From My Perspective - - -
For
generations, the United States has been references as being “The Great
Melting Pot” – or – the place where the sonnet – The New Colossus by
Emma Lazarus (1849-1897) – would be the extended welcome to any and all
who would desire freedom and opportunity within the shores of this
nation. The words of welcome etched at the base of The Statue of
Liberty include: “…cries she, with silent lips: Give me your tired,
your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched
refuse of your teeming shore. Send these – the homeless, the
tempest-tossed to me – I lift my lamp beside the golden door.”
In
June 2010, Conner Dougherty wrote in the Wall Street Journal – “U.S.
Nears Racial Milestone.” In his article, he stated: “Whites are on the
verge of becoming a minority among newborn children in the U.S.,
marking a demographic shift that is already reshaping the nation's
politics and economy. The Census reported Thursday that nonwhite
minorities accounted for 48.6% of the children born in the U.S. between
July 2008 and July 2009, gaining ground from 46.8% two years earlier.
The trajectory suggests that minority births will soon eclipse births
of whites of European ancestry….” In May 2012, he has updated his
report to state: “Big Generation Gaps in U.S. Racial Composition.” His
report contains the following (including charts and counties that
demonstrate his thesis): The U.S. has hit a racial tipping point where
less than half of newborns are whites of European descent. But since
the older population still has a strong majority of non-Hispanic
whites, these racial changes have big generational divides…The biggest
divides are in rural counties, many of which have seen out-and-out
declines in their white population, leading to big percentage gains.
Still, many larger counties have huge white/minority divides that are a
great illustration of how different generations view issues of race and
immigration. Take, for instance, Maricopa County, Ariz., which
surrounds Phoenix and is a hotbed for the nation’s continuing debate
over illegal immigration. Maricopa had an 18.4 percentage point gap
between the share of the overall population that is non-Hispanic white
and the share of kids under 5. In other words, while non-Hispanic
whites are still a strong majority of Maricopa’s overall population,
white children are a clear minority…”
In
May 2012, another article was published by Dr. Peter Jones with the
title: “May 09, 2012: The Official End of Christendom?” His article
includes the following: “Fox News journalist, Shep Smith, welcomed
President Obama into the 21st century and declared those who
still oppose same-sex marriage to be on the wrong side of history. May
9, 2012 was indeed an historic moment. Though President Obama bathed
his decision in Christian principles: “…our faith…is not only
Christ sacrificing himself on our behalf but it’s also the golden
rule…treat others the way you’d want to be treated...”For the first
time ever, a sitting US president, considered the most powerful
political leader in the world, has endorsed a marital arrangement that
formally constitutes the pagan “worship of the creation rather than
worship of the Creator” (Romans 1:25)… We must not panic or exaggerate,
nor cease to love homosexual individuals. But we must not re-interpret
“Christian” love, so that our contemporary culture can reject God the
Creator in favor of self-serving desires. The Gospel love story of
creation and redemption must be heard via a clear witness to the
biblical worldview, as Paul articulates it in Colossians 1:19–20: “For
in Christ…by whom all things were created…[God] through him
reconcile[d] to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.”
A
greater concern pertains to the “Christian Churches” in our nation.
Have they kept apace with the changing demographics and ethnicity
shift? Have the words of The New Colossus found application within the
“church”? The plurality in many of them is white. The vision for the
Mission Fields brought into the communities of this nation is ignored.
Our children learned the chorus that contained: “Red and Yellow, Black
and White – they are precious in His sight; Jesus loves the little
children of the world.” Are they precious in our sight and loved by us
in “the church”? In Exodus 22:21, the children of Israel were
instructed: “Do not mistreat an alien or oppress him, for you were
aliens in Egypt.” In Ephesians 2:12-13, “remember that at that time you
were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and
foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without
God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ. Consider these things with me!
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