God Qualifies the Called
By Rev. Samuel Williams, Jr.
“God doesn’t call the qualified, He qualifies the called” is what my mentor and friend, the late Rev. Goodwin Douglas used to say. For many years, he served as a presiding elder in the Capitol District of the Second District.
His words came to my spirit when I had a conversation with a fellow Christian about the nationwide protests that were sparked by the cruel death, witnessed on video, of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota. My Christian friend and I were reflecting and discussing the aftermath of Mr. Floyd’s death: the mass protests, rioting, and looting throughout the nation. All of this, mind you, was not generated solely by the African American community.
My Christian friend said it was their “dream” to assemble some of the well-known Black figures in America with the intent to lead our Black community through this crisis. Magic Johnson and Colin Powell were some of the names floated.
That did not sit well with me. I told my Christian friend that this “dream” concept was used in the mid-20th century by white leaders intent on controlling Blacks during the 20th-century civil rights movement. These white leaders tried to choose and put into place Black leaders they could control and, in essence, influence to steer the Black community to do their will. The same tactic was used in the Bible when the Roman government empowered the Pharisees, who were a part of the Sanhedrin, to submit to the will of Roman rule.
Such a tactic is called “tokenism.” In short, tokenism is “the practice or policy of making no more than a token effort or gesture, as in offering opportunities to minorities equal to those of the majority.” It did not work in the 20th-century; and quite frankly, it would not work in the 21st-century.
The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is a prime example of when “He qualifies the called.” The Rev. King was not hand-selected by white leadership in government. Had that been their wish, they could have easily found a conservative Black preacher who would have fit their needs. However, it was God’s will and divine intervention that helped Dr. King rise to prominence.
The same thing is happening now with what is arguably a 21st-century civil rights movement unfolding from the tragedy in Minneapolis. The usual cast of civil rights leaders from the 20th-century movement have aged out, i.e., the Rev. Jesse Jackson and the Rev. Al Sharpton. The new protesters are young Black people who evolve from the Y Generation or who are commonly known as “millennials.”
The best the Black community can do is trust that God is raising, from the conflict, new Black leaders and resolve ourselves to support them. After all, we must remember that “God doesn’t call the qualified, He qualifies the called.” Man’s selection generally fails.
The Rev. Samuel Williams, Jr. is part of the ministerial staff under the direction of the Rev. Mark Whitlock at the Reid Temple AME Church in Glenn Dale, MD. This conference year, the Rev. Williams is doing an internship under the Rev. Peter Taylor at St. Paul AME Church in NW Washington, DC.
