To make our collective vocation the building and developing of our community in order to restore our people to their traditional greatness.

And in that spirit of Nia; I’d like to share this important article written by Dr. Adam Clark.

CHRISTIANITY AND KWANZAA
By Dr. Adam Clark
(originally posted on The Huffington Post)

It’s strange that the day after Christians celebrate the birth of child who was to become a liberator that they fail to see the liberating possibilities in the week long celebration of Kwanzaa (Dec. 26-Jan. 1.) The infancy narratives in Matthew and Luke portray Jesus as the bearer of concrete longings of a people for freedom from Roman rule. Kwanzaa was created out of the liberation narrative of the 1960s. The longing of African American people for freedom, selfhood and beauty grounds and shapes the vision, values and practices of Kwanzaa. It is derived from African first-fruits harvest celebrations and encourages it’s observers to be thankful for good and beauty of Creation and act for the well-being and wholeness of the world.

Despite its ecumenical character, Kwanzaa remains controversial in black churches. Many popular websites professing to explore the relationship between Christianity and Kwanzaa encourage Christians not to practice Kwanzaa. These websites question the relevance of Kwanzaa to the atoning work of Jesus Christ. Some regard Kwanzaa as a rival “pagan holiday,” “cultic celebration” or as idol worship. Others question the motives of the creator of Kwanzaa, Maulana Karenga, who is cast as an anti-Christian thinker, hostile to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. These religious detractors position themselves as defenders of the faith and see their attacks on Kwanzaa as a way of preserving biblical faith against the unbiblical principles of Kwanzaa.

What’s ironic is that the people who denounce Kwanzaa do not have the same suspicion toward the celebration of Christmas. There is a sharp distinction between the biblical portrayal of Christmas and its contemporary emphases. Christmas Day originated when the church used the stories of the birth of Jesus to place a thin Christian veneer over the Roman holiday celebrating the Winter solstice. The American celebration of Christmas that features Santa Claus as its chief icon, lighted trees, shopping rituals, massive food grabs and spectacular gift giving resemble the festivals of Imperial Rome that honored the might of Caesar more than the humble story of a couple that gave birth to a Christ-child in a manger.

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Walter Hawkins

When I reflect on the reason for those feelings, I have to go back to my youth. Being forced to go to church like many as a child, I was there Sunday after Sunday because I didn’t have a choice. I did what children do in church during the service and afterward anxiously awaited going home to play with my friends. The rule of the house was clearly, ‘no church’, ‘no play’. Well that was motivation enough for a child with a child-like mindset.

Well one Sunday, I couldn’t really say when, but the choir began singing something other than what I considered ‘old people music’. Specifically hymns and old gospel songs that I couldn’t really relate to. I wanted to be a part of that. I joined the choir by choice at a young age and grew up in the choirs of my local church from youth to my adult years. Walter Hawkins and the music he produced and recorded was a huge part of that. I can say unequivocally that Walter Hawkins music is where I first fell in love with the Lord Jesus Christ. After all those years of church services, bible study, Sunday school, I fell in love with Jesus singing the songs of Walter Hawkins which gave birth to loving the rich history of music of the black church at large.

I can vividly remember as I became older and getting a little job at Hochschild Kohn Department Store, purchasing my own albums (yes albums, not CDs) of Walter Hawkins. I would go home play them on the record player, grab my brush and sing into it like I was a part of the Love Alive Choir and surely a Hawkins family member on stage before thousands. His music touch me in places that I’d not experienced before. I could relate. Songs like, Changed, When the Battle Is Over, I Love You Lord, He’s That Kind Of Friend, Until I Found the Lord, There’s a War Going On, Goin’ Up Yonder, What Is This, Jesus Christ is the Way, I’m Going Away, I Won’t Be Satisfied, and God Has Signed My Name. Those songs, singing them, hearing and embracing the words began to develop in me a mind to want to know Jesus. I wanted to live the words of the songs I was singing about. I began to listen more intently in church to the preached word now and my journey of loving Jesus and wanting to be like Him soared. That was a lot of years ago for me now. I am so grateful for the life and ministry of Walter Hawkins. His ministry through song is what God used to get my attention and cause me to FALL IN LOVE with HIM. It truly was about attraction to Jesus the Christ and not about the promotion of Walter Hawkins.

It was not only my testimony but even that of my family unit. As I matured, my family and I discovered we were blessed with some fair vocals and talented, gifted and anointed musicians as well. We had our little family group and began singing in local churches and events. Walter Hawkins music amongst many were those that we sang. We didn’t try to imitate the Hawkins family, that would’ve been out and out wrong and a health risk for many of us truthfully. I probably wouldn’t be able to speak today if I tried to do what Tramaine, Lynette and Walter and others in his music ministry did, but I tried to do my little bit. It was a joy to just minister through song and hopefully cause someone to yield to the saving grace and knowledge of Jesus the Christ. That helped me close my eyes at night knowing I had done the will of the Father.

If you don’t have in your musical collection any of the Hawkins music, let me encourage you to go get a CD of Walter Hawkins music ministry soon. His ministry in song still moves you to want to be better, do better, give more, love more, to be a blessing rather than look for one all the time.

Walter Hawkins was a living testimony to the scripture ‘”Your gift will make room for you”. He has gone from labor to reward and his attributes are many. Surely he was an American singer and pastor. He is credited with 116 songs that topped or found their way on the Gospel Billboard charts. He won 3 Dove Awards and was nominated for nine Grammy’s, winning one. He has helped musicians, aspiring songwriters and producers probably in the thousands. There are many other awards and accolades that I’m sure he earned and will be remembered for, but for me I will always remember him for being the vessel by which I began my love affair with Jesus the Christ. One can never forget their first anything and Walter’s death impacts me so much because the first memory I have of surrendering my life over to the will and care of God is connected to his ministry through song. I can’t think of any of his many honors that top that.

I send my heartfelt condolences to the Hawkins family.

Mahalia Jackson sang many years before you Walter, “If I can help somebody as I pass along, then my living is not in vain”. Rest In Peace Walter Jamie Hawkins, Sr., your living was not in vain and I am here to bear witness to the impact your ministry had on my life at a very young age and to this very day!!