Crisis Point With Young Black Men
The journey of young Black men in America is often marked by adversity, with grim statistics bearing witness to this reality. Homicide leads the cause of death among this group, with a disproportionate number becoming victims of violent crime. Each day, the sobering reality is that guns kill 30 Black Americans, while police violence claims a Black life every other day.
Despite only making up 13 percent of the population, Black Americans account for 53.7 percent of the nation’s murder victims (2019 data). In large cities, this number increases to a staggering 68 percent. These alarming numbers call for a solution that transcends conventional strategies such as policing or the penal system.
God's Kingdom Is The Only Solution
The magnitude of the issues faced by young Black men signifies that they are rooted in something deeper – a spiritual problem. Conventional strategies won’t solve this spiritual problem. More policing, more prisons, these aren’t the answer. The solution lies in spreading God’s Kingdom of righteousness and justice among young Black men, a Kingdom that offers an escape from the clutches of darkness and promises a lifestyle of morality.
Kingdom Righteousness promises a lifestyle of morality, which, in turn, influences every aspect of life positively, including family dynamics, economic stability, and emotional wellbeing. Whereas, Kingdom Justice demands fairness and equity from the systems that govern everyday life, vital for a demographic often on the receiving end of systemic inequities.
Five Step Approach
So how do we take God’s Kingdom to young black men. I believe this four-step approach will help. It requires that we be Purposeful, Proximate, Prayerful, Powerful, and Pertinent
1. Be Purposeful
To win young Black men to Christ, the approach must be deliberate, intentional, and resolute, with no room for compromise. This purposefulness requires a lifestyle centered around the cause, fueled by scriptures such as Luke 14:16-22 and 1 Timothy 4:14-15. We must be dedicated and determined to advance God’s Kingdom to a population that may be resistnt initially.
2. Get Proximate
To combat injustice, we need to be in close proximity to the places where unrighteousness and injustice prevails, as Bryan Stevenson eloquently expressed when he said, “We cannot create justice without getting close to places where injustices prevail. We have to get proximate.” Scriptures like John 1:35-45; 4:4-7 illustrate the importance of personal engagement and interaction in spreading God’s word. As followers of Christ, we are called to engage directly with those facing hardships. We are called to go into the world (Matthew 28:18-20), as Jesus did with us.
3. Stay Prayerful
Prayer signifies a partnership with God, a relationship emphasized by many faith leaders throughout history. Intercessory prayer, praying on behalf of others, becomes vital in this context. The power of prayer, as demonstrated by the prophet Elijah in James 5:16-18 (AMP), shows that through fervent prayer, we can invoke divine intervention, changing the course of situations and lives.
4. Harness Power:
Spiritual authority over the demonic world is a potent weapon in our arsenal (Matthew 10:1; Acts 19:10-11). Such power commands attention and offers an extraordinary solution to the adversity young Black men face, as depicted in Luke 5:1-11 and Acts 8. The ability to demonstrate with God’s power the supremacy of the Kingdom of God will arrest the attention of young black men, demanding a response from them. See my book, Supernatural Soul Winning.
5. Stay Pertinent
Addressing the issues pertinent to young Black men—relationships with fathers, financial futures, and life trajectories—enhances the resonance of the gospel message. As illustrated in John 4:4-7 and 1 Corinthians 9:21-23, relevance creates a deeper connection and enables meaningful transformation. It makes the Gospel message relevant to life.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the path to winning young Black men to Christ and His Kingdom is one of intention, proximity, prayer, divine power, and relevance. Through this approach, we can provide a pathway of liberation, righteousness, and justice, leading to a better, brighter future for these young men and, by extension, our communities and society at large.
