Was Jesus An Uncle Tom?
Preaching
Shaking Wolves Out Of Cherry Trees
And 149 Other Sermon Ideas
Purpose Statement: Are the teachings of Jesus too passive and unworkable?
Another message, L-2, raises the concerns that Christianity is seen as too effeminate and better suited for women and children, a serious mistake. I believe the definition of an Uncle Tom is one who acquiesces into a doormat, not wanting to disturb the status quo or rock the boat. Uncle Tom's Cabin, written in 1852 by Harriet Beecher Stowe, is a misunderstood anti-slavery novel.
a. Uncle Tomism is not confined to an ethnic thing. The connotation we unfortunately attribute to Uncle Tom is that of a person who is not willing to stand up and be counted. It connotes one who says all the things we want to hear and not what we need to hear. Uncle Tom is as passive and inoffensive as possible. This bowing and scraping to ingratiate can be found in most relationships where there is difference of status: employer/employee, sergeant/private, teacher/student, and so forth. This is the negative side.
b. Uncle Tom is a timing thing. The positive side is that the posture, sometimes mistaken for backwardness and fear, may be appropriate at one time and not others. Uncle Tom, of the novel, was in a position where resistance at the time was useless. The numbers and power were stacked against him. It was timing also for Jesus. He left the city at night (Matthew 21:17) during Holy Week so as to avoid arrest. He wasn't running away, but timing his arrest, trial, and death for the right moment.
c. Uncle Tom was not weak. I understood his character in the novel to be a loving and compassionate person. Under horrible conditions of slavery, where persons have no dignity and respect, Uncle Tom did not hate or seek retaliation. He was kind and generous and peaceful. The general usage of "Uncle Tom" is a misnomer. It would be more accurate to say "Uncle Clarence Thomas" today to imply what we generally mean. It takes great strength of character to be loving and forgiving in situations such as Uncle Tom found himself. Uncle Tom today might be a DuBois, Malcolm X, or Martin Luther King.
d. We shouldn't confuse Uncle Tom and Jesus. One could say Uncle Tom tried to live as Jesus taught, but not that Uncle Tomism was anything like the epitome of Christianity. Turning the other cheek and loving enemies (Luke 6:27-29) is not weak, but requires courageous strength.
(Note: African-Americans have a legitimate concern over the novel because it is not possible for a white person, such as Stowe, to appreciate fully a slave's experiences and feelings.)
Another message, L-2, raises the concerns that Christianity is seen as too effeminate and better suited for women and children, a serious mistake. I believe the definition of an Uncle Tom is one who acquiesces into a doormat, not wanting to disturb the status quo or rock the boat. Uncle Tom's Cabin, written in 1852 by Harriet Beecher Stowe, is a misunderstood anti-slavery novel.
a. Uncle Tomism is not confined to an ethnic thing. The connotation we unfortunately attribute to Uncle Tom is that of a person who is not willing to stand up and be counted. It connotes one who says all the things we want to hear and not what we need to hear. Uncle Tom is as passive and inoffensive as possible. This bowing and scraping to ingratiate can be found in most relationships where there is difference of status: employer/employee, sergeant/private, teacher/student, and so forth. This is the negative side.
b. Uncle Tom is a timing thing. The positive side is that the posture, sometimes mistaken for backwardness and fear, may be appropriate at one time and not others. Uncle Tom, of the novel, was in a position where resistance at the time was useless. The numbers and power were stacked against him. It was timing also for Jesus. He left the city at night (Matthew 21:17) during Holy Week so as to avoid arrest. He wasn't running away, but timing his arrest, trial, and death for the right moment.
c. Uncle Tom was not weak. I understood his character in the novel to be a loving and compassionate person. Under horrible conditions of slavery, where persons have no dignity and respect, Uncle Tom did not hate or seek retaliation. He was kind and generous and peaceful. The general usage of "Uncle Tom" is a misnomer. It would be more accurate to say "Uncle Clarence Thomas" today to imply what we generally mean. It takes great strength of character to be loving and forgiving in situations such as Uncle Tom found himself. Uncle Tom today might be a DuBois, Malcolm X, or Martin Luther King.
d. We shouldn't confuse Uncle Tom and Jesus. One could say Uncle Tom tried to live as Jesus taught, but not that Uncle Tomism was anything like the epitome of Christianity. Turning the other cheek and loving enemies (Luke 6:27-29) is not weak, but requires courageous strength.
(Note: African-Americans have a legitimate concern over the novel because it is not possible for a white person, such as Stowe, to appreciate fully a slave's experiences and feelings.)
