“If you can take the truth, it will cure you and save you from what otherwise would be certain death.”
Malcolm X
Several weeks ago, my favorite mentor asked me what my top clients care about Jesus Christ and Malcolm X. These two figures, their histories and their impact, arise constantly in our frequent conversations. It was a poignant question that opened up a lot of clarity for me, though tongue in cheek.
I realized in thinking about his question that if we lead anyone, from our children to multinational organizations, we should care deeply about what these two have in common. This too, if we are led by anyone.
Particularly in times like these, these two figures provide a transformative blueprint for what it means to be entrusted with the responsibility of shepherding others–one as God incarnate*, the other as a fully human leader.
While many Christians might decry seeing value in the life of Malcolm X because he was not Christian, theologians have analyzed his life through the lens of Jesus, seeing tremendous value for any believer in Christ.
As a Muslim, Malcolm X was taught to believe in the same God of Abraham that Christians believe in, albeit with nuance.
Like Jesus, X was committed to the Liberation of the most oppressed. Like Jesus, the fruit of Malcolm’s work showed a deep love and affection for his people. Like Jesus, Malcolm’s influence grew exponentially and rapidly. Like Jesus, Malcolm’s commitment to truth and honesty got him assassinated–through collusion between religious and political forces.
Malcolm was committed to telling the truth as he felt it and with the simplicity, clarity, and passion of an angry biblical prophet. He frequently quoted Jesus’ saying, ‘You shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.’ No one believed that saying more than Malcolm.
(James H. Cone, Martin & Malcolm & America: A Dream or a Nightmare)
Personally, I haven’t come across anyone who was as unapologetic about calling out the systemic sin of the State as he was about seeking God’s face and God’s approval. Though he was initially guided by a lost sheep, Malcolm X’s ultimate pursuit of truth, holiness and love for humanity has been perceived by many as aligning with a life in Christ, in the vein of Romans 2:14-15 and the teaching of theologians like Justin Martyr, Thomas Aquinas, Karl Rahner and C.S. Lewis.
On Holiness
One of the key tenets across Christian sects is the idea that humans are sinners and we can not be holy without the help of Christ. Though the interpretation of holiness may vary, Protestants, Orthodox, Pentecostal and Liberal Christians generally agree on this idea.
For the purpose of this article, let’s consider the below interpretations of holiness.
Jesus on Holiness:
Jesus teaches that holiness is not only about following rules (the Ten Commandments), but about transforming the heart and aligning one’s life with God’s character. It involves (as summarized by teachers like Saint Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, John RW Stott, Dallas Willard and others):
- Loving God and loving others (Matthew 22:37-40).
- Abiding in Christ and obeying His commands (John 15:4-5).
- Pursuing purity of heart and mind (Matthew 5:8, 27-28).
- Denying oneself and following Him daily (Luke 9:23).
- Seeking God’s kingdom and righteousness first (Matthew 6:33).
- Striving for spiritual maturity (Matthew 5:48).
- Practicing forgiveness (Matthew 6:14-15).
- Living with humility and serving others (John 13:14-15).
Oxford English Dictionary on Holiness (noun)
- The state of being holy; purity or integrity of moral character; freedom from sin; sanctity.
- The quality of being sacred or dedicated to God or a religious purpose.
Now, we know that Jesus is holy, because He is God incarnate. His hundreds of thousands of early followers, their testimonies and their willingness to be martyred in proclaiming the Gospel all provide the foundation of this faith that transformed the world, and helped facilitate the level of enlightenment that we enjoy today.
Malcolm X, on the other hand, was not holy in the way that God is holy, but he certainly provides an invaluable human example of a man who could not be found in sin, even during the most scrutinized years of his life.
As I discuss in The Holiness of Malcolm X, the most important thing you can learn about Malcolm X is not his “hate” for the “white devil” but his near holiness. This man, seen as the number one enemy of one of the most powerful governments in the world in his time, could not be found in sin by this enemy who trailed him constantly.
One could argue that his knowledge of their presence is what kept him blameless, but as we’ve seen with so many other fallible leaders, even constant surveillance isn’t enough to overcome the depravity in such a nature.
The white man is going to be destroyed. Not by us, but by the Almighty God… We don’t have to do anything but live a righteous life.
(Malcolm X as quoted by James H. Cone, Martin & Malcolm & America: A Dream or a Nightmare)
For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another.
Romans 2:14-15 (KJV)
Who Do You Follow?
We can argue about the purity of Malcolm in that other article, but for this piece, I ask you: what leaders can you point to today and in the last century who were equally unapologetic about seeking God’s truth, disciplining themselves and calling out systemic sin for the benefit of the disinherited? Who were never caught up in scandal during their public life?
Is it wrong to set this as a standard for leadership? To say that anyone we follow or claim as our leaders meet at least this standard?
Jesus is the standard. But shouldn’t we only follow people who demonstrate what it is like to emulate Him? Shouldn’t we stop making excuses for people who are not sold out to endeavoring after holiness? Shouldn’t we demand (even if lovingly so) that those we follow at least pursue this standard? Is that wrong?
Leaders reflect the people who follow them. Whatever behavior we support in them speaks to the type of behavior that we too are either desirous of or capable of.
To unconditionally follow anyone who sanctions the oppression of any group of people contrasts starkly with the life, the heart, the example of Jesus.
[Jesus’] words were directed to the House of Israel, a minority within the Greco-Roman world, smarting under the loss of status, freedom, and autonomy, haunted by the dream of the restoration of a lost glory and a former greatness. His message focused on the urgency of a radical change in the inner attitude of the people…With increasing insight and startling accuracy he placed his finger on the “inward center” as the crucial arena where the issues would determine the destiny of His people.
Howard Thurman, Jesus and the Disinherited
How different is this from the teachings of Malcolm X? Only answer if you’ve immersed yourself in his speeches. To lead is to serve. And to serve is to uplift the most vulnerable.
For Church or State?
This idea of the separation of church and state is a ruse. It doesn’t exist. Because every “leader” has some “god” in his heart, whether that god is mammon, the Creator of the universe, or some other god, we will ultimately see in their fruit.
If no one else, I expect believers in Christ to demand to only be led by those who embody His principles, even if they don’t, like Malcolm, profess His name.
So what do my ideal clients care about the connections between Jesus and Malcolm? My ideal clients are the kind of people who are committed to leading humanity into a just, equitable, joyful New World, by any holy means necessary. If you’re serious about this work, and about being an example of blameless leadership, even as God works through your imperfect humanity, you are my ideal client.
I get it that humans are incapable of perfection in this life. I am certainly not blameless enough to cast the first stone. Rather I write this, from a strong urging of the Holy Spirit, to challenge myself and the rest of us to call for leadership that is indeed radically holy, or at least in deep and persistent pursuit of this aim. Not only on the pulpit, but in the state house and in the boardroom.
It is Radical to Be Holy
Malcolm’s transformation shows us that even someone who doesn’t profess faith in Christ can achieve a level of discipline that likens him to holiness. So what is the Christian’s excuse?
Even if you refuse to pursue Christ, which I highly recommend you do, Malcolm–known in prison as Satan–should show you that living like Christ is accessible for even the least of us.
Are there any Black leaders today who you would stake your name on their holiness? For whom you would put your name on the line to say that they would never lie, cheat or steal? Serious question. I’d love to see their names in the comments.
I’m not sure I could say that about anyone, but the leaders who are shaking me out of my despondency into a commitment to holiness are the following very “controversial” teachers**:
I love these folks for their pursuit of radical holiness in the face of ridicule, judgement, shaming. The most consistent response I have seen to the work of these folks is that their students start to rigorously study their Bibles for themselves. Folks repent. Folks take responsibility and change their lives, change their behavior.
For holy leadership to emerge, there has to be enough of a holy populace who is prepared to demand that anyone who lives a shameful life can not represent them, no matter what. This is what Malcolm X did.
After nearly a decade of starting every public teaching with “The Honorable Elijah Muhammad teaches us…” he had to expose the deceitfulness of the very person he had previously seen as a father, as a god. Someone to whom Malcolm had directed hundreds of thousands of followers. X knew, the very moment he divulged the details of Elijah Muhammad’s indiscretions, that he was a dead man. But he had to take that risk because otherwise the twenty million “so-called Negroes” that he loved so deeply would be at risk of following this lost sheep to our own demise.
That kind of love is just an inkling of what Jesus showed for us. Ever revolutionary and ever radical, Jesus took on the Roman government! In the very face of impending personal terror He said, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No man cometh unto the Father, except by me.” (John 14:6). The confusion and sure destruction we experience outside of Him is what He died to protect us from.
I can’t help but wonder what Malcolm felt about the Christ of the Bible that he studied ceaselessly. This was a man who quoted the Bible exceedingly more than I ever heard him quote the Quran. This was a man who exemplified its tenets far more than most professing Christians do today. I pray, as we approach Malcolm’s 100th “birthday”, that more of us will exemplify the Christ in him.
Much love,
Olori
* My writings emerge from the conviction that the Bible is the infallible Word of God. If you disagree, that’s your choice, but you should argue with Wes Huff instead of me because I’m not going to argue with you. If you’re curious about my journey to belief, watch this.
**As of the time of this writing, I do not currently know where these folks stand on Israel. I am grieved by the confusion in the church concerning the end time prophecy and that so many Bible-teaching preachers are siding with Genocide because they’ve somehow interpreted the Text to think/mean that to “bless Israel” is to sanction the grievous sin of mass murder [ רָצַח (ratsach)] they continue to commit through Genocide funded by the tax dollars of America’s working class. I pray God continue to open the eyes of His followers.
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A great perspective of a man too often overlooked or dismissed as someone not worthy of serious consideration. He, like Jesus and Muhammad, walked into the lives of those whose eyes may have been blind to who they were and whose they were. And while he didn’t die on a Friday and rise again on a Sunday, he did “rise from the dead.” His days of hustling, pimping, drug taking were deaths in their own way. We now that Good Friday comes before Easter, before the crown wear there is the cross to bear. Malcolm X carried his cross and was truly worthy of the crown he wore so well.
To your Journey!
Ahmad
What a beautiful message. Thank you and God bless you!