Author: Dr. Celucien Joseph

Honoring Christ on Social Media Venues

Dr. Celucien Joseph Uncategorized

Just a little word of admonition:

 

How’s your rhetoric in different social media venues advancing the kingdom of God in society,  glorifying God in Christ, fostering love in public, & uniting the various expressions of the body of Christ?

If it is not accomplishing (or will not fulfill) any of these goals, think twice about what you intend to post online and how you interact with people on social media.

God should also be exalted and treasured in our thinking, public interactions, and our actions in the public sphere. If you’re doubtful that Christ will not be honored through your public interaction with individuals, just don’t do it.

The goal of the Christian mind is to savor Christ and  exalt the Triune God in all things. Whatever you do and think and whenever you act, think, act, and do it all to the glorious fame and praise of the Triune God in the world.

A Prayer for National Healing and a Wounded Nation!

Dr. Celucien Joseph Uncategorized

A Prayer for National Healing and a Wounded Nation!

prayer

Lord: We pray in this way for holistic healing and restoration of this nation:
where there’s hate, grant us us love.
where there’s despair, give us hope.
where there’s division, grant us unity.
where there’s chaos, give us peace.
where there’s isolation, grant us community.
where there’s sin, give us repentance.
where there’s retaliation, grant us forgiveness.
where there’s vengeance, grant us reconciliation.
Amen!

GRACE AND DISCIPLESHIP

Dr. Celucien Joseph Uncategorized

GRACE AND DISCIPLESHIP

I am reading for a second time, The Cost of Discipleship by German Theologian and Pastor, Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Bonhoeffer got a good picture of what it means to follow Christ, the meaning of the cross of Christ, Cheap Grace vs costly grace, and finally the relationship between the disciple and his master. I remember reading that book for a New Testament Theology class at Southern Seminary. The cost of discipleship has revolutionized my understanding of the cross and discipleship. For example, Bonhoeffer wrote, “When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.” Furthermore, he comments on the “Grace of God,” “Cheap grace is the deadly enemy of our Church. We are fighting today for costly grace. Cheap grace means grace as a doctrine, a principle, a system. It means forgiveness of sins proclaimed as a general truth, the love of God taught as the Christian ‘conception’ of God” (45). Contemporary Christianity has lost the biblical vision of discipleship and the sacrifices involved in following Christ. Moreover, Bonhoeffer makes the following observations:

“Cheap grace means the justification of sin without the justification of the sinner. Grace alone does everything they say, and so everything can remain as it was before. ‘All for sin could not atone.’ Well, then, let the Christian live like the rest of the world, let him model himself on the world’s standards in every sphere of life, and not presumptuously aspire to live a different life under grace from his old life under sin. That was the heresy of the enthusiasts, the Anabaptists and their kind….” (46)

THE CALL TO DISCIPLESHIP

“The call goes forth, and is at once followed by the response of obedience. …. It displays not the slightest interest in the psychological reason for a man’s religious decisions. And why? For the simple reason that the cause behind the immediate following of call by response is Jesus Christ Himself.” (61)

“Christianity without discipleship is always Christianity without Christ. It remains an abstract idea, a myth which has a place for the Fatherhood of God, but omits Christ as the living Son. … There is trust in God, but no following of Christ.” ( 64)

“If we would follow Jesus we must take certain definite steps. The first step, which follows the call, cuts the disciple off from his previous existence. … The first step places the disciple in the situation where faith is possible. If he refuses to follow and stays behind, he does not learn how to believe.” (66-67)

The book is very challenging, dealing with the ethics and implications of biblical discipleship.

The Light of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the Narrative and Despair of American White Supremacy

Dr. Celucien Joseph Uncategorized

The Gospel of Jesus Christ and the Narrative and Despair of American White Supremacy

I’m deeply saddened by what’s going on in our contemporary society: the reemergence and violence of White supremacist groups and hate groups, especially in Charlottesville, Virginia. The level of human despair and quest for hope has heightened in our culture. Hope grounded in hate not love and false human identity is no hope at all. It can never cure the deep wound in our hearts and bridge the walls that divides us as bearers of the Imago Dei.

Human hatred and the idea that a particular race is the apex of human history and universal civilization, articulated through the right of free speech, demonstration, and expression, defeat (American) democratic values that promote human justice, love, interdependence, and equality among all people, ethnicity, and races.

For those of us who are true followers of Jesus, we must resist this form of human arrogance and dispell this present (racial and cultural) darkness in our contemporary society and culture with the light of the Gospel and the love of God in Christ Jesus, the Prince of Peace.

Just like any other human sins, white supremacy is a form of human depravity that belittles the significance of the image of God in other races and boldly contradicts the gospel of Christ that calls people from all nations, people groups, ethnic groups, and all human races to form a new human race in Christ and to follow the Jesus Way of life.

The Burning Torch of White Supremacists in our society  is a false light and of the devil.  Jesus Christ is the true Light of humanity and culture. His followers must shine brightly in deep corners of cultural contradicrions and misconceptions and human darkness.

The light of the Gospel of God in Christ Jesus contradicts the narrative, message, and arrogance of American White Supremacists. Biblical Christianity has no room for human hatred, retaliation, and darkness.

Followers of Jesus must not embrace White supremacy, promote its message, and support its ideals. It is the Antithesis of the Gospel.  The Gospel is the power of God that interrogates all human sins, arrogance, and pride; its transformative power lies in the disruptive and liberative love and peace of God.

The supremacy we should celebrate is the overarching supremacy of Christ over all things including all cosmic powers and human authorities, all spheres of influence and guilds of hegemony,  both visible and invisible, earthly and heavenly.

Let’s pray fervently for repentance, forgiveness, unity, and reconciliation in our culture.

The Americanization of Racial Unity and Racial Harmony Discourse in American Christianity: A Few Questions to Consider

Dr. Celucien Joseph Christian Hope, Uncategorized
 The Americanization of Racial Unity and Racial Harmony Discourse in American Christianity: A Few Questions to Consider
Contemporary conversations on (the imperative of) racial unity and harmony in American Churches and Christian circles exclude other Christians in America who are not African American and White American Christians. The traditional black-white binary in American Christianity and American Evangelicalism is not adequate and efficient for contemporary American Christianity because of the emergence of other minority groups within Christianity in America. The traditional conversation about race relations in American Christianity has silenced the voice and contributions of non-Black and White Christians living in America, who are also belonged to a “minority” Christian group.
Perhaps, we should consider this important question in this regard:
Why is the discourse on race relations and the call for racial unity in American Christianity and Evangelical Christianity focused on the relationship between White American Christians and African American Christians?
The Bible provides a more comprehensive vision of diversity and unity within the body of Christ then what is patterned in American Evangelical churches and Christian circles. It seems to me other ethnic and minority groups representative of American Christianity are completely left out of the conversation about race and Christianity, and the necessity of racial harmony within American Christianity.
For example, where does the non-American black Christians (i.e. Jamaican Christians, Haitian Christians, Nigerian Christians ) and Hispanic/Asian Christians (i.e. Mexican Christians, Cuban Christians, Puertorican Christians) who live and practice their faith in the United States fit into the project of racial unity and harmony in the twenty-first century American Christianity?
Still, “race talks” among Christians are still Americentric and that American Christians do not make appropriate spaces for non-American Christians who are also victims of racial prejudice in the United States and deeply affected by the “Segregated Sunday” hour.
To achieve genuine racial unity and reconciliation in American Churches, American (Evangelical) Christians would have to de-Americanize the message of the Gospel and broaden their understanding on the discourse of race beyond the American Christian borders (On the other hand, I understand the value of contextualization and cultural appropriation) and embrace a more inclusive biblically-centered theological anthropology and theological ecclesiology, and a biblical theology of ethnicity, race, and unity. God’s vision for diversity and unity in the Church is beyond the American-centered race discourse and Americancentric Gospel.
Just some thought!

A few Good Recommendations on Writing Well!

Dr. Celucien Joseph Uncategorized, Writing , ,

Is writing a craft or an art?

As a Professor of English Composition and Literature, I teach a writing course every semester and train my students how to write well and effectively, and with clarity, force, and precision.

People ask me all the time about good books on writing. Well, if you are looking for some good resources on the craft and art of writing, here are some recommendations.

Happy Writing!

 

May 28, 2017:Today is Mother’s Day in Haiti

Dr. Celucien Joseph Uncategorized , , ,
May 28, 2017: Today is Mother’s Day in Haiti
 
I would like to say Happy Mother’s Day to all Haitian Mothers. Mèsi ampil pou lavi.
 
I honor you today as I should do everyday, my wonderful, self-giving, and godly mother Hélène Joseph who loves me unreservedly and all of her seven children unconditionally.
 
You gave us life, taught us about life and the value of education, and instructed us in the ways of, wisdom, and 💘 love of God.
 
Mèsi ampil manman cherie.

God Will Win At the End….

Dr. Celucien Joseph Freedom, God, Humanism, Uncategorized , ,
God Will Win At the End….
The biggest problem with humanity in relation to God is not natural sin per se, but the control and pursue of sovereignty. God has an intended plan for everyone and humanity as a whole; therefore, he desires all individuals and all people to walk humbly before him and under his sovereign control.
On the other hand, man and woman have their own desires and plans that are somewhat autonomous and more often contrary to those of God. They want to pursue their own desires and objectives without any divine interference or external constraint. The desire for man and woman to live in isolation of God’s sovereign grace and sovereign will belittles the glory and majesty of God in the world. It is an act of dehumanization and human pride that challenges the authority of God and questions God’s loving-kindness.
The crisis between God and humanity is the passion to be (totally) autonomous and sovereign.  Human sovereignty apart from God’s tutelage is one of the gravest transgressions committed against God the Sovereign Lord and most Loving King.  While we human beings may act autonomously or long for sovereignty, which defies the pedagogy of God’s sacredness and glorious praise, God will ultimately win at the end.
When God is treasured in your heart more than your own craving desires to be mighty, you will be less resistant to act according to your own desires and less dependent on your own sovereignty and autonomy to be greater than God.

My Paper Abstract for Haitian Heritage Symposium

Dr. Celucien Joseph Uncategorized

Here’s the abstract of the paper I will be presenting tomorrow (Saturday, May 27) at the First Symposium on Haitian Heritage to be taken at the African American Research Library and Museum (Fort Lauderdale, Florida): 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Abstract

“Rethinking the Intellectual Foundation of the Haitian Revolution: A Letter for Freedom and Independence (July 1792)” 

         by Celucien L. Joseph, PhD
“In the field of Haitian Revolutionary Studies, the idea of general liberty and universal emancipation has been contested by a minority but powerful voices and historians. Particularly, some Haitianist historians have argued that the enslaved African population in the French colony of Saint-Domingue had not been preoccupied with an early notion of general emancipation and neither had the natural drive to rupture the schackles of slavery and put an end to the French colonial regime.

Many historians have unconvincinly contested that Libertè générale was a latter manifestation and progressive thought, as thr slaves themselves moved switfly toward freedom, independence, and decolonization. In this presentation, we argue that the resolution toward general liberty and independence were one singular commitment for the enslaved African population. These twin and inseparable ideas did not develop in the latter phase of the Haitian Revolution.We contend that general emancipation as total independence (and decolonization) was already an early goal that came to fruition in the unfolding events leading to a double event: The triumph of the Haitian Revolution and the founding of the Republic of Haiti.  However, it was conditioned by a range of contingent circumstances and watershed events in which Saint-Dominguan Slaves were obliged to fight for freedom, which translated into a matter of practical reality.

Toward this goal, we analyze the rhetorical force, devices, and demands of the historic letter of July 1792, penned by three early and prominent leaders of the Revolution: Jean-François Papillon,Georges Biassou, and Charles Belair/Toussaint Louverture.”

When God is not Impressed with Your Knowledge!

Dr. Celucien Joseph Uncategorized

God is not impressed by your “head knowlege theology” about him or your academic acumen. He delights in you & is praised when you honor him fully with your mind & heart, ❤ and use what you know about God and human nature to foster forgiveness, peace, unity, reconciliation, and human flourishing in your community and in the world.

For example, writing good academic books is not an end in itself.We have to be relational thinkers & love the people we’re writing about & called to reach.

In other words, if you write books about poor people and the neglected young people in your city, do you spend time with the poor and be a mentor to the young people in your community. How are you uplifting and serving them, and helping them to have a more promising life and productive future?