I came across some statements: “Simply making a point doesn’t necessarily keep people’s attention throughout a story. Well-crafted stories, from Shakespeare to Seinfield, set up a tension from the beginning that holds you until the story is over. Conflict, obstacles, loss of control…these engender dramatic questions that create dramatic tension. The story problem, the outside conflict, tells your reader what to worry about. Soon enough he will discover the conflict, the ghosts and hidden demons.”

As in so many other parts of biblical narrative, Moses presents us with a dramatic tension in Genesis 1:1-2. The reader is audience to the meeting or coming together of the chaotic world and the Spirit of God or Holy Spirit. Moses draws upon this dramatic tension with parallel to his life and God’s intensions for the Israelites in reference to the Exodus and Possession of Canaan (Deuteronomy 32:10-12).

We as readers are to face every text head on and bow under its relevance (II Timothy 3:16). Such texts as here presented cause a flood of questions one being: How does such dramatic tension as seen in Genesis 1:1-2 influence our lives today in communicating a biblical worldview to our culture and society? The Bible is active and forceful and breaks forth upon every area of our lives and my mind often can only retreat to questions in response to the might of God’s special revelation. (But then again, this sort of life experience is curtailed if one conceives of themselves as a New Testament Christian. I believe the entire Bible is the living and active Word of God and therefore my Christian life falls under the influence of all of Scripture.) Nonetheless while in a misconceived state of blankness and motionlessness, I am reminded that Scripture is dynamic and robust. I again conceive of the ebb and flow of redemptive history. In short, I get caught up!

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It is not uncommon among Civil War buffs to have major debates over who won the war. But what is even more ironic is how many Christians are involved in those heated debates on whether the North or South won the war. And what is interesting about these discussions on the civil war is that there is generally always a tendency to even want to find the “winner” or the “good guy” and in this case trying to locate one or the other in the North or South or other such groupings around that time. I said that to say this because if there was a winner or a side that won the war or whatever, why is it that racial and social injustices continued to exist all the more, almost unabated in most instances after the war had been “won?” What is even more striking is that American/Southern Presbyterians have predominately overlooked this serious matter and have not own up to this damaging theological inconsistency for all these years.

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Well, my friend Anthony Bradley surely thinks so. Here's why:

My Latino and African American brothers who are being recruited into various predominantly white evangelical tribes--away from your traditional, racially homogenous church tribes--if you're single, and don't have a vision for an interracial marriage, moving ahead too fast is probably, de facto, you enlisting into a life of celibacy. You're inadvertently taking a celibacy vow (and you're not even Catholic).

(Of course, this does not apply at all if you're joining the ranks of InterVarsity. InterVarsity is clearly the most racially healthy organization evangelicals can claim. If there's one on your campus go to it and as many InterVarsity conferences as you can. You will not a find a campus ministry organization that's this good on race stuff. An exceptoin also might hold if you're Southern Baptist because of the number of large black SBC churches).

Fellas, keep these things in mind:

(1) Fellas, if you think you're going to make a move into the conservative evangelicalism sub-culture (where you can be a star) you may want to stay in your racially defined Christian sub-culture as long as you can--as this will reduce your chances of celibacy.

(2) If anyone asks you, "hey, are you open to interracial marriage?" and that person is not interracially married, don't waste your time talking to them. They have no idea what they just asked you and are clueless about the implications. Change the subject to football or something so you don't get too mad. If interracial marriage had been an actual or desirable option for them they would have done it, and since they didn't, there's no point in talking to them. They won't really understand. Many obviously don't really think it was a good idea, otherwise. . .

(3) Black guys, an AME pastor cautioned me when I was in seminary with this: "If you ever want to ruin your ministry to the black community, marry a white girl." Unfortunately guys, you know this is true. Marrying a white woman means that you'll never have credibility in the black community again and should expect to never preach or teach in a black church ever again. It's a sad truth, except maybe in the Word of Faith movement where it's slightly more accepted.

To read the rest of his blog, click here