Where are all my Afrocentric, intellectual bruhs and sistas? I know you’re out there!

Doesn’t it feel good to know who you are? To have an identity that puts egg in the face of all the “crackers” (‘scuse me to my “lighter” brethren in the faith) out there who have ignorantly been downplaying your credibility for hundreds of years? I mean, isn’t it pure poetic justice to know that civilization actually started with people who look like you, and not with pale creatures who just recently emerged from the Dark Ages? Come on, now! That sweet revenge feels like freezing-cold ice water in Phoenix on an August afternoon.

After nearly six centuries of slavery, identity theft, imperialism, embezzlement of resources, legal discrimination, and neo-colonialism, just to put it lightly, there were about nine hundred million people within the African Diaspora who had no clue who they really were. They were made to believe that everything about them was inferior; including their appearance, intelligence, art, history, languages, political systems, oral traditions, and cultural customs. They were worthless; in the eyes of the world, and in their own eyes, too. Just like W.E.B. du Bois alluded to in the Souls of Black Folk, after a while, defeated people begin looking at themselves through the eyes of their oppressors. We began to hate ourselves, and many of us still do. We attempt to hold each other back from success, we air our dirty laundry to the world, our elders are no longer honored as they should be, and some of us still trust the expertise of others over our own (example: “I just prefer a White doctor; that’s the way I was raised!”) It’s so bad, that nowadays we have a generation of people who will fight to the death for the right to use the word “nigga.” What? Now, that’s a prime example of parents who haven’t taught basic historical lessons to their offspring.

This lack of teaching can lead to many Afrocentric tangents during one’s collegiate or young adult years. They range from romanticizing about all things African; flirting with Islam (The Nation and/or orthodox); deifying culture itself (incense, oils, the gear, the talk, etc.); or experiencing disillusionment with a search for truth that may have you considering agnosticism or atheism. In recent years though, there is one stop on this tangent that seems to have entangled many.

One day, you find out about a group of Black brothers and sisters who seem to have their act together. You were chillin’ around Flatbush and Fulton in Brooklyn when you saw them preaching their doctrine without shame on the sidewalk. You went into their vegetarian restaurant in Washington, DC, only to find them calling you “Brother,” treating you kindly, and wearing African gear. You may have even peeped them on a cable channel in Atlanta or Los Angeles interpreting the Holy Bible. Their Sisters looked virtuous, with their head wraps and cowry shell earrings. And the brothers had an ethnic, I-know-who-I-am look, totally unlike those shuffling dudes you see doing the California Centipede in church when they get “happy.” One group calls itself the Black Jews. Another goes by the name Black Hebrew Israelites. You were able to rule out one of those sects, because the fools told you that “Puerto Rican” was one of the Twelve Tribes of Israel and that Jesus learned to do miracles by sitting at the feet of Egyptian magicians. You weren’t foolish enough to believe all that. Plus even you were able to see that although they preached all this “righteousness,” the brothers couldn’t even control their flesh. They even made up new rules, conveniently supported by the Bible, so that they could practice polygamy and not be in sin. You weren’t dumb. But there was one group you were very impressed by: The African Hebrew Israelites of Jerusalem.

Now the African Hebrew Israelites have so much to offer the Afrocentric intellectual. Believe me, I know. If it hadn’t been for the grace of Almighty God, I would have been snagged by their cerebral-rich, salvation-poor “gospel” several years ago.

God has richly blessed those of us who are knowledgeable, curious, and mentally sharp, no doubt. But the enemy, too, has much to work with in trying to take us out. Why? Because we just want to know. We ask questions, and are happily intrigued when someone can engage us with answers. Let’s talk about the Hebrew Israelites. They have their own proud, self-sufficient communities all around the country. They own their own restaurants, live in close proximity to one another, run their own aerobics classes, and dress like they know where they come from. These folks have the kind of quiet confidence that naturally attracts the curious, and they don’t even have to knock on your door preaching like the Jehovah’s Witnesses or the Mormons. They have a community of thousands of Black Hebrews living in Israel, so they can boast of their own homeland. They even follow the teachings of the Holy Bible (well, uh, the Old Testament, at least). When you ask them how they’re doing, they tell you they always feel good because they eat the food God provided. Then, they point you to Genesis 1:29 and tell you that before the fall of man, God intended humans to eat plant foods, not animal flesh. They easily convince you that many of the problems we have in America stems from the fact that we eat in a manner not consistent with God’s original plan. Believe you me; anyone can get hooked on this group, their lifestyle, and their doctrine. Especially when they ask you why you follow the religion of your slave masters. That hits home for many of us.

Well, let’s take a closer look at all the Black Hebrew groups running around the country and world. Yes, they appear to have the truth. After all, they follow the same Bible we do, they live healthy lifestyles, and they’re culturally grounded. Needless to say, upon closer examination, the error of their ways becomes as bright as a blinding white light. Let’s observe just a bit of their miscalculation.

“Everything that lives and moves will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything.”
Genesis 9:3

The Hebrew Israelites will have us believe that God’s original plan was for us to only eat fruits and vegetables. They say that the reason we have many of the sicknesses we do is because of our flesh-eating lifestyles. But Genesis 1:29 does not say that God only gave us every green herb for food. Moreover, why would God put the above Genesis 9:3 words in the Scriptures if he did not want us to eat meat? Because it was his permissive and not His perfect will? Do you serve a God that wants us to die by what He Himself permitted us to eat? I don’t! Methuselah lived to be 969 years old, and he was born after the fall of man. Did his meat-eating shorten his life? I think not. We should all probably agree that God wants us to take care of the temples he placed our spirits in as best we can. But don’t let a useless, inconsistent argument like the one over vegetarianism keep you from Christ.

“I thought to myself, ‘Look, I have grown and increased in wisdom more than anyone who has ruled in Jerusalem before me. I have experienced much of wisdom and knowledge.’ Then I applied myself to the understanding of wisdom, and also of madness and folly, but I learned that this, too, is a chasing after the wind.”
Ecclesiastes 1:16, 17

It feels great to learn. God didn’t give us brains for no reason, did He? God wants us to gain wisdom, apply understanding, and be the best we can be. Right? Or did He call us to be the best He created us to be? A lot of time, we intellectuals get drawn off course by the pursuit of knowledge. We want to learn so badly that, before we know it, we are questioning our own beliefs. There’s nothing wrong with questioning, but there is also a time to believe what you believe by faith, and to let nothing move you. Because there will always be some knowledge you didn’t previously know, no matter how old you get. Do you want to live a mind-changing, fickle life for the rest of your existence, or do you want to trust God and let Him lead your thoughts?

I strongly suggest that you follow the Spirit of God in your intellectual pursuits. Don’t allow yourself to go crazy being tossed to and fro. Ephesians 4:14 itself tells us that only spiritual infants allow every “wind of teaching” and the “craftiness of men” to toss them back and forth like ocean waves. Remember that man’s ways lead to death.

“But now a righteousness of God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the law and prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by His grace, through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”
Romans 3:21-24

The Hebrew Israelites and other groups appear to really be into the notion of “righteousness.” All they seem to know is that God wants us to be righteous in His sight. And they’re right! But they’re doing this thing the hard way, and the wrong way. In fact, their way, though it seems more “right” and sacrificial on the part of humans, will land them in hell. Strong statement, isn’t it? Correction: it’s a strong, true statement. The Scripture you just read said that righteousness comes through what? Faith in Jesus. Period. Remember back in the days of late ‘80s and early ‘90s hip hop, when everyone was giving praise to “Allah,” calling themselves “gods,” and lifting up the knowledge of the Five Percent Nation? They called themselves “righteous.” But how on earth are dust and ashes like us (who sin every time we get the chance) going to be “righteous” in front of a holy God? Through faith in Christ. We have nothing else to offer. What can we possibly give to a God who has everything? The way the Israelites would have you believe one has everlasting life is by obeying the Old Testament Law. But God has moved on to a New Covenant now! They’re late! The Old Covenant had a purpose, and so does the New. Even the prophets of the Old Covenant prophesied about God’s new agreement with mankind. But, for some reason, these folks refuse to see what’s right in front of their faces. Look, I, too, am proud of my African ancestry. I am so glad I know my history and my earthly identity, I don’t know what to do. But the Scripture we just read said that there is no real difference between people. We all have sinned and fallen short of God. All of us. So which should be most important for you to learn about … your earthly identity or who you are in Christ? You decide.

“Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.”
John 17:3

The bottom line is this: what really, really, truly matters when it’s all said and done? Does a bunch of head-knowledge count? Will it really make a difference whether our ancestors came from Africa or Europe? Or how civilized Africa was when the Europeans were crawling out of caves? Remember Paul counted all the “cultural riches” he could boast of as dung compared to riches in Christ Jesus. (Phillipians 3:3-8). When you stand before the throne of God, giving an account of your life, will your African dress or rejecting your “slave name” make a difference? Will God shake your hand for refusing to worship the “god of your masters”? Eternal life has nothing to do with all that, y’all. I realize that it’s only natural for a historically oppressed people to do all they can to affirm themselves as they search for their stolen identity. But life on earth is temporary. This is only a test. Don’t let the enemy distract you by causing you to hate the source of your misery. If you do that, you may miss the Source of your salvation.

Eve The Zealot