Jesus and the Disinherited

social, and economic life? This is the question of the Negro in American life. Until he has faced and settled that question, he cannot inform his environment with reference to his own life, whatever may be his preparation or his pretensions.

Jesus had to resent deeply the loss of Jewish national independence and the aggression of Rome.… Natural humiliation was hurting and burning. The balm for that burning humiliation was humility. For humility cannot be humiliated.… Thus he asked his people to learn from him, “For I am meek and lowly in heart; and ye shall find rest unto your souls. F

“More than three hundred years ago your forefathers were taken from the western coast of Africa as slaves. The people who dealt in the slave traffic were Christians. One of your famous Christian hymn writers, Sir John Newton, made his money from the sale of slaves to the New World. He is the man who wrote ‘How Sweet the Name of Jesus Sounds’ and ‘A

There is one overmastering problem that the socially and politically disinherited always face: Under what terms is survival possible?

Under the general plan of nonresistance one may take the position of imitation.

In a society in which certain people or groups—by virtue of economic, social, or political power—have dead-weight advantages over others who are essentially without that kind of power, those who are thus disadvantaged know that they cannot fight back effectively, that they cannot

order. Deep from within that order he projected a dream, the logic of which would give to all the needful security. There would be room for all, and no man would be a threat to his brother. “The kingdom of God is within.” “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor.”

cannot

The basic fact is that Christianity as it was born in the mind of this Jewish teacher and thinker appears as a technique…

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the churning fear. The individual now feels that he counts, that he belongs. He senses the confirmation of his roots, and even death becomes a little thing.