A Message to The Black Woman

I saw a young lady last week that that I hadn’t seen in well over a year, the last time I saw her she just had a baby and sadly the father was absent. Since I saw her last she has had another baby and again the father is absent. She is working two jobs to care for the babies for that I admire her, but I was heartbroken to see 2 more black children born without the guidance and direction of a father. Listen to me sisters, God created you to be a Queen for a King that will love you and HELP raise the children you bring into this earth. STOP THE MADNESS!!!  We must end this cycle of unwed births, it is destroying our people. 73 % of the children in the inner-city are born out of wedlock, and one out of four of them will end up in jail. You hold the key to ending this! Don’t give yourself sexually to a man you KNOW is not HUSBAND or FATHER material.

Mark H. Stevens (A Fatherless Child)

Why The Black Church is a Part of The Problems in The Hood

 

Gang violence, drug addiction, and poverty are some of the issues haunting the inner-cities of America. Everyone has an opinion as to how and why it got so bad. There are a host of reasons. Industries going overseas is a big reason for the poverty, Cities like Trenton and Camden used to have industries and companies that packed up and moved overseas where cheap labor and less taxes are, The “war on drugs” was really not a war at all because law enforcement ONLY focused on street corner dealers and NOT the banks, politicians, and white collar criminals bringing the drugs in the inner-cities.

I want to speak to a problem and an issue that gets ignored and overlooked….The Inner-City CHURCH! Yes the CHURCH. When I was a child i can remember the church for the most part stood for righteousness and performed acts of kindness and mercy. The church preached The Good News of Jesus Christ and called sin what it was….SIN. But in the late 60’s and early seventies the church took a dangerous turn. The church began to look at it’s members the way a wolf looks at sheep. The Good News of Jesus became the “Prosperity Gospel” which stopped feeding the flock of God and fleecing it. Often people on fixed incomes and low salaries believed the HYPE and started sowing “seeds” into these crooks wallets.

The family structures suffered because values like MARRIAGE, RESPONSIBILITY, and HARD WORK were replaced with a “name it and claim it” message. Even main stream denominations fell prey to this hellish message that came over the radio and TV waves every day and night. Because most poor and black people didn’t really know the Bible in it’s proper context the charlatans took advantage of their ignorance. So NOW we have women with 2 and 3 babies and no husband and men not being responsible for the babies in question. Until the church goes back to preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the Gospel of Righteousness we will continue to spiral DOWN.

Rev, Dr Mark H. Stevens