This Thing of Ours, Again

You know I couldn't make reference to Godfather I without doing due diligence and giving Godfather II its due. I am always torn between which of the two movies was the best. I generally rank them as 1A and 1B on the list of greatest movies I have ever seen (Godfather III is a pitiful, poor imitation of the first two). In Godfather II, Michael Corleone picks up La Cosa Nostra where his father Vito Corleone left off. I too would like to pick up where I last left off.

In 2003 I had the unique privilege of delivering the Pastoral Address at the Bethlehem Pastors Conference in Minneapolis MN. Having met John Piper a couple of years prior, and having been duly impressed with his heart for God's glory and his passion for racial harmony, I was more than eager to be a part of the Bethlehem Conference. It was a time I will never forget. Not only did I have opportunity to spend more time talking and sharing with Piper, but I also shared the platform with two other wonderful and affable Christians, Sinclair Ferguson and Philemon Yong. Getting to know them was well worth the trip to Minnesota.
Also, I worked at Ligonier Ministries for 5 years during my time at Seminary. I learned much and became more impressed with the labors of RC Sproul and how diligently he works to maintain the theological and practical integrity of Ligonier Ministries. Both John Piper and RC Sproul have been and continue to be encouragements to me and my ministry, as well as to my family. However, as I continue to consider This Thing of Ours, I am inclined to suggest to you that my excitement for Bethlehem and Ligonier has been displaced by some of our own things.

I have never been asked to speak at Ligonier's National Conference, and I may never again be asked to speak at Bethlehem's Conference for Pastors. Yet, I am not waiting by my phone at night or watching my mailbox for such invitations. If they come, I will, needless say, probably respond in the affirmative. Yet, I remain unimpressed with the possibilities. However, I am overly enthusiastic about the prospect of speaking at New Life Bible Conference in June and Miami's Pastor's Conference in November. You see, while Ligonier and Bethlehem have much to offer me, New Life and Miami has much to offer our churches. Not only do they have much to offer in content, but they also are positioned to make significant contributions in the way of example. These conferences are our conferences in the sense that they are developed by us, designed by us, funded by us, and therefore should be supported by us. They demonstrate that not only can we do our own thing, but we can do it well. Yet, it is not only conferences that I have in mind when I say "our own thing."

As one who has had the fortune of having a book published by a reputable publisher, I know how hard it is to get these Christian publishers to invest in your work. If your name is not RC Sproul, John Piper, or Rick Warren you will find many doors closed, though your material is well worth publishing and would be beneficial to the faith. This is particularly true for Black authors. The amount of Christian Black authors at companies like P&R, Crossway, and Multnomah could easily be counted on your hands. This is not to only point the finger at P&R, Crossway, and Multnomah because few big name Christian publishers have evangelical African-Americans within their stable of authors (IVP may be the lone exception, having made an intentional effort to publish books for and by African-Americans, also Moody has done a good job at publishing Tony Evans, but we seen how far Tony's theology has falling of late). Most of these companies see no immediate personal interest in investing in issues that may only speak to the predominantly African-American church. It would not enhance their bottom line, nor do they believe it would serve their perceived clientele. What should be our response to this?
Well, here's a suggestion I believe you can't refuse. While we may continue to pursue publication with these companies, I am inclined to believe that we need to begin publishing ventures of our own. I know too many Reformed Black brothers and sisters who have much to contribute but have few significant avenues for publishing their thoughts and ideas. We could not only serve ourselves and the predominantly black church by making books by Reformed African-Americans more accessible, but we would also serve the greater Christian community as well. We would be making this worthwhile material available to them and make them aware of what they have been so passively neglecting. We can not continue to look to the majority Reformed Christianity to answer and address all our questions. We must seek to address and answer those questions ourselves. We must seek to make those answers available to all, particularly to all of our own. If we refuse this suggestion, we will have only ourselves to blame for the horseheads :-).