My Covid 19 Reflection

My Moment to share my reflection from the last several months

It has been a minute since I have written anything on this page and although I have had many thoughts that have been put to paper, they have not made the cut to publish. Each day of this pandemic and sheltering in place has been challenging for the entire world. Although we have history on our side regarding humans surviving major viral epidemics, there is for us today a more intense sense of uncertainty, unrest, and impatience for this to come to an end soon. Countries around the world are seeing people protest their government’s decision to actualize shelter in place orders. In the US, leaders in some faith communities have been openly defying orders against large gatherings for religious and non-religious purposes and even bringing lawsuits against their state leaders citing the First Amendment right to assemble and freedom of religion. It has also sparked intense political actions with the hopes of one side beating the other with propaganda for or against more government spending and fully opening the country before an economic collapse happens.

On a more personal note, it has made me more grateful for each breath I take and each day I am afforded to live. Hearing of the deaths of acquaintances, friends, loved ones from the COVID-19 virus and the thousands of others who have contracted the virus and are fighting for their lives or have recovered has certainly made life more sobering. The biggest challenge for me has been making the adjustment of being a virtual pastor. While doing video and teleconferencing  is nothing new to me, virtual preaching has certainly been different. I was fortunate to have begun the process of live streaming services some time ago, I am one of those pastors who understood the future of those services but was unprepared to have to begin it under such conditions. The congregation I have been blessed and privileged to under shepherd is thriving and even growing despite not meeting in person. They certainly inspire me to continue studying to show myself approved as an unashamed workman of Christ.

I am certain that historians will look back upon this moment in time and mention the tenacity of the people in the world amid a global pandemic. Even after we are back to some sense of normalcy, it is still my goal and obligation to be an empowering and liberating voice of justice for those who are in need of hearing it. It is my goal and obligation to continue serving this present age my calling to fulfill.

Dr. Lorenzo T Neal

Indiana as the crossroads of faith, tolerance, and community

freedom indiana

The recent religious freedom restoration bill passed by the Indiana State legislature has created the latest uproar in a growing news cycle reporting on the infringement of rights for the LGBTQ community. Indiana’s SB 101 was created to protect the religious freedom for business owners, churches, and other religious related communities and organizations against those who threaten said freedoms. The LGBTQ community believes that it and others like it passed in several states (mostly southern states such as Arizona, Mississippi, and Arkansas) believe the bill was created to enhance discrimination against their community and causes. The reality is that it all boils down to one word: tolerance.

If you were to ask the average American if they considered themselves intolerant, bigoted, racist, or homophobic, the answer would probably be an overwhelming No. It is true that most individuals, especially those who ascribe to a religious belief system, believe that they are good and kind-hearted Americans, however when pressed with certain social issues, they discover they may not be as tolerant as they believe. In their 2005 book “The Truth about Tolerance,” Brad Stetson and Joseph Conti point out how tolerance has gotten lost in the American culture war.  This war is even more distinct in American Christianity as seen in the battles between the liberal and conservative branches of Protestant Christianity. While both branches claim the same goal of evangelizing and making disciples (as presented in Matthew 28:18-20, the conflict resides in who is more right in discipling-a fundamentalist, evangelical, conservative Christian, or an affirming, liberal, progressive Christian. This schism is affecting mainline Protestant American Christianity as Episcopal, Methodists, and more recently Presbyterian denominations wrestle with progressive ideologies and concepts such as abortion and same sex unions.  Both of these branches of Christianity grapple with the understanding and application of truth in the context of American pluralism (Stetson and Conti, 2005, pg.61).

What makes the Indiana law and others like it disturbing is that it commits the fraud of seemingly speaking for oppressed (or seemingly oppressed) people, businesses, and organizations. The very title suggests that religious freedom has been taken away from them. That is far from the truth. The greatness of living in the United States of America is wealth of religious diversity and freedom one is allowed to experience. Even within evangelical Christianity, there is no consensus on worship rituals, liturgy, music, clergy vestments, or theological training. There are evangelical pastors, business owners, and even state lawmakers who do not agree with the bill. The connecting factor for those lawmakers who designed the bill and supported the bill was perhaps the sense of fear in regards to the religious diversity that is becoming more evident in the state and America. This religious pluralism threatens their perception of truth as relayed to them through their faith. In fact, their defense of their brand of faith is associated more with intolerance and narrow-mindedness than intellectual good faith and genuine concern for the well-being of those they propose to protect with the bill (Ibid, pg.63.)

While tolerance needs truth to be coherent, truth cannot be misrepresented and legislated as absolute. When state lawmakers begin to dispel myths about their perspectives of truth, they are more likely to govern from the perspective of humanity and not faux religious authority. It is under the guise of the latter that laws like Jim Crow was institutionalized and maintained for decades. It is under the guise of the latter that the Jewish leadership during the time of Christ sought to have him killed. It is under the strain of the latter that the Civil Rights leaders marched until they ascertained the liberation desired. It is from such laws that the American public wants to distance itself and cry for the boycott of an entire state.

In the end, the governors and legislators of states who pass religious freedom laws do more harm than help to their cause. Their zeal to “save America” or “restore America” falls far short of the command of their faith to make disciples. It fails to be fully aware of the rich religious and social diversity that the United States has enjoyed over the last two centuries. While Indiana Governor Pence and his staff are doing their best to defend the law and lawmakers, there will continue to be big fallout for that state. The call is not for renunciation of beliefs or values; the call is to the recognition of the diminutive voices of the same.

 

Dr. Lorenzo T Neal

Ray Rice and the Prestige of Domestic Violence

Domestic Violence is a very serious offense. We hear stories of tragedy and triumph and the will to survive from both men and women who have been victims of domestic violence. The recent news of a professional athlete abusing his spouse is nothing new. What makes this different is the fact that the leadership in professional sports are finally starting to speak up against their players. The release of a horrific video depicting a black professional athlete knocking his fiancé out cold only adds to the concern of black athletes and the prestige of domestic violence.

Twenty years ago, America witnessed O. J. Simpson, one of its athletic heroes become the primary person of interest in a double homicide. Simpson went from being a beloved athlete and actor to the spark that ignited debates about black athlete’s prestige. This prestige was not only one of wealth accumulated but of a disconnect from the common vestiges of the regular black man. This prestige is one of alienation from the consequences the average black man endures resulting from decisions made out of anger or frustration. This prestige drew a big line of distinction between those who were the investments of billionaires and those black men who were the discarded and dejected of society. The prestige allowed professional football athletes to all but get away with murder. We saw it with, Adam “Pac Man” Jones, Ray Carruth, and even the legendary Jim Brown. These men succeeded in the game on the field, but failed in the game of life.

We have made professional athletes into role models for our young black children. Parents put their hopes in dreams of a talented player making it to the big leagues. Some parents only lightly address some of the aggressions their boys manifest while playing sports. While it is true that this aggression is good on the football field, the basketball court, the baseball field, or the wrestling mat, it is not good for interaction with others outside of those arenas. Young black men develop this aggression early and when not properly assessed and treated, it carries over into the relationships with females. This often ends in acts of domestic violence that destroys the lives of all involved.

Not even a century ago, it was the intent of professional sports promoters and team owners did all they could to keep black men off their teams. We had leagues of our own where we were able to manage and control our players with dignity. Players carried the pride of all Blacks on their shoulders. They were afraid to do anything that would bring shame to not only them but also the entire black race. They mastered the art of concealment and discretion better than some politicians did. Black team leaders and owners understood the value of the player’s integrity, skill, and talent. There is a great disconnect today. Today’s black players are nothing more than expensive investments beginning as young as Pops Warner and AAU leagues.

As long as this exploitation continues, we will likely see black athletes excel on the playing field while exploiting the privilege they have as celebrities and investments. To counter this, we must be vigilant in helping young black find means to address their aggression. Just as we educate them about the perils of street and thug life, we must do so with them regarding the value of the female life. We must educate them of how the smallest incident of aggression against a female can do enough damage and follow them throughout their lives. While we do not want parents to dissuade their children from pursuing professional sports careers, but in the process, help them understand the pitfalls of achieving that goal. Our black male children are seeing what they have been told are role models fall into the pit of diminished life because of their acts of violence and aggression. We must be vigilant if we want to see the patterns of privileged domestic violence stop so that we can create a new pattern of privileged love and honor from our black men.

Dr. Lorenzo T Neal

Dr. Felicia Clark on Zera Today

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My show guest today is Dr. Felicia Clark, author, life coach, and plus size model. She’ll be discussing how women can attract the right man as well as how they can fight body terrorism and be happy with their whole self. Click the above link to participate in her live teleseminar and receive a great discounted rate. http://www.rightones.eventbrite.com /Click http://tobtr.com/s/4844461 or call 347-237-5230 to listen live!

Dr. Lorenzo T Neal

Forty Years of Roe vs. Wade: The debate continues

Forty years has passed since the Supreme Court of the United States decided that a woman had the right to privacy under the 14th Amendment provided states balanced those rights and interests through proper regulations and protection of prenatal and the woman’s health. This decision shut out the backroom abortions many women were receiving that often resulted in physical harm to the fetus and woman and even sometimes death. Indeed while there is no desire to return to those days when abortions were performed in an unsanitary and unhealthy manner, there are still many who believe that abortion should altogether be banned in the United States. Like the pro or anti-slavery arguments of the 18th and 19th centuries, abortion presents the same ethos and pathos appeals for proponents on both sides of the issue.
Having been party to an abortion at one time, I am able to relate to the careless behavior that often leads to the decision to abort a fetus. For this writer, the issue is not so much about pro-life or pro-choice as it is about making better choices regarding sexual behavior. For many, this is as simple as being abstinent or celibate. For others, it is as serious as having a sexual addiction. For the religious zealots, abortion is about murder and breaking God’s command of not killing. For many others, it is about protecting a woman’s right to choose how and what she wishes to do with her body. Neither is a simple argument and the fallacies contained within both are dangerous enough to cause individuals to do horrible things in the name of their cause.
The debate is has been ongoing for the last 40 years and is certainly not likely to find resolution any time soon. The matter of ministering to those who have had or who are considering having an abortion is what is important to this writer. The entirety of the matter is being non-judgmental but loving and compassionate to all those affected by abortion. To God, life is precious and it should be to every human being. One cannot condone the murder of criminals and at the same time denounce the individual who has an abortion. That is unjust at the very least. If we are to be just, then we must also recognize that the religious liberties we experience today are only enhanced when we acknowledge that we live in a land where there is liberty and justice for all.

Dr. Lorenzo T Neal

Discovering the Courage to Be: Your Authentic Self

Self discovery is centered in the courage to being authentic to one’s self. The greatest obstacle is the encountering of the emotional self. This includes the emotions of anger, pain, sorrow, grief, fear, and despair. There may be others that are not listed that one may encounter. These emotions are strong and rooted in the pathos of life experience. The process of self authentication should lead to those emotions. There is no way around that. However the key is expressing those emotions positively, allowing the emotions to help you become a communion within oneself, one must experience emptiness and chaos before experiencing
authentic self. To borrow from the world of aesthetics, it is what Friedrich Schiller calls the Sublime Pathos. It is embracing and acknowledging those emotions so that one becomes authentic. It is not simply acknowledging them and masking them as most do. It is engaging them and owning them leading to an empowerment like nothing else one can experience.

When a person begins the process of communion with the self for authentication, they
begin the process of what Paul Tillich writes as discovering their courage to be. It’s this courage that then is expressed in the selfless acts of love towards God and others. One is no longer bound by the cares and concerns of one’s own pathologies but is given away to the liberation of God’s Spirit and empowered to live abundantly. Faithful is the God who gives life, and so He will also be faithful to make your life a fruitful one. The courage to be
begins with the courage to live God’s life or purposeful death. It is the sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving, the bearing of one’s cross, the suffering of the saints leading to the redemption of the soul. To become one’s authentic self means learning to die while living.

Remember to live is Christ, but to die is Gain.

Dr. Lorenzo T Neal

The CBC and the Admission of Guilt

While speaking at a town hall meeting at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan on Tuesday, US Representative Maxine Waters of California admitted that she along with other members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) are tired of defending President Obama while he continues to neglect the needs and state of Black Americans. The “For the People” Jobs Initiative Tour is being sponsored by the CBC and includes US Reps Waters, Emmanuel Cleaver, the CBC president. Waters stated “Let me tell you why. We don‘t put pressure on the president because ya’ll love the president. You love the president. You’re very proud…to have a black man [in the White House] …First time in the history of the United States of America. If we go after the president too hard, you’re going after us.” Her remarks were mixed with cheers and jeers from the largely black audience at the job fair and town hall meeting hosted by the CBC. Mark Hicks of the Detroit News reported that the meeting turned heated at times as some residents debated government spending, bank lending, bipartisan bickering and the disproportionate effects of the economy on minorities.  She added that she couldn’t understand why Obama’s Midwest tour does not include any black communities. The unemployment rate for Blacks is just over 16% far above the national rate of just over 9%. This is even more difficult to accept as Obama will take another 10 day vacation in Martha’s Vineyard. It is sending a clear message that President Obama is not in touch with the people no matter how much the media tries to spin it.

From this reaction in Detroit, it is clear that many Black Americans are suffering from post Obama election syndrome. They were promised change, and they are receiving the change that only liberals in government can give. These people were looking for an administration that presented itself as one that had the interest of the people at heart but are now realizing that the Obama administration is only interested in maintaining the status quo of government entitlements and keeping people in more oppression than in previous presidential administrations. What they have received however are more disaffection, higher unemployment, and a greater disenfranchisement from the very politicians they continue to elect to serve them a better deal or handout.

Rep. Waters’ admission sheds light on two major things. The first is that the CBC has realized that even with a person of color in office, they are still left out of the major political game. They have spent the last three decades attempting to assimilate into a government that really does not want their full participation unless they compromise their integrity and values to draw votes for a partisan agenda. I know that may come across as harsh but it is the truth. I don’t want to slight what individual CBC members are doing for their constituents but overall, it is nothing more than a shell game for the Democrats. It is an admission that the CBC is guilty of being the real “Uncle Toms” and forfeiting the needs and concerns of the people for the votes and favors of the DNC. The CBC as an entity is guilty of being the real sell outs to their communities and their people.

The second thing is that black people are more educated about what’s really happening in the country politically than the Democratic party wants to admit. The DNC and CBC can no longer spew nonsensical rhetoric through black media outlets as they once could. Blacks are actually listening to conservative black voices like Thomas Sowell, Michelle Malkin and organizations like the Frederick Douglass Foundation. The CBC is guilty of going with the spin of a pro-Obama media that neglects the authenticity of counter thoughts among Black Americans. They are guilty of being cover-ups for the reality that is plaguing Black America. This cover up and defending of progressives and liberal lies is what has Maxine Waters and others like her tired. They are running out of excuses for Obama and his policies. They can no longer hold their frustration because they realize that
their livelihood is also at stake.

What is the conclusion to the matter? It is simply this. Black Americans must once again find their voice to speak gainst the oppression this administration is continuing. While Obama and his eam of media hype men attempt to promote a message of stability and rogressive change for Americans, Blacks must read through it and see the eality of a President carrying out a progressive liberal agenda that is not ully inclusive for people of color. The real change must occur in the polls as lacks turn their frustrations into votes. These votes cannot be for the same eople they must be for authentic change for Black Americans.
From The Detroit News: http://detnews.com/article/20110817/METRO01/108170367/Thousands-connect-with-employers-at-Detroit-fair#ixzz1VK98cn9r

Dr. Lorenzo T Neal

Personal Mission Statement

As a pastor and an individual, I am all about self and community empowerment. In the more recent history, I’ve been learning that just knowing scripture isn’t enough to accomplish purpose. I know for some that is a terrible thing to say. Life is full of more than just what we read in the scriptures, but all of those are enhanced and grounded through and by scripture.  I learned one thing from studying and analyzing successful businesses: They have a mission statement that everyone knows and can carry out. This means that everyone in the business from the janitors to the CEO knows that the success or failure of that company rests in how internalized the mission statement is.

When I started my doctoral coursework earlier this year, one of the first things we had to do was write a personal and professional mission statement. Some think this should be a breeze for a pastor,  but I found it a difficult task. I spent time in prayer, meditation and reflection and an acronymn coined by my college BSU director came to my mind..my mission statement is to be R.E.A.L.

My mission is to be Relational, Encouraging, Authentic, and Loving. That sums up the entirety of my ministry and my professional career desires. I realize that is what every individual desires from themselves, God, and others. I’m so sold on this that I’ve even included it in the vision statement for the church I pastor.

Being REAL is a lofty mission goal with the added expense of death to selfish service and disenchanted destinies. If we earnestly desire our father’s goodness to mercifully accept us as we are, then we will do our best to present ourselves REAL to him and others we encounter throughout our life’s journey.

Dr. Lorenzo T Neal

Seminary/Grad School of the Week

Biola University/Talbot School of Theology

13800 Biola Ave.La Mirada, CA9063

1-562-903-6000     www.talbot.edu

Dr. Dennis R Dirks, Dean

Mission

The Mission of Talbot School of Theology is the development of disciples of Jesus Christ whose thought processes, character and lifestyles reflect those of our Lord, and who are dedicated to disciple making throughout the world

Talbot School of Theology is a theologically conservative, evangelical seminary in Southern California near Los Angeles. With almost a 60-year heritage of biblical fidelity, the seminary couples solid evangelical scholarship with intentional character development to prepare students for a lifetime of relevant, effective ministry. The seminary’s six master’s degree programs and three doctoral degree programs are led by a faculty of nationally renowned, widely-published and actively engaged ministry leaders.

Biola University was founded on February 25, 1908 by the Rev. T.C. Horton and Lyman Stewart, founder of Union Oil Company, the non-denominational school offered degrees in Bible training, hosted the nation’s largest Christian magazine, The King’s Business, and aired the first Christian radio program west of the Mississippi, which later became known as The Biola Hour. Enrollment grew rapidly under the direction of Biola’s first dean, R.A. Torrey (1911–1925). Talbot was founded in 1952 by Dr. Louis T Talbot during his last year as President of Biola University as a three year accredited seminary to combat liberal Christian teachings that had plagued the church.

Talbot School of Theology is located in La Mirada, California, a Los Angeles County suburb ranked by Money Magazine as one of America’s 100 best places to live. Situated on the border of Los Angeles and Orange counties, the seminary is a matter of minutes from all that Southern California has to offer — including beaches, entertainment venues, cultural attractions and a wealth of diverse ministry opportunities.

Student Profile
1,235 total students

57% Caucasian
25% Asian
4% Hispanic
4% African-American
10% International

71% Male
29% Female

Faculty: 96% of full-time have doctorates

Campus: 96 acres, located in Southern California, approximately 20 miles from Los Angeles

Library Holding: Over 300,000 titles

Dr. Lorenzo T Neal