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RELIGION
9A
THURSDAY
May 27.1993
N.C. Man Assumes Chavis’ Post
; Insights
• JOHN ADAMS
The Bible's
Antidote For
Depression
ven though
depression
is not spe
cifically
mentioned
In the
Bible, there
is no doubt
that an antidote for depres
sive behavior patterns can be
found by reading the scrip
ture. Previously called me
lancholia, depression is a
worldwide phenomena affect
ing individuals of all ages (in
cluding infants) and races.
Depression is: (1) sadness
accompanied with pessimism
and hopelessness: (2) apathy
that makes it difficult to "get
going" or face decisions and
(3) low self esteem coupled
with self-criticism, feelings
of guilt, shame and loss of
concentration.
The Bible’s answer for a de
pressive behavior pattern is
found in the right to exercise
our will. Mankind's soulish
makeup consists of mind,
will and emotion. Repeatedly,
the Bible shows us that we
have a right to decide how we
will react to what we feel.
What has happened to us is
not the problem; rather how
we respond to what has hap
pened to us determines the
outcome of our behavior. We
have a will. Either we can
choose to be depressed or we
- can choose not to be de-
■ pressed.
, When we decide that we are
■ not going to think about what
' was done or said about us, a
force called "will power"
takes over. Anyone can feel
; anyway he chooses to feel.
But when one makes the
choice to react differently
than what is normally ex
pected, God gives him the
power to do so when that
choice is made.
Isaiah 61:3 gives the anti
dote that is essential for over
coming depression. We are
told in this passage, in so
many words, to put on the
garment of praise for the
spirit of heaviness. Only a
bom again individual can ap
preciate praising and boast
ing about the goodness of God
when he does not feel like do
ing such. As a believer In Je
sus Christ, I have found that
the true way to overcome de
pression is by praising and
worshipping God. No one can
talk about the goodness of
God and remain sad at the
same time.
Far too many of our songs
in the black church keep us
depressed. We sing more
about our troubles, sorrows
and death than we sing unto
the Lord. The Bible lets us
know that God does not bring
the depression. God is not
sad. He does not have the
blues.
Those of us who are his chil
dren should not be sad. The
h3nnnlst William Cowper suf
fered from melancholy de
pression because he believed
God was trying to kill him. In
the process of trying to ac
commodate the God that he
thought was against him, he
found out Instead that God
rescued him from suicide.
Cowper then wrote "God
Moves In Mysterious Ways."
We may not fully agree with
Cowper's title, but we have to
admit that God was for Cow
per, not against him. God is
for you, seek Him if you are
depressed.
CLEVELAND-A North Caro
lina pastor and son of share
croppers has been named in
terim executive director of
the Commission for Racial
Justice, a national body of
the United Church of Christ.
Rev. Leon White, 61, will
assume the post while the
commission seeks a perma
nent replacement for the
Rev. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr.,
who has served as executive
director since 1985. Chavis,
named executive director of
the National Association for
the Advancement of Colored
People in April, will contin
ue to work part-time at the
commission until his tenure
officially ends July 31.
White will head an agency
that has left its mark on the
civil rights movement. The
commission's work, well
known outside the 1.6 mil
lion-member United Church
of Christ, has ranged from
voter registration drives to
the widely publicized urban
gang leaders' summit held
April 29-May 2 in Kansas
City. White is the commis
sion's "mission interpreta
tion" association, based in
Manson.
White's roots were In the
Afro-Chrlstian churches of
the South, one of the tradi
tions that formed the United
Church of Christ in 1957.
"My grandfather, when he
came out of slavery, founded
the church that would be
come the Saints’ Delight
United Church of Christ in
Loulsburg," White says.
White traces his calling
back to the age of 14 when, at
a Christian camp meeting In
North Carolina, a minister
preached on Luke 4:18. "The
text was. The spirit of the
Lord is upon me, because he
has anointed me to peach the
good news to the poor,' "
White remembers. "I left that
meeting certain that my life
would be ministry. I didn't
know then it was going to be a
ministry of liberation. It
wasn't until years later that I
realized upon reflection that I
had always been moving in
that direction."
During his freshman year at
Elizabeth City State Teacher's
College, a small congregation
in rural North Carolina called
White to serve as pastor. After
graduating with a degree in
elementary education, he con
tinued to work as a pastor and
school teacher. He later
earned a master of divinity
degree from Shaw Divinity
School in Raleigh.
A defining moment in
White's ministry of liberation
came in 1968, when a court de
cided to execute Marie Hill, a
16-year-old African Ameri
can girl, in North Carolina's
gas chamber. "The trial was
only 40 miles from my home,"
White remembers. "If it hadn’t
been for that death sentence, I
wouldn't be where I am today."
Hill was eventually released
after serving 10 years in pris
on.
In 1970, White, active in the
United Church's Commission
for Racial Justice, asked a
young university graduate
named Ben Chavis to Join the
SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON
'The Promise Of The Spirit"
Lesson Background:
he event we
W Ing in this
lesson took
place in the
^B^ upper
room,
was night,
and Jesus was with the elev
en apostles. Judas had al
ready gone out to tell the
chief priests where they
might find Him. Soon Jesus
would be arrested, bound,
and led away to a mock trial
and execution. So now He
was speaking to the eleven
for the last time before His
death, and He knew this,
even If they did not.
The group had kept the
Passover, and Jesus had In
stituted the Lord's Supper.
Henceforth they were to
break the loaf and share the
cup in memory of Him. In
memory? What did He
mean? "Yet a little while I
am with you," Jesus said. He
was going away. When they
questioned Him about it. He
spoke of the Gather's house,
and said, "I go to prepare a
place for you".
Jesus knew that He was go
ing to His death, but the dis
ciples were puzzled. What
could these eleven, dis
traught, very ordinary men
do, without Jesus, to launch
a movement that would
sweep the world, a movement
that would engage the sup
port of some of the noblest,
the best, the most intellectu
al men and women of many
nations of all times? The re
sponsibility for all this was
to be thrust upon them. 'What
could they do?
If ye love me, keep my com
mandments. True love must
be expressed in word and in
deed. A short while earlier
this very evening, Jesus gave
His disciples a "new com
mandment" to "love one an
other." How can the Holy
Spirit of God possibly abide
in the midst of a people
where love is lacking? Or
with those who are willfully
disobedient?
Jesus encouraged the disci
ples not to be troubled over
His leaving, but urged them
to continue to believe in God
and in Him. He stated that
they could be assured that
their prayers would be an
swered. Here, now, is a fur
ther reason for a calm and
untroubled spirit. Jesus
would make request of the
Father, and He would send
them another Comforter to
help them. This Comforter
would be with them forever.
Jesus used the term para
clete, which can also mean
adviser, advocate of defend
er, and. In general, a helper.
The Holy Spirit would be an
other Comforter, doing for
the disciples what Jesus had
done while he was with
them.
The Spirit of truth. The
Spirit Is designated thus, be
cause He would guide them
into all truth, keeping them
from error as they communi
cated the good news of salva
tion, which God would have
all the world to know. There
was no New Testament at
this time, as the written
Word of God. Some of these
men would have a part in
writing It, led by the Spirit.
But for the time being, the
message would come from
the Ups of the disciples, in
spired by the Spirit.
The disciples would be
commission's field office in
North Carolina. 'The North
Carolina office turned to the
struggle of black students in
Integrated white school sys
tems," White said. "They were
trying to maintain their cul
ture while pursuing their ed
ucation."
But white hostility mount
ed against the organizers of
the black student movement.
In 1972, Chavis and nine
other activists were accused
in a fire-bombing of a gro
cery store in Wilmington.
The Wilmington 10 were con
victed and sentenced to a to
tal of 282 years in prison.
The case absorbed the ener
gies of the UCC, which cam
paigned to exonerate the ac
tivists. White led the
campaign and acted as pas
tor and counselor to the pris
oners and their families.
Chavis and the other acti
vists were released In 1981
after a federal court over
turned the convictions.
White was one of the first
African American leaders to
protest "environmental ra
cism" - the deUberate dump
ing of toxic wastes in minor
ity communities. In 1982,
residents of predominantly
black Warren County asked
the Commission for Racial
Justice to help them fight a
decision by the state to dump
tons of soil contaminated
with deadly PCBs near their
homes.
White led the protests.
Demonstrators repeatedly
attempted to form a human
chain to prevent trucks from
entering the dump site. 'White
fasted for 26 days in jail af
ter he was arrested. "Protests
continued for three weeks,
galvanizing the entire coun
try about this problem of
toxic-waste dumping in poor
communities," White said.
"Since then. North Carolina
has not been able to estab
lish a single toxic dump or
"If it
hadn't
been for
that death
sentence,
I wouldn't
be where I
am today."
Rev. Leon White
incinerator In the state. We
helped people understand
they could successfully resist
waste dumping in their
towns."
■White says his interim ap
pointment at the Commis
sion for Racial Justice will
center on "the issue of health
care and healing - both
physical and spiritual." The
commission's mandate, he
said, is to promote racial jus
tice and reconciliation."
"I really want to focus on
reconciliation," he added.
"To move forward toward
justice, we have to move to
gether, not only African
Americans, but also Hispan-
ics, whites. Native Ameri
cans and everyone else in our
society."
White's wife of 39 years,
Cleo Evans, is a retired
teacher.
The chairman of the com
mission, Rev. Dr. Edwin R.
Edmonds, describes White as
"the most capable and exper
ienced person available to
assume this Important lead
ership mantle during this In
terim administration."
crushed by the death of
Christ, as children would be
by the loss of father and
mother. But Jesus would re
turn to them— for forty days
after the resurrection, and
after that, in the Spirit, for
ever.
Jesus used language that
tugged at heartstrings when
He promised not to leave His
disciples "as orphans."
Christ does not forsake us,
leaving us without consola
tion, protection, and affir
mation. By the Holy Spirit,
He remains with us, comfort
ing and giving us peace
'beyond understanding."
On the morrow Jesus would
be crucified, and with the
sealing of His body in the
tomb, the world would see
Him for the last time until
the second coming. But ye see
me. The verb indicates con
tinued action. The disciples
would go on seeing Jesus—
visibly, for forty days until
the ascension, and with the
eyes of faith after that.
Because I live, ye shall live.
This is man's one certain
hope of immortality. Some
grasp for hope In the fact
that among all cultures there
is a concept of life beyond the
grave, a concept that must be
Heavenly Inspired. Perhaps
so. Others speak of the ine
qualities of life. Surely, be
yond the grave, all will be
made right, they think. Per
haps so. Others advance the
argument of the unfinished
life. Man's days may be cut
short. Can he not anticipate
a time of fulfillment? Per
haps. And that Is all we can
say for all of man's argu
ments for Immortallty--
perhaps.
Who's Saved?Part II
This Is A Paid Advertisement
I've sat along here of late
and asked, "Lord, who is
saved?" Let me say quite
frankly, if you want to turn
away, criticizing me and
picking the truth to pieces, it
is your soul at stake, not
mine! So many who pro
fessed to love the truth have
gone back. Oh, I plead with
you, don’t turn back. Don't
listen to Satan as he tells
you that Bro. Little is judg
ing. That's a trick of Satan
to keep you from believing
the truth I tell you! Some of
you here are caught up In
that trick of Satan's as of
late. Don't listen to him, my
friend, because your soul is
hanging in the balance. I'm
pleading for your soul, man.
Here are a man and a wom
an who stood by me for
years, but where are they
now? A little leaven leavens
the whole lump, and Satan
whispers in your ear that
I’m too hard and judging,
and soon he'll have you be
lieving every lie out of Hell
on me. And then you are de
feated.
There are some here that
carmot come to Christ now:
It's too late. You swallowed
the bait of Satan whole. You
failed to give heed to the
things that you heard (He
brews 2:1). I'll warn you, as I
did In 1972, there Is no such
thing as turning down the
truth under one servant of
the Lord and going to anoth
er servant of the Lord and
receiving the truth and be
ing saved. God's truth Is the
same; If you will not have
the truth from me, you will
not have it from someone
else.
I praise the Lord that God's
servant, L.R. Shelton, didn’t
compromise one hair's
breadth with me. If he had I
never would have been
saved. Just recently, I quot
ed from a letter that Bro.
Shelton wrote me when I
was under Holy Spirit Con
viction, it stated in part:
"Bro. Little, we appreciate
your letters each week tell
ing us how the Lord is deal
ing with your heart, but you
must look to Christ or go to
Hell." Practically every one
here who heard me took is
sue with Bro. Shelton being
true to my soul in that let
ter. And that is the line of
demarcation!
When you take issue with
a servant of the Lord being
true to a sinner, it reveals
that you missed Christ! I
praise the Lord for that
man. They said Bro. Shel
ton was mean, hard, cruel,
and was always judging.
Well, then I want to be just
like Shelton. You have al
ready said that about me. It
is your soul that Is at stake,
not J.M. Little's. Now you
think on your way. If you
know Christ, then you and I
can rejoice in the Lord.
One day back in the '80s, I
was sitting in the home of a
man talking with him and
his wife. And I was just ex
pressing some things out of
the abundance which the
Lord had taught me. The
wife in that home said:
'You are not to judge: the
Lord is to do the judging,
not you!" That statement
hit me like a bolt of light
ning. You see, I had believed
up until then that the wom
an was saved. But It was
clear then that she had
missed Holy Spirit Convic
tion. Oh, the sadness of it
all!
J. M. Uttle