Black History Month Article
By Edwin Crayton/Opinion
I wish I had a dollar for every black radical who referred to my Christian faith as a “White Man’s Religion”. On the other side of the racial divide, those who have racist attitudes about people with black skin seem to believe blacks have made no contribution to history and that the faith of blacks is somehow second class. But as the Bible teaches, God is no respecter of persons. He loves all of his children, regardless of color. Indeed, he created every race and God does not create anything inferior. His attitude should serve as a standard for those of us who are believers in God.
When God calls people to serve, he does not look at a person’s skin color. He looks at the heart, choosing an obedient servant who will do his will. To illustrate that point, take a brief stroll through history with me and meet three inspirational black servants of God Almighty God used each of them to benefit the whole human race.
Ebed-Melech: the black man who helped save Jeremiah
In the Old Testament, in the Book of Jeremiah, chapters 38, Jeremiah was put into prison and lowered into a muddy pit. A royal servant named Edbed-Melech pleaded with the king for his release and Jeremiah was released. This servant was a Cushite. That means he was from the area around Nubia and Ethiopia. Even the Bible makes it clear that he was black.
God rewarded Ebed-Melech. He acted boldly and quickly and the great prophet Jeremiah was saved.
Think about the symbolism. Here you have a black servant of God reaching out to help a non-black believer. Today, Christian churches could use that kind of unity. Yet, unfortunately today, churches are segregated for the most part. Such racial division keeps the body from being whole as it should be. I have seen “white” churches that will not allow black people to speak from the pulpit. I have also seen at least one so called “black” church where a pastor used the Bible to call “white” a curse. Actually, the fact that we still have words like “white” church and “black” church in our contemporary, national vocabulary tells you plenty about the need to heed the Bible’s call to love beyond race and unite based on faith, not color (1 John Chapter 4, verse 19-20). That verse reads, “If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen (New King James version)? We are living in a time when the church is under attack and Christian morality is unwisely being rejected by the wider world. That means now more than ever, the church needs to bring believers together to form a God honoring, multi-racial church. Not even in eternity will you escape integration. Heaven is integrated. So is Hell. The Bible does not speak of a black church or a white church. It only speaks of a Christian Church.
Harriet Tubman: not just a Black History hero, she was a devoted Christian
Harriet Tubman is honored every Black History Month as a black pioneer in the struggle for freedom. She is noted for freeing many slaves, risking her life to go into plantations to help them escape. Black leader? She was obviously known being for that. What is not usually noted is that she was also a strong Christian believer in God. In a New Yorker Magazine article on Tubman, Writer Casey Cep wrote “Tubman carried a pistol, but when questioned about her safe passage she once declared, “I just asked Jesus to take care of me.”
I remember reading that Tubman spoke to God as she went on dangerous missions again and again, helping black slaves escape from hellish captivity on the plantation. Tubman said, she would tell God she was relying on him to get her and those she helped, to safety. He did. She was faithful to God to the end. The New Yorker article pointed out that:
“On her deathbed, Tubman invoked the Gospel of John, paraphrasing the promise that Jesus made to his disciples of their place in Heaven, and also echoing her own promise to bring about that Heaven on earth: “I go away to prepare a place for you, and where I am you also may be.”
Jackie Robinson: keeping Jesus’ command helped him integrate pro baseball
When Jesus told his followers that when someone struck them, they should turn the other cheek, I believe he knew those instructions would not be easy for them to follow (Matthew 5:38-40). Sure enough, many believers since have struggled with the temptation to physically hit back. It’s hard not to retaliate when someone attacks you. Well, can you imagine having to turn the other cheek when thousands are attacking you? Jackie Robinson had to do just that and if he had not followed that command, perhaps Major League Baseball would still be segregated. Jackie Robinson was a devoted Christian. In an article for the Society for American Baseball Research, Chris Lamb wrote about Jackie Robinson’s Christian faith, He was recruited by another Christian, Brooklyn Dodgers Executive Branch Rickey. Rickey gave Robinson a very important challenge. He warned him that when he joined the Brooklyn Dodgers, he would be attacked by prejudiced whites. But he made it clear Robinson could not hit back.
Robinson’s life is fascinating, because really, it is also a religious story. His faith in God, as he often said, carried him through the pain and anguish of integrating the major leagues. As Rickey promised, more often than not, many fans were racist and unmercifully cruel to Robinson. But apparently, he relied on God to see him through it all. Trusting in God was the best move Robinson made on the baseball field.
You will notice that none of these three servants of God were pastors. The Bible speaks of a “priesthood of believers”. That means all Christians are called to serve God. Ask him what your purpose is. He will show you and help you achieve it. Regardless of your race.
Events to Attend:
Thursday, February 19, 2026, the Natchitoches Community Improvement Foundation will hold a quarterly meeting. This group provides grants to citizens in the areas of recreation, economic development, housing and education. Meeting is open to the public. There was no confirmation of time and location by press time, but it is usually held at 6pm at the Legacy Café, 441 North Street in Natchitoches. Please check local papers to confirm.
Thought for the week:
In the early 1940’s, a young New York actor named Hume Cronyn flew to California to audition for legendary Director Alfred Hitchcock who was filming a thriller called “Shadow of A Doubt”. When Cronyn got to the audition, the producer met him and apologized, saying that Cronyn was too young for the role. But he allowed him to meet Hitchcock anyway since he had flown in all the way from New York. He was naturally disappointed at being rejected for the role, but he met with Hitchcock and at the end of their talk, to his delight and surprise, Hitchcock gave him the role. The movie was a hit and by the way, Cronyn went on to become a great actor. Even though the producer had rejected him, the director accepted him. The point is, that at the end of the day, the opinion that matters most is the opinion of the person with the power and final authority. On that film, it was Hitchcock. In life, that powerful being is God. We are living in a moment when people are debating many issues such as whether humankind should submit to the authority of artificial intelligence; whether it is wrong to abort a baby; or whether the Bible is right when it teaches that God is the one who determines a person’s gender. Remember, we believers are called to realize that it is not what the powers of this world say that counts in the end. It’s what God says that matters. This is why the Bible reminds us who are Christians, to not try to please the world. Our goal should be to please an audience of one: God.
Happy Black History Month. Attend church on Sunday. God has a message for you.
*The opinions in this opinion column do not necessarily reflect the views of the Natchitoches Parish Journal or its associates.
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