Why Do We Kneel to These Concepts?
A lot is going on in our country to say the least. The news is filled with current overseas ongoing with war, what Trump has recently said, SNL latest Kanye and Trump skit, the list could go on. Yet we so easily conform to these news titles and easily believe what they are telling us. I am guilty of it and I would think that majority of people are. What is the back story behind it before we so easily kneel to the concept set before us. We want to follow something naturally as humans, it’s in our design to be lead. I think that’s a big reason why we love tradition it is something that we are lead into as humans and a constant in our personal lives and even our cultural lives.
The National Anthem or Star-Spangled Banner. One of the first American traditions that we learn as a child at any sports game we attend. It all started as a poem that was converted into a song in which began to be sang at many different events. But the first sports event it was sang at was a baseball game in Brooklyn New York 1862 (1). But the reason for this poem was not to be sung at sporting events but a reflection of an event. Francis Key witnessed the Bombardment of the British of Fort McHenry in Maryland causing him to write what he witnessed. It has become a song of freedom for our country a reflection of when the dust and smoked cleared from war that our flag was still there. It creates a picture of steadfastness that out country is desperately seeking majority of the time. Our country has been to hell and back with wars there is no doubting that. The men and woman that have served this country and gone over seas to fight for our freedom so that other people don’t come and take it from us that is bravery and to be applauded for. I could never do that. But when will it be enough? When will knowing that you have signed up for a task willingly be enough instead of a bunch of bonuses because of being a veteran?
But in a country where men and woman fight for our freedom why is there still oppression? Or is it really oppression? What I want to get to be whether it was okay for Colin Kaepernick to kneel during the national anthem or not. Here is his reasoning, “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color.” Is he right? It’s hard for me to say because I am not a person of color who has been oppressed. I am not in Colin’s shoes and can’t see from his perspective and really nobody can. We all as individual humans see and process things so much different than each other. Yes, we may have the same experiences or passions but the individual way in which our minds work and are formed is not the same otherwise we would be robots. Yet I think that a core issue behind this whole debate does have to do with politics as much as I hate to say it. Our government has a system in which it works to solve problems through corporate America and that just isn’t going to work (3). Whatever we can consume will make us happy and the more that we do that the less problems there will be or the more problems we can cover up.
Along with wanting to follow someone we also want respect. Our country is great! We were founded on greatness and we produce greatness so that is clearly what the United States of America is right? Once again not everybody believes that or thinks that if they have been oppressed or shut down in this great country. Kneeling is a form of submission. Majority of the time when you see someone kneeling it is in respect, at a soccer game a player gets injured I was always taught as a kid to kneel in respect of that kid and say a prayer. The interesting point is that Colin was guided or given advice from a veteran in what to do with this whole situation how he did not agree with this countries oppression of black people and yet didn’t want to cause a huge seen (1). He respectfully took a knee to a government and country that he doesn’t agree with how it’s being run. Didn’t Jesus do the same thing? Now he didn’t sign a Nike contract afterwards but within the culture Jesus was in he acted radically different.
“Why do I kneel to these concepts? Tempted by control. Controlled by temptation. “Stay low” they say, “Stay low”” says, Tyler Joseph to intro his song Lane Boy (4). I love this little intro because I think it shows or explains the human state in this country in my opinion. We are tempted on a daily to gain control and have control of our lives. Yet with that control comes a controlling from temptation in leading us to desires and concepts that are unbiblical. Romans 13 Paul paints a picture of respecting the governing authorities put before us and in doing that we show Christ love. In knowing that our true authority is in God the concepts in which are going on in this country don’t seem as detrimental as our culture can make it. Jesus knew who He was. His identity was in God and so he was able to stand before the governing authorities in Rome when he was put on trial and not have to explain himself or if he did it was with few words. There is this emphasis that we must prove our point and if the other person doesn’t agree with the point in which we are trying to make then we will talk them blue in the face till they at least say yes to where we are coming from. But Jesus on his death bed knew who he was and who his true authority was and so he didn’t need to prove to Pontius Pilot anything.
The governing authorities in the bible were brutal at times slavery, taxation, rules, wait we still have that. Anyway, it was hard for the people of Jesus day to stay constant in what they believed and stood by and, I think to stand by that without fear of death. There were no nice blue-collar jails back in that time. It was a hole you got put in or you just got killed on the spot for disobeying the government. I think the worst part is that the people lived for it! They loved when people were on trial and they got to riot and partake in the destiny of that person’s life it was equivalent to when we as Americans witness a car accident it’s a terrible thing but it’s also really exciting and we can’t help but want to be a part of the witness statements and being on the news everything that comes with it. I think to an extent it’s the same with this whole kneeling at the national anthem its different counter cultural to what everyone else is doing. The problem is that it is pointing to the person who is doing it Colin is getting all the attention instead of the reason behind which he is doing it which is for the black race.
When Jesus stood against the governing authorities it was in his father’s name to give him the honor and glory he deserved. When our governing authorities before us do or say things that we don’t agree with causing a riot is not the answer. Looking to Jesus is. What did he do? How did he react? He acted in patience and you saw that in his well thought out responses. He acted in intelligence as he used scripture as a base for the reasoning as to why he did not agree with a concept being set before him. But I think most importantly, and I have already said this He spoke on his identity as the son of God. Speaking truth in who we are and who’s we are is one of the most powerful things we can do in a culture that is constantly seeking identity and approval in standing up for a cause. Humans have rights, yes this is true, but we also have a God who has given us rights and standards to which we are to live by as his children. What concepts are you kneeling to? How have the governing authorities set before you challenged your pride in learning to submit? But most importantly how are you showing Christ love which will spread his gospel in a culture that is kneeling to false concepts?
1. https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/history-national-anthem-sports_us_5afc9bcfe4b06a3fb50d5056
3. Christian Perspectives
4. https://genius.com/Twenty-one-pilots-lane-boy-reading-leeds-festival-version-lyrics
