Principality means government and when the power of those in earthly authority become corrupt and engage in the oppression of the people they are sworn to serve they represent �spiritual wickedness in high places�. God is and has always been the God of the oppressed. According to Rev. James Halcone, the dynamic intellectual theologian from Arkansas, �The Black theologian must reject any conception of God which stifles Black self-determination by picturing God as a God of all peoples. Either God is identified with the oppressed to the point that their experience becomes God�s experiences, or God is a God of racism� The Blackness of God means that God has made the oppressed condition God�s own condition. This is the essence of the Biblical revelation. By electing Israelite slaves as the people of God and by becoming the Oppressed One in Jesus Christ, the human race is made to understand that God is known where human beings experience humiliation and suffering� Liberation is not an afterthought, but the very essence of divine activity.� From A Black Theology of Liberation (63-64)
If when Moses entered Egypt to speak the truth to Pharaoh he concerned himself more with being �politically correct� than carrying out the mandate given to him by God, Pharaoh would have undoubtedly overcome him. It is the duty of the man of God to do the work of God on earth and that work must be done without compromise or apology. Far too many of those of us who profess to love and follow Christ have opted to integrate into the wickedness of the world that God hates and has promised to destroy. In all actuality Jesus Christ was a revolutionary and he brought a revolutionary message, in a nutshell he implores those who would follow him to stop living on the low levels that they are living on and become an heir to what he is (the kingdom of heaven). Those who are in power and have authority are afraid of his message as they believe it to be a threat to their power; hence a plot is developed to crucify him.
A recent CBS news headline announced that Barack Obama has a new clergy problem and pointed to Catholic Priest Michael Pflager�s parody of Hillary Clinton, mocking what many perceive as her racist entitlement mentality supported by white working class voters who hold on to the mind-set that any white person would be more acceptable than Barack Obama. In political jargon this is known as the �Bradley Effect�, a study of the Los Angeles Mayoral election of Ed Bradley which showed after a careful analysis of the polling statistics and political agendas that some white people were willing to vote against their own interest because of narcissistic xenophobia that forces them to vote based on racial considerations, instead of qualities like competence, integrity and honesty. Mr. Pflager has a right to preach what he believes to be the truth and his comments have unfairly been linked to Senator Obama, but that is the way of politics. The way of God is not concerned with political considerations. The concern of the righteous servant of God is only �thus sayeth the Lord� and let the chips fall where the may.
Black people in America have a unique experience with oppression, hatred, terror, injustice, inequality, and dehumanization, unparalleled by any people in recorded history. It is only our steadfast belief that God is with us that has allowed us to make it this far.
The Black Church is the last bastion of resistance to the devil�s power to rule this world. It is our faith in God that brought us through chattel slavery; it was our faith that God is with us that have us the courage to standup to the segregationist water hoses, police dogs, and batons in our battle to gain Civil Rights. Now is not the time to put God on the back burner and make nice with those that would have us follow them into the lake of fire or pit of hell promised to the followers of the beast in Biblical prophesy. The Black Church must continue in the tradition of liberation theology laid down by the prophets of God and righteous Ministers like Richard Allen (co-founder of the A.M.E. Church), Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and Rev. Jeremiah Wright. And remember always that God is bigger than politics.