What is meant by "Social Rehabilitation"? The word,"Social",denotes and cannotes many things,while the meaning of "Rehabilitation" is fairly restrictive. However, for our purpose, let us restrictively define both.
Within this contect, "Social" means, "of or pertaining to the life and relation of human beings in a
community", and Rehabilitation" means, "to re-establish in good repute or accepted respectability, as a person or the character, name, ect., after disrepute."
The Importance of God's Word, Especially for Black People: The Bible records the story of God's drama of redemption. God's Redeemer is the Lord Jesus Crist, the Son of God, the Son of Man. Jesus' supreme act of redemption took place on a hill outside the city of Jerusalem called Calvary. There Jesus was criminally crucified on a cross for all humanity. He died for our sin and in our place. He died in order to bring humanity back into a right relationship with God our Creator. Since the Bible discloses God's message of redemption, it is obviously concerned with people-all people. For all people from every race and ethnic group of humanity need to be redeemed and thus need to hear and understand God's Word of redemption as it focused in Jesus. For all people have sinned and have fallen short of God's glory. Implicitly of explicitly it is revealed in the Bible that every group of people are included in God's redemption circle. So from its beginning to its end the Bible provides information about numerous nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues and about God's dealings with them. Of the many peoples who are mentioned and highlighted in the Scripture are Black people -- African peoples. They too are the object of God's redeeming grace. They too are vessels whom God uses to spread His message of redemption to the world. The people who seaches and study the Scripture will find that explicit Black people were genuine and pertinent members of the Biblical community of faith. In fact, the Old testament community of faith was Black in its roots! Black people lived under both the Old Covenant and the New Covenant. It is important especially for Black American people to appreciate the Black presence in the Scripture. It is important historically, because the Bible is history. It is recorded from God's prespective. And it is reliable history. Black people need to understand all Black history, including that which is revealed in the Bible. If we are ignorant of our history and heritage we will walk blindly into our future. And without keeping in our minds and hearts the spiritual and eternal dimentions of our history, our future forebodes a hopelessness which many of us would rather not face.
The Importance of God's Word, Especially for Black People: The Bible records the story of God's drama of redemption. God's Redeemer is the Lord Jesus Crist, the Son of God, the Son of Man. Jesus' supreme act of redemption took place on a hill outside the city of Jerusalem called Calvary. There Jesus was criminally crucified on a cross for all humanity. He died for our sin and in our place. He died in order to bring humanity back into a right relationship with God our Creator.
ReplyDeleteSince the Bible discloses God's message of redemption, it is obviously concerned with people-all people. For all people from every race and ethnic group of humanity need to be redeemed and thus need to hear and understand God's Word of redemption as it focused in Jesus. For all people have sinned and have fallen short of God's glory. Implicitly of explicitly it is revealed in the Bible that every group of people are included in God's redemption circle. So from its beginning to its end the Bible provides information about numerous nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues and about God's dealings with them.
Of the many peoples who are mentioned and highlighted in the Scripture are Black people -- African peoples. They too are the object of God's redeeming grace. They too are vessels whom God uses to spread His message of redemption to the world.
The people who seaches and study the Scripture will find that explicit Black people were genuine and pertinent members of the Biblical community of faith. In fact, the Old testament community of faith was Black in its roots! Black people lived under both the Old Covenant and the New Covenant.
It is important especially for Black American people to appreciate the Black presence in the Scripture. It is important historically, because the Bible is history. It is recorded from God's prespective. And it is reliable history. Black people need to understand all Black history, including that which is revealed in the Bible. If we are ignorant of our history and heritage we will walk blindly into our future. And without keeping in our minds and hearts the spiritual and eternal dimentions of our history, our future forebodes a hopelessness which many of us would rather not face.