 --> 00:40:13,280 S1: Why is he important and what did he say? 607 00:40:14,280 --> 00:40:17,399 S2: So he is one of those figures who's contemporary. He's 608 00:40:17,400 --> 00:40:20,799 S2: still living. He's pastoring a church in Charlotte, North Carolina, 609 00:40:21,239 --> 00:40:25,000 S2: my home state right now. And he is just the 610 00:40:25,000 --> 00:40:30,000 S2: quintessential sort of African American preacher. As I'm working through 611 00:40:30,000 --> 00:40:32,520 S2: this clip, which you're going to hear is, you know, 612 00:40:32,560 --> 00:40:35,680 S2: this is the story of Jesus washing the disciples feet. 613 00:40:35,960 --> 00:40:38,720 S2: And as I read it, you'll you'll hear the cadence 614 00:40:38,719 --> 00:40:42,160 S2: of the African American preaching tradition, because there's such special 615 00:40:42,160 --> 00:40:45,520 S2: care to craft the language of a sermon to make 616 00:40:45,520 --> 00:40:48,359 S2: those sentences sing. And so I think you'll see that 617 00:40:48,360 --> 00:40:50,640 S2: as he does his exegesis of the passage, which is 618 00:40:50,640 --> 00:40:52,879 S2: just him reading the Bible and finding out its meaning 619 00:40:52,880 --> 00:40:55,600 S2: and significance. He's also doing it in such a way 620 00:40:55,600 --> 00:40:57,640 S2: that really sings as you, as you already heard with 621 00:40:57,640 --> 00:41:00,160 S2: Doctor King. So I'll just go ahead and read an 622 00:41:00,160 --> 00:41:06,700 S2: excerpt from this Wash Basin Religion by Claude Alexander. The 623 00:41:06,700 --> 00:41:10,060 S2: image of Jesus washing the feet of the disciples is 624 00:41:10,060 --> 00:41:14,060 S2: one of the most striking images within the Gospels. The 625 00:41:14,060 --> 00:41:18,140 S2: very portrait of the word made flesh, the image of 626 00:41:18,140 --> 00:41:23,100 S2: the invisible God and the fullness of the Godhead bodily 627 00:41:23,140 --> 00:41:27,100 S2: bending down with a towel around his waist and cleaning 628 00:41:27,340 --> 00:41:31,219 S2: the feet of sinful men, is one that turns the 629 00:41:31,219 --> 00:41:36,180 S2: sensibilities of the world upside down. The sentiment of the 630 00:41:36,180 --> 00:41:39,219 S2: world is that we are to strive to be at 631 00:41:39,219 --> 00:41:43,020 S2: the top, to be the best, to be number one. 632 00:41:43,700 --> 00:41:46,660 S2: The sensibility of the world says that we've not made 633 00:41:46,660 --> 00:41:51,420 S2: it until we move from the background to the foreground, 634 00:41:51,460 --> 00:41:55,340 S2: from the sideline to the field of play, and from 635 00:41:55,340 --> 00:42:01,940 S2: backstage to front and center stage. The world imitates that. 636 00:42:01,940 --> 00:42:07,920 S2: Progress in life is measured by the move from obscurity 637 00:42:07,920 --> 00:42:14,480 S2: to prominence, and from servitude to autonomy, if not sovereignty. Yes, 638 00:42:14,520 --> 00:42:19,240 S2: the world suggests that we prize a transition from back 639 00:42:19,280 --> 00:42:23,359 S2: tables and side tables to head tables. Yet we have 640 00:42:23,360 --> 00:42:28,160 S2: this picture of Jesus leaving the table, taking up a 641 00:42:28,160 --> 00:42:33,440 S2: towel and wash basin, and washing the feet of the disciples. 642 00:42:33,920 --> 00:42:37,920 S2: Jesus even takes it one step further by stating that 643 00:42:37,920 --> 00:42:43,320 S2: such an action is the pathway to blessing. In doing so, 644 00:42:43,360 --> 00:42:49,680 S2: Jesus asserts that his followers must adopt a wash basin religion. 645 00:42:50,160 --> 00:42:55,360 S2: John observes in verse three, Jesus knew that the father 646 00:42:55,360 --> 00:42:59,359 S2: had given him authority over everything, and that he had 647 00:42:59,360 --> 00:43:03,240 S2: come from God and would return to God. So Jesus 648 00:43:03,239 --> 00:43:08,140 S2: knew from whence he had come. He was the word 649 00:43:08,300 --> 00:43:12,379 S2: who was with God and who was God. He came 650 00:43:12,380 --> 00:43:18,980 S2: from the unscaled heights of glory in through 42 generations. 651 00:43:19,420 --> 00:43:23,660 S2: He also knew where he was going. He was going somewhere. 652 00:43:24,300 --> 00:43:27,620 S2: He was going back to the father. He had a 653 00:43:27,620 --> 00:43:32,460 S2: destiny with a destiny. There is a destination. No one 654 00:43:32,460 --> 00:43:37,940 S2: could stop Jesus's destiny or his destination. The demonic forces 655 00:43:38,219 --> 00:43:43,020 S2: thought that they could halt Jesus's destiny by arranging for 656 00:43:43,020 --> 00:43:46,859 S2: him to be betrayed into the hands of the chief priests, 657 00:43:47,300 --> 00:43:49,739 S2: who would then hand him over into the hands of 658 00:43:49,739 --> 00:43:54,220 S2: the Romans. But Jesus wasn't worried because he knew that 659 00:43:54,219 --> 00:43:58,980 S2: his destiny was beyond the chief priests, beyond Herod, beyond 660 00:43:58,980 --> 00:44:03,650 S2: the Romans, and beyond the cross. Yes, he would have 661 00:44:03,690 --> 00:44:08,930 S2: to face them, but they weren't his destiny or destination. 662 00:44:09,370 --> 00:44:13,049 S2: They were a part of his itinerary. But they weren't 663 00:44:13,090 --> 00:44:18,170 S2: his destination. His destiny was to become the author and 664 00:44:18,170 --> 00:44:23,290 S2: finisher of our faith. The firstborn from the dead and 665 00:44:23,290 --> 00:44:27,450 S2: the faithful high Priest. His destiny was to be highly 666 00:44:27,450 --> 00:44:31,810 S2: exalted with a name that is above every name. His 667 00:44:31,810 --> 00:44:38,290 S2: destiny was to become the chief cornerstone. Therefore, his destination 668 00:44:38,290 --> 00:44:43,489 S2: was more than his itinerary. Aren't you glad that Jesus 669 00:44:43,850 --> 00:44:47,689 S2: served with the towel? You needed him to reach his 670 00:44:47,690 --> 00:44:53,330 S2: destination to fulfill his destiny. You needed a savior, an 671 00:44:53,330 --> 00:44:58,010 S2: advocate with the father, and a high priest who is 672 00:44:58,010 --> 00:45:03,150 S2: touched with the feeling of our infirmities. while storms might 673 00:45:03,150 --> 00:45:07,630 S2: be on your itinerary. Peace is your destination, and while 674 00:45:07,630 --> 00:45:12,350 S2: darkness might be on your itinerary, light is your destination. 675 00:45:12,830 --> 00:45:17,310 S2: And while death may be on your itinerary, it is 676 00:45:17,310 --> 00:45:22,630 S2: heaven that is your final destination. These are the words 677 00:45:22,630 --> 00:45:27,109 S2: of Bishop Claude Alexander as he's encouraging us to serve 678 00:45:27,350 --> 00:45:30,469 S2: like Christ with the towel, and also for us to 679 00:45:30,510 --> 00:45:35,989 S2: remember his trajectory on our behalf allows the trials of 680 00:45:35,989 --> 00:45:38,350 S2: our life that we're going to not to have the 681 00:45:38,350 --> 00:45:41,230 S2: last word on us, because those who are in Christ 682 00:45:41,230 --> 00:45:44,230 S2: will be seated in the heavenly places with our Lord Jesus. 683 00:45:44,630 --> 00:45:46,910 S2: As Paul says, to be absent from the body is 684 00:45:46,910 --> 00:45:48,670 S2: to be present with the Lord. And that's what he 685 00:45:48,670 --> 00:45:52,350 S2: was encouraging his people of with this sermon called Wash 686 00:45:52,390 --> 00:45:53,469 S2: Basin Religion. 687 00:45:53,989 --> 00:45:56,350 S1: Somebody needed to hear that today, Walter. And I know 688 00:45:56,350 --> 00:45:58,910 S1: that because it was me, because I got things on 689 00:45:58,910 --> 00:46:02,290 S1: my itinerary that aren't my destination, but it's so easy 690 00:46:02,450 --> 00:46:05,770 S1: to think that way, to get pulled into what is 691 00:46:05,770 --> 00:46:09,090 S1: right here and right now. It feels so weighed down 692 00:46:10,090 --> 00:46:14,370 S1: when we have as our destination heaven. And we can 693 00:46:14,370 --> 00:46:17,730 S1: we can choose what we focus on. Thank you for 694 00:46:17,730 --> 00:46:19,810 S1: reading that. Thank you for bringing a little bit of 695 00:46:19,810 --> 00:46:23,370 S1: this Swing Low experience to the radio backyard fence here 696 00:46:23,370 --> 00:46:27,090 S1: today on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. And I'll encourage 697 00:46:27,090 --> 00:46:29,210 S1: our listeners, if you go to the website, you can 698 00:46:29,210 --> 00:46:32,610 S1: see a link right there about the Swing Low experience. 699 00:46:32,810 --> 00:46:36,010 S1: You'll also find Swing Low Volume one and volume two 700 00:46:36,050 --> 00:46:39,250 S1: linked right there. Just click through today's information at. Kris. 701 00:46:41,930 --> 00:46:44,450 S1: Doctor Strickland, thank you for being with us today. God 702 00:46:44,450 --> 00:46:45,330 S1: bless you friend. 703 00:46:45,650 --> 00:46:46,569 S2: It's been an absolute joy. 704 00:46:46,570 --> 00:46:50,330 S1: My friend Chris Fabry Live is a production of Moody Radio, 705 00:46:50,370 --> 00:46:52,770 S1: a ministry of Moody Bible Institute.