The solution to racial war: redemption vs. racism. All lives matter, and the problem is sin, not skin (and culture vs. color)

The solution to racial war: redemption vs. racism. All lives matter, and the problem is sin, not skin (and culture vs. color)

"You [Bishops] say you've got to kill them because of what they did to you. You've [Mau Maus] got to kill them because of what they did to you. Everyone's griping abut this atrocity or that tragedy. All I hear is what a rotten deal we've all got."

This reproof is what precipitated the conversion of members of two racially-opposed gangs which operated in New York City during the late 50's to early 60's, as portrayed in the Cross and the Switchblade movie (1969, copyright Dick Ross and associates), and which presently can (legally) be seen here). This is about the true account which is told in the book, the Cross and the Switchblade written in 1962. The preacher is David Wilkerson, a skinny 28-year-old preacher Pentecostal pastor who followed his father and grandfather into the ministry (ordained in 1952 and was ministering in central Pennsylvania). After reading of some NYC gangs in Life magazin he became strongly burdened with compassion for the gang members in NYC, who need the Lord Jesus and sensed the Lord wanted him to tell them the gospel. He therefore drives up there, not knowing anyone, and at the trial in a tension-filled courtroom he seeks to speak to the judge.

This is where he first appears in the movie (which mostly used local talent) and stars Pat Boone as David Wilkerson, and Erik Estrada as Nicky Cruz, the teen gang member whose life was dramatically transformed by Christ. Nicky was the leader of the notorious Brooklyn Puerto Rican gang the "Mau Maus," which operated from at least late 1954 to around 1962. Their name was apparently derived from the Mau Mau Uprising in Kenya, and who were in a tight rivalry with the African American gang, the Bishops, which including a Muslim leader in the movie. As now, the only real solution was for both to become truly born again and submit to the Lord Jesus (which faith excludes racism, yet many in churches, including black churches, promote this).

The movie is intriguing and captivating, with a rare raw quality in exposing the underworld of 1950's NYC gangs and their passion, with a clear contrast between the characters, and yet with some honest humor as well.

The movie begins with Wilkerson in the courtoom, but which results in him being quickly briefly apprehended by the police who knew of threats to the judge.

Publicity follows, but unknown to him at the time, this apprehension gives him street credibility with some of the gangs, since the police who apprehended him was their enemy.

Therefore he is helped by "Little Bo Peep," a young independent teen who sometimes runs messages for gangs, and who becomes Wilkerson's street guide.

At his first meeting with Nicky Cruz however, which is in the middle of a "war council btwn the and the Mau Maus and the black Bishops,

the hardened, hate-filled Puerto Rican who had quickly risen to the top of the feared "Mau Maus" gang, slaps Wilkerson's face in response to his offer to shake his hand.

But which does not deter the burdened pastor from attempting to reach the gangs for Christ and Nicky in particular. At one point later on, Nicky asks "why me?" and Israel, Nicky's right hand man, and president of the Mau Maus, explains that if Wilkerson can reach Nicky, then he can reach anyone.

Wilkerson is enabled to carry out his efforts to reach those in the gang because the pastor and wife of a Latino church constrain Wilkerson to stay with them,

Bo as well, and there he often meets with a sergeant from the police force who befriended David.

In their efforts to reach the gangs, they secure a venue, St. Nick's Arena, and invite the gangs. However, they stay away from the meetings, being leery of the cops, so Wilkerson and the sergeant decide to have a meeting without any police presence.

Meanwhile, the Mau Maus and a rival gang the black "Bishops" often feud and fight,

and so they both agree to Nicky's plan to have it out once and for all - in the hall where the next meeting will be. Exits will be sealed, and the gang with the last man standing gets all the territory.

The gangs arrive and sit on opposite sides, and after a troublesome start at the meeting, Wilkerson asks for volunteers from the gang to take up an offering. Nicky and the Muslim Abdullah of the of Bishops are two of the 4 chosen, and they pressure people to give. Yet while all expect them to keep the money, Nicky proposes they cross the preacher up by doing the unexpected, and return all the money. And which provides a lead for Wilkerson's preaching, that you do not have to conform to what people think you should do, and that God is:

"the only One who really knows why you do the things you do...the only One who has the power to do anything about it." And that "love is the gutiest thing you'll ever do... it's turning away from your hate..." "God sent His only Son into this world." "Each of your here has heard about the 10 commandments. Most of your here have broken every one of them."

In response to the exhortation to repentance and love, one of the members of the black Bishops gang stands up and protests, "Hey man , my brother died from a Mau Maus rumble! And you say you want me to love them honkeys? Yes, I'm going to love them. I'm going to love them with a sharp blade!"

To which Wilkerson forcefully responds, "Now shut up and listen to me! You [Bishops] say you've got to kill them because of what they did to you. You've [Mau Maus] got to kill them because of what they did to you. Everyone's griping abut this atrocity or that tragedy. All I hear is what a rotten deal we've all got.

Let me tell you something! Jesus Christ was perfect. And they crucified Him! And He never said one complaining word...He felt pain just like you feel pain..they nailed His hands and feet to the cross. He didn't have to let them do that to Him. He could have called out a whole legion of angels...He could have slaughtered all His tormentors. He didn't....bleeding for you... It's all paid up; its free...accept it...open up your hearts and let all that bitterness roll out and let Jesus Christ come in."

But then the Muslim Abdullah of the of Bishops jumps up and says, "all you white cats, and all you black cats. Now listen to me. You've been hearing about the power of love. But I'm going to to tell you about another power, Gang Power! And that's where its at. Now the Bishops and the Mau Maus are going to have it out here tonight, and you're going to be in on it. You can't get away. All the exits are shut off...We are going to have it out right here and right now!"

Both sides then jump out of their respective sides and come moving to each other, but Nicky, who has become convicted of his need for salvation,

jumps up on the stage and runs ahead to get in the middle, and with authority says,

"Cool it now! I said cool it! Hasn't there been enough killing and cutting"? Are you listening to the preacher? Well I heard the preacher!"

Then turning to Wilkerson and struggling to speak he says: "I don't know how to say it."

It is not obvious that God is at work, and Wilkerson responds, "He's here....You can all feel him... If you ever want your lives changed. Now is the time. Put your weapons away. There's not going to be a rumble here tonight. You're in the presence of Almighty God!" Wilkerson then calls them all to come up together. "Don't wait till you're good enough. That day is never going to come. Come with all your hang ups. Let Jesus clean you up....God I need you. God forgive me. God I give myself to you."

Now "Little Bo," the young independent teen street runner who helped Wilkerson reach the Mau Maus, comes up to Nicky and says "Hey man, I know you've got love. I can feel it in ya. Cause I ain't scared of you anymore." But as he gives her a hug,

all of a sudden Nicky's former girl friend Rosa, who found deliverance from heroin thru the grace of God via Wilkerson and his adopted family, screams "NICKY!" as Abdullah charges Nicky and cuts his hand with a knife.

Nicky's reflective action pins Abdullah to the ground with his cane, and with a knife inches from his Abdullah's face, Nicky states, "Man, I got your life in my hand. I can take it away or I can give it back to you [hesitating]. I'm going to give it back to you." The reaction of Abdullah is,"Wow man; I really don't dig this scene tonight at all," and walks away with disdain.

Then Wilkerson, smiling, comes over to Nicky who says,"I'm going to give my life to God Davie. It better work for I dam near got killed for it."

and Wilkerson tells the the gang: "This is the miracle I've been talking about. You're going to find yourselves tonight. And you're going to know in your hearts that its a miracle. So you're never going to trust in your own flesh again, but in the flesh sacrificed for you by Jesus."

and Wilkerson passes out Bible's to them all, and many ask for bigger ones so others can really see what they are carrying. Meanwhile, Rosa comes over to Nicky and exclaims how he is different, "all kinds of shiny." Nicky responds that "maybe its because I'm about two minutes old right now." The scene ends with Israel, Nicky's right hand man, jumping up on the stage and exclaiming that his name is practically on about every page of the Bible he has been perusing.

The video ends with Wilkerson explaining that "this was the breakthrough, that would make the ghetto my church," including a ministry to help mixed up teens ("Teen Challenge").

"It's based on a book that is the true story of David Wilkerson, a man who read an article in Life magazine 12 years ago about the gang wars in New York City. David Wilkerson was a 28-year-old preacher from Pennsylvania at that time, but he found himself strangely moved to leave Pennsylvania and go to New York...

"The magazine article was about the Farmer trial, named after one of the boys who was killed. It was a thrill killing. Several gang members got high on pills and killed him. Then they ran his blood through their hair...they seemed to kill just for kicks, and even the death sentence didn't seem to affect them. David Wilkerson wanted to reach those boys.

"Well, he was unable to reach them, and he found himself alone in New York with nothing but his faith. He walked in the streets, in the slums, and he was filled with an overwhelming sense of compassion. He was one skinny 28-year-old preacher with no money, no organization, nothing but his faith in God. But he meant to help the street gangs."

"He had no great qualification but faith. But one day he stood on a tarred rooftop in Little Puerto Rico, and a group of young dope addicts told him: 'Man, there's only three ways out of addiction: Overdose, suicide or God.' "Wilkerson realized they were right. He told me that story one night when I stood on the same rooftop with him. He said that at that moment he spoke to God. He said, God, you're gonna have to give me miracles. You gave Peter and James and John miracles, and now you're gonna have to give them to me."

"The movie is about Wilkerson's first six months at work. It ends with the first turning point, a gang rally he held at St. Nick's Arena. The gangs came prepared for a rumble. They had guns, knives, chains. But miracles took place that night. They came to rumble, but they put down their guns and chains!"

"He went into the streets, into the alleys. The gangs humored him. He became sort of a gang chaplain. Finally he began to get results. He centered his work on drug addiction, and out of those early days came the experience he used in founding Teen Challenge.

"Today," Boone said, "Teen Challenge operates in 30 cities, including Chicago. It buys old homes in the ghetto and fixes them up into centers to help kids who are strung out on dope.

"God gave him miracles," Boone said. "The first miracle I personally ever witnessed in my life took place at a Wilkerson Youth Rally last year in Orange County, Calif. See, the young kids trust Wilkerson. They trust him because they know he walks the streets talking to the junkies, the prostitutes, the homosexuals. They listened to him, and when he had finished, 500 young people came forward for counseling.

"A lot of them were on pills, grass, speed. But he reached out to them right through the dope, and they heard him. And it was then that I witnessed the miracle. "One of the young men was freaking out - literally! He was on some kind of chemical. He was moaning, clawing at his face, screaming. I asked his friends what was wrong with him, and they said he was on a bad trip. How do you give counsel to someone who's freaked out? "Just then, two counselors approached the young man. They put their hands on his shoulders and they began to pray. And as they prayed, I saw this young man suddenly slump in his chair. He appeared to go to sleep. His face was tranquil. Prayer had cut right through the drugs and given him instant peace." "It was a miracle," Pat Boone said softly. "If things like that didn't happen all the time, there'd be no Teen Challenge."- http://www.rogerebert.com/interviews/interview-with-pat-boone

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. (Ephesians 6:12)

And the often-violent racial strive as fostered by liberalism with its inculcation of the demonic victim-entitlement mentality and the "share the wealth" demand as a matter of justice regardless of merit, is from the devil, who selfishly seeks power thru his proxy servants, who war against those persons and institutions which uphold Biblical morality and principles, which the devil works to pervert.

Beginning with Genesis, we see how the devil worked to seduce Eve with the lie that she was a victim of injustice (as if God has selfishly keeping back something from her that He possessed) and thus that rebellion was justified, and that the penalty for unfaithfulness was a lie.

Communists engaged in the same deception, in order to present themselves as saviors of the oppressed (though there was some actual cases to cite) in order to obtain power, with the end being that only these leaders end up possessing what they promise.

Until the Left can freely say “There is no shame in being white” there will be racism and bigotry and hate espoused from the Left.

ALL lives matter.

And the shaming in saying that is only directed at white people.

At the protests there were speakers and sign carriers saying “brown lives matter” “asian lives matter” etc.

ALL lives matter. Even those black babies in the womb that Planned Parenthood kills every week.

Until the Left can freely say “There is no shame in being white” there will be racism and bigotry and hate espoused from the Left. ALL lives matter. And the shaming in saying that is only directed at white people. At the protests there were speakers and sign carriers saying “brown lives matter” “asian lives matter” etc.

ALL lives matter. Even those black babies in the womb that Planned Parenthood kills every week. Indeed, and consider what liberals fostered in regards to the black family:

Data from U.S. Census reports reveal that between 1880-1960, married households consisting of two-parent homes were the most widespread form of African-American family structures. Although the most popular, married households decreased over this time period. Single-parent homes, on the other hand, remained relatively stable until 1960; when they rose dramatically.[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African-American_family_structure#cite_note-Ruggles-28] A study of 1880 family structures in Philadelphia, showed that three-quarters of Black families were nuclear families, composed of two parents and children. In New York City in 1925, 85% of kin-related Black households had two parents. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African-American_family_structure#cite_note-jewishworldreview.com-29] In 1991, 68% of Black children were born outside of marriage. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African-American_family_structure#cite_note-20] In 2011, 72% of Black babies were born to unmarried mothers.[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African-American_family_structure#cite_note-21][https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African-American_family_structure#cite_note-22] In 2015, 77% of Black babies were born to unmarried mothers.

But see new thread The solution to racial war: redemption vs. racism. All lives matter, and the problem is sin, not skin (and culture vs. color)

>>Communists engaged in the same deception, in order to present themselves as saviors of the oppressed (though there was some actual cases to cite) in order to obtain power, with the end being that only these leaders end up possessing what they promise.

Yep, they exploit them for their own purposes

I Was A Communist For The FBI (1951)

start at 12:55 and 44:45
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8zhmCjV71w

I have been saying this for years. The left wants to “educate, legislate, and eradicate” racism. They seek to do it by changing the way people think. That’s not going to work.

You have to change the heart of a person in order to affect permanent change. The only thing that addresses the heart is faith. The contents of the heart are revealed in times of trouble. The Bible teachers that what comes out of a person’s mouth is the overflow of their heart. That immediate response, reaction, or thought is what the heart contains. Change that content and the content of the mind will follow.

As your title suggest, the problem is sin. Preachers would rather hold group sessions to “heal” racial divisions than ask unbelievers to repent before God. All this racism, sexual perversion, abortion, lying, stealing, etc. that permeates society today is an indication of how the church has become worldly and ineffective. We have strayed from the gospel message. We don't need the sappy sentimentality of repenting to each other. We need to repent to God and start calling sin, sin. It may not help society-as in the case of Jeremiah. But it certainly will make us right before God.

‘Teen Challenge’ has a 15 passenger van and they often bring the young men to my church for the Sunday evening service. The organization does not hide its Christian roots or that it is faith-based.

We’ve got a ‘Teen Challenge’ residence nearby, located in the Town of Priddis, in the Rocky Mountain Foothills about 35 miles South of downtown Calgary. It is designed for teens and early 20s, who are addicted to drugs or alcohol. All lived on the streets and many belonged to gangs. Few of the street gangs in Calgary are race-based, at least not among youth gangs. ‘Teen Challenge’ has a 15 passenger van and they often bring the young men to my church for the Sunday evening service. The organization does not hide its Christian roots or that it is faith-based.

Many souls have found repentance and conversion and deliverance thru Teen Challenge, glory and thanks to God, and I hope they continue to be effective.

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