Every morning when I get Jay up for school, we go down to the lake and feed the fish. We really have a great time talking about the fish and all the blessings in nature that God has created for his glory and our enjoyment. It's a great setting to talk about this.
It's really neat to see all the different kinds of fish, all the different kinds of trees with different shapes and colors of leaves, etc... Our God is a diverse and complex God and this diversity is so evident in His creation.
This made me think... The "great philosopher" Bono says... "I believe in the kingdom come when all the colors will bleed into one, bleed into one." I'm not sure where he gets this idea from, and I'm not sure I think it would even be a good thing if it were true.
I personally love the diversity in all of God's creation, including the diversity that exists among human beings. I think that Heaven will have many of the same wonderful diversities that we enjoy here. I can only imagine what the sushi in heaven might taste like:)
It seems to me, and I could be wrong about this, that the push for unity among diversities that has been around for a while is slowly giving way to a push for an irradication of diversities. I'm not sure how to feel about this.
Is it wrong for me to love that I am a WASP from the country-fried south? Is it wrong for me to teach my children to love being a WASP from the country-fried south? I love other cultures, but not as well as I like mine. There is great value that exists in other cultures and I'm certainly not making an evaluation of cultures here, even though I think it is possible to do so. Just that I like mine the best for me and mine. It is, after all, the way God created me and where he created me.
I expect others to love and perpetuate their cultures as well and think that we should only change our cultures as they conflict with God's word. Otherwise, eat, drink, be merry, and enjoy the diversity.
my beautiful baby boy!
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About Me
- Wade Hinton
- MS, United States
- I'm a 51 year old Husband of one wife and Father of 3 gorgeous beauties. The only thing that would go further in defining who I am than that is my faith in Jesus Christ. Above all else, I am a chosen and adopted Son of God and it doesn't get any better than that!!!
6 comments:
I talked with Voddie Baucham (http://www.voddiebaucham.org/vbm/bio.html) recently at a home schooling conference. I had a question:
Should we as the white parents of a black child feel compelled to surround him with his "culture?" This is a popular belief in the CPS system and the black community at large in the US. They want you to basically keep your adoption children "black" as much as possible, whatever that means.
Voddie's response was spot on: He said, "All I can give my child is my culture. I'm not sure what other people mean or intend by his culture."
I don't plan to keep Eli informed of Kwanzaa or the latest in hip-hop. As for the culture of his immediate kin, well, there is a reason CPS took him away in the first place.
Being a WASP from the South, there are lots of things in the traditional parts of that culture to embrace, and parts to leave behind in pursuit of raising godly children. Culture is fine as long as it is secondary to doing the right thing.
Good response Jimmy Clyde!
We are always around black people so Steele doesn't think anything about his life is weird. Nor does my very white daughter, it's just our lives. With Abel coming soon from Africa, I do think it's better that we are working in such an environment because America in itself and the language difference will be tramatizing enough. For me this is a non issue but I understand how both sides of this argument would feel it was important.
brilliant perspective JC... I think that you hit the nail on the head. As Christians, our culture is certainly Christian first. To cave to the other external PC forces in your instance would be an injustice to who you are and who your children are.
Voddie is a great guy. Great mind. Great perspective on the family. I just got his book "faith-driven family" in the mail yesterday. Only got one book in front of it.
I wish I lived in a place where the cultural divide was a little less, but I think Memphis is one of the most difficult places in the US for racial tensions. There is almost nothing here that isn't segregated to some degree. It is a constant struggle for us to teach our son to not have negative attitudes toward other races. In his first week at kindergarten, he came home and said something negative about the "chocolate" kids in his class. He said it in a way that I knew he was testing to see if it was OK to say. I quickly corrected it and will watch for the next opportunity. It's a battle. Sondra and I would love to adopt a child of another race when we adopt if God wills, but we don't want to do it just to make a point. Don't think that would be fair to the child we adopt either.
Carole, you are blessed to live where you do with the family that God has given you. It really is a great fit.
Maybe "bleed into one" means live in peace with one another... "Bono 'the great philosopher'" reminds me of another quote: "when a dog plays checkers..."
I read a Rolling Stone article on Bono a couple of years ago. During the article, he presented the gospel to the interviewer. I know that Bono professes to be a believer. Then again, since he is a famous rock star, he probably isn't a believer.
I certainly hope that he is and don't think that he couldn't be because he is a rock star. The A-listers he runs with tend to shun people that believe that Jesus is THE way.
Unity is a sticky thing. How much unity is possible say between a Jewish person and an Islamic person, or an Orthodox Christian and an Atheist? I certainly believe that peace is possible even among great diversity, but unity is much different from peace.
And, before you have a chance to say it, "yes it is!"
HA HA HA!!! I haven't said that to you in awhile.
Believe me, diversity is one of those things that I get to hear plenty of especially in my pc workplace. It is more diverse or die. The type of diversity usually goes one way.
I certainly think that the only true peace with diversity will come when the King comes.
BTW... Edge claims to be a believer, too.
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