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Imani

JANUARY 2010

"Who Am I as an MCC PAD?"

The power of definition lies in its ability to prescribe and describe parameters that are identifiable and understandable. The danger of definition lies in limitation and restriction. Any attempt to define carries with it the implicit assumption that the definition tells the whole story. Of course, this is an impossibility. There are an infinite number of definitions that apply to the infinite number of individuals being defined. Since the question was asked of me, I can only respond from the reality of my experience and my understanding.

My reality is shaped and given expression by my faith in God and also by the human vessel that has discovered and embraced that faith. The facts of my maleness and my Blackness are both central to my being and non-negotiable. My identity, however, must recognize, honor, include and then transcend those descriptions.

While I have had the experience of growing up in a nation that has historically imposed unreasonable, unloving and unhealthy restrictions upon those of African descent, especially those who express as males, I cannot and must not allow myself to be defined by anything less than the Word of God.

The Word of God says that I am and all of my brothers and sisters are made in the image and after the likeness of God. This is the core of who I am as a member of MCC. This absolute foundation of oneness with all of God's children demands that I celebrate the God presence within the incredible variety and complexity of God's people. It demands that I acknowledge the indisputable truth that while there are diverse and vastly different paths that lead to God, there is but one God.

That God, for me, is Omnipresence - Everywhere, evenly, equally present: Omnipotence - All of the power in the Universe: Omniscience - All of the knowledge, wisdom and understanding including that which is yet to be discovered and/or revealed in the future. This is the God of Christ Jesus who gave us the Great Commandment that we must love God with all of our hearts, minds and strength and the second that we must love our neighbor as ourselves.

As an MCC PAD I cannot and must not give in to the temptation to engage in exclusion or exclusivity based on my personal experience or my personal comfort zone. If I am to be known as a disciple of Christ Jesus I am required to love all of God's children without exception. This love cannot flow from an external demand but from an understanding heart that is filled to overflowing with gratitude for all that God has given each of us. This love has been called "radically inclusive" because it represents a call for change - change in the way that we think about ourselves and others; change in the way that we speak about ourselves and others; change in the way that we feel about ourselves and others; change in the way that we act and react both internally and in the world.

As an MCC PAD I am called to model, demonstrate and teach a practical approach to God that embraces and celebrates all those seeking to know, understand and experience God's radically inclusive love.

Rev. Dr. William Knight