What is the American Gospel to me?

By Bruce H, Scroggins

First I want to say, I do not posse all the answers to my own life much less any other human life on this earth.

I am a child of God, El Shaddai, Jehovah, a disciple of His Son, My Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Today we live in a world, I call a lost and dying world, and I say that because, from what I see of the world, we are so intolerant of each other, and for so many reasons of self, we refuse to see beyond our own concept of right and wrong, we are blinded with works and Law.

I find this has been a truth through out my life and the Life I see in others. I am an American, and a black man, but first; from the day I understood the passion of Christ for my life, I see His teachings transforming my conformities too self, and deep inside of me, I had a longing to share and help others, the reason was simple to me, I saw early in life, that when I was able too give to another, it was out of some part of me, that wanted good for others around me.

I also enjoyed people being good to me, it was a reciprocal feeling and I never wanted it to stop, this simply was my desire. Life I found as I lived more of it, it showed me that there were desires with in me, that others around me did not want, not my idea of good, and they did not understand my efforts, to be and say good things about or even for others, I just did not understand, there not receiving my good efforts.

This reality was a painful awakening to me, and I have never recovered from it, and what I did in return was not to turn inward, but to continue to keep that desire to give, and be good to others. It was Jesus, who I came into contact with, as I lived my life, that has changed me.

Today I have lived a good life and seen in passing, a lot of good and an awful lot of really bad, painful, evil and wicked life and this, even out of me, I have seen some awful and wicked life come from me over time, I knew I was not immune too this evil, this hate, this act of unloving was inside of me and I did not like this part of me, but I found I could be, just as twisted and uncaring at times, as any other man or woman.

So I have been naive about my self and others, but I have always wanted too believe there is some good in all men and women, and today I’ve learned too see the jewel in every man or woman, even if they don’t respond too my sight.

This American gospel to me is what I see in the Country of the Unites States of America today, and that is a culture in the city’s and neighborhoods, and the people and it is also a national view of States and Government.

I want to focus on the National Government, because it has taken a turn, I believe is wrong, and it will bring about a horrifying division, to my country. With the New Republicans, and the Religious Right together with the Neo-cons Conservatives, the party of the Political Right has, made a pack together with the evangelicals too force the entire USA into believing they are the Party of god and too any American who disagrees, with any thing these extreme religious and pious people push, like gays, gay marriage, school prayer, to name just a few and there, so-called wars on Christmas, and on Christians, you’re labeled against god, in decent.

The level for discussion has been turned so that, you can not even bring your views to the tables, of discussion. Your very voice is set apart, in a way you’ve been given a scarlet letter, if you speck up. Uneven ground is a terrible place to start any discussion, and the Nation is at that point, where many American have become afraid to speck up, all because of the alliances of Christian Clerics who are in bed with the controlling powers of our Nation today.

There is religious, legalistic, condemnation of any one who dares to speak up, against, the Religious legalist. They have chosen a couple of the precepts out of the Holy Bible and used them to say; these gays are the reason the Nation is in trouble, they blame troubles of any and all sorts, even the Worlds troubles are blamed on lack of school prayer and more, much more, based in their chosen, foils.

When I was in the world, I called my self, at that point in my life a heathen, I didn’t care about Faith, or Religion, and I knew about it but did not pay value to it, for my life. Today a political party has harnessed these very religious people and there Pastors, too condemn others in the world, to divide and Literally shut up the mouth of some, and to gain political power, they sold the religious Right a bill of goods, saying they were going to change the Nation back, into a "Christian Nation," the problem with this statement is, we were never a Christian Country, what we were at one time was a Nation built on some principles out of the Holy Bible, and we were always a Nation of multiple faiths, mostly Christian, but not entirely, and even the Multiple Christian Faiths who called themselves Christian could not agree on the basics of the Old And New Testament.

I’ am not saying Christ is the wrong model for America, I believe He is the right model to pattern your life after, but it is the Christ in you, not; no Christ in you, but lets use Christ example and principles, even though they are used, just for co-opting and for personal or political gain.

But the founding fathers were wise in that they new you could not separate Religion and Politics, but they also knew, you have to separate Church and State if you want to have Nation and if you do not, you will have Tyranny.

What we have today is a prevailing charge, laid on many Americans, and it says; your not as American as we are, and we believe the founding father were setting up America to be a Christian Country, and by today’s controlling Party of Government, these individuals want to install and instill there varying views, of Christian principles on the entire Nations, which is Tyranny.

I’VE SAID ALL I WANTED TO SAY. AND I WILL CLOSE WITH THIS… My Faith is suppose too inform my reasoning mind, therefore my decisions, whether political, or private, I do not have to lead, with my faiths traditions and therefore, I’ll not use a bunch of legalistic words, and use them exclusively too beat down one portion of the American rainbow, I won't condemned, just too pump my portion of the rainbow up.

My one job is to restore, to bring the Gospel of reconciliation to a lost and dying world, I’ am not suppose to have on my robe of condemnation, but robes of righteous and that righteousness is not of myself, I have no such righteousness, it is the Christ in me that wills me to do and love and live.