"I have a bias"

 A half a century ago Martin Luther King addressed a large crowd with these immortal words - "I have a dream." The full brunt of his words railed against racial bias in the country and indeed the world. Bias as bigotry began the trend in which the term bias took on a negative notion.

Over 20 centuries ago another King pronounced that he had a dream. Jesus taught only a few disciples of His bias to the Kingdom of Heaven. He described a realm where God's grace provides everything and His provision is freedom. There was no social media around for either King. While Jesus' idea of freedom was what MLK, a preacher of the gospel, was referencing, the world didn't really understand. Why? Because the human condition is biased to a nature unlike the Kingdom of light. Human nature is a bias to steal God's glory, not reflect it. Mankind looks to the world to give it its rights.

You see, bias is not restricted to racial bigotry. Bias is any endearing belief you hold that you never question but influences all of your souls thoughts, feelings and choices. Your bias is your heart's desire. Jesus was going at mankind's core bias. The first humans decided that they could be God and received a fundamental bias that identifies with a realm (the world's system) that is at enmity with God's Kingdom of Heaven.

So, Jesus explains the contrast of these two biases in His sermon to His disciples (often called the "Sermon on the Mount"). He, too, uses the idea of light and darkness. A bias to the Kingdom of Heaven brings God's light into the world by reflecting (glorifying) His Son as the moon reflects the sun. Human bias motivates man to pursue and produce "light" in their own power. But this "light", man calls virtue and morality, is a counterfeit to God's light. Man's own light is fake news, not good news. Human nature obsesses in the rightness of man's own version of justice and revels in elitism.

Understanding bias is to understand faith. For faith, too, is an endearing belief we hold that informs all thoughts, feelings, and choices. Everyone has faith. Everyone walks in faith. Everyone trusts something they cannot prove. That's not the question. The issue is which of the two fundamental biases, which flows from an identity in this world or an identity in Christ, represents the faith one holds dear?

Some of you may have assumed by the title and picture of MLK that I might be disparaging MLK and supporting bigotry. After all, I did grow up in Ala in the 50's and 60's. This might have been what was OBVIOUS to you in some small way before you read the blog. What is obvious to you in any situation points to your core bias.

Just something to ponder when you have time .....