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THE MO'KELLY REPORT: T.D. Jakes' Seeming Indifference to Juanita Bynum
*One would think that after beating the crap out of your wife, (under the pretense of reconciliation) you would go somewhere and sit down...you know, "be still."
If the general marital discontent between Bishop Weeks and Juanita Bynum wasn't clue enough that Weeks needed some quiet time with The Lord…one would think the subsequent criminal charges would have sent the message home.
Guess not.
Bishop Weeks is back in the pulpit? There's "bold" and then...there's BOLD.
Mo'Kelly didn't hear Weeks' sermon, but he can assume that it wasn't on being "evenly yoked." Mo'Kelly's not a prophet by any stretch of the imagination, but he's pretty sure he's got this one right.
It probably wasn't about "turning the other cheek" either. Again, Mo'Kelly's not about to speak in tongues or anything, but he did spend the night at a Holiday Inn Express last night. And no, he didn't happen to see any evangelists getting beat down horribly in the parking lot while coming or going.
And still as of this writing, no "official" statement from Bishop T.D. Jakes on the controversy. Let's be honest…the lack of any comment reeks of complicity.
Nobody is saying that Jakes should have rained "judgment" down upon Bishop Weeks. At the same time, EVERYBODY should be in agreement that words of healing and restoration were in order. The omission of such is indicative of questionable "Christian" leadership at best.
Some readers of the previous (blog) edition of The Mo'Kelly Report argued that Bishop Jakes might have had "a good reason" not to rush in making a public statement.
http://mokellyreport.blogspot.com/2007/08/t-d-jakes-no-comment-on-juanita-bynum.html
There is no reasonable or acceptable explanation...period. Bynum, a "co-worker," a woman and presumably a friend was savagely beaten. What's there to wait on...a "sign" from The Lord? Week's left hook was all the sign that anyone needed.
To have "nothing to say" publicly actually says volumes. "No comment" is in fact a very specific comment. We can speculate until the prodigal son returns home as to whether Jakes' reticence is tied to some supposed nefarious agenda, but it would be irrelevant and unproductive.
It just doesn't matter "why."
Just like beating a woman...it just doesn't matter "why."
There is neither a reasonable excuse nor an acceptable explanation.
In fact, another famous and respected minister (an authority on non-violence as it were) said it best. It is the finest argument as to why Bishop T.D. Jakes should have spoken out swiftly and definitively.
Cowardice asks the question, 'Is it safe?' Expediency asks the question, 'Is it politic?' Vanity asks the question, 'Is it popular?' But, conscience asks the question, 'Is it right?'
And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but one must take it because one's conscience tells one that it is right. - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Conscience should have told Bishop Jakes that issuing his PUBLIC support in the healing and restoration of Juanita Bynum was the right thing to do. In fact, it was also the righteous thing to do. Not always is the "right" course of action also the "righteous" one…but at times they align themselves rather nicely.
This would be one of those occasions.
http://mokellyreport.blogspot.com/2007/04/open-letter-to-revs-jesse-jackson-al.html
In your free time, take a look around the internet. You'll find Bishop Jakes' "official statements" on the passing of Rev. Jerry Falwell, the passing of Ruth Bell Graham and of course a statement as to his position on Don Imus. And speaking of Dr. King, ironically enough you can even find Jakes' "official statement" on the passing of King's daughter, Yolanda...the DAY after her passing. He wasted no time at all. Oh never mind, don't worry about searching the internet, Mo'Kelly did the legwork for you.
Yolanda King
http://tasai.notlong.com
Rev. Jerry Falwell
http://copai.notlong.com
Ruth Graham
http://eeyae.notlong.com
Don Imus
http://www.urbanmecca.com/artman/publish/article_1039.shtml
Should we conclude that Juanita Bynum needed to die for Bishop Jakes to have something substantive to offer his congregation or others who are just concerned with domestic violence generally or Bynum's welfare specifically? Should we surmise that Rev. Jerry Falwell was a closer friend to Jakes than Bynum, whose career Jakes personally launched and mentored?
Or should we also postulate that Jakes' upcoming For Ladies Only Conference in October is already tainted in hypocrisy given these recent developments?
Or maybe...all the above. Mo'Kelly is only posing the questions. Let your own meditation and prayer be the conduit for the answers.
For Bishop Jakes to have nothing to say in light of the vicious beating of Juanita Bynum, the argument can be made he is in fact complicit in the assault. The non-statement of "no comment" reeks of cowardice, politic…and vanity too. He had a public statement on Don Imus…
Don Imus?!
Yes, THAT Don Imus…who clearly was of lesser "Christian" importance and much further distance from Jakes personally than Juanita Bynum.
But Jakes has nothing publicly to offer on the issue of domestic violence which speaks to the well-being of a friend and colleague, Black male/female relationships and the healing power of Christ?
Oh wait, this just in. Jakes' people emailed "this" in response to the brooding controversy. It's not exactly an "official statement" to say the least.
"As he would with any family in crisis, Bishop sends his prayers." - Curtis Coats, spokesman for Bishop T.D. Jakes
That's questionable at best. It wasn't even released to the general media, just selectively emailed to specific individuals. Wow, a whole sentence, written in 3rd person by a spokesperson…where would we be without such bold spiritual leadership to lead the way?
For a person young in his/her spiritual growth, incidents such as the beating of Juanita Bynum are immeasurably important to address…that is if saving souls is truly the goal here.
Just FYI, megachurch leader Bishop Eddie Long of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Atlanta reportedly addressed the issue with his congregation on Sunday, so Mo'Kelly is not the only one who appreciates the importance of the moment.
Lending our public support for Juanita Bynum in this her time of need is not only the right thing to do…it's the righteous one too.
The Mo'Kelly Report is an entertainment journal with a political slant. It is meant to inform, infuse and incite meaningful discourse...as well as entertain. The Mo'Kelly Report is syndicated by Newstex.
For more Mo'Kelly, http://www.mokellyreport.blogspot.com. Morris W. O'Kelly can be reached at mokellyreport@sbcglobal.net and he welcomes all commentary.
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