Christian pianist Huntley Brown probably isn't a household word in the Christian music industry, but for many who rely on chain, forwarded emails as their personal soapboxes, he may be a familiar name.
That's because there's an email written by Brown making the rounds in which he clearly and specifically lays out his thoughts on why he will not be voting for Obama in November.
In the email, Brown says, "Many of my friends process their identity through their blackness. I process my identity through Christ ... I can't vote black because I am black; I have to vote Christian because that's who I am. Christian first, black second."
The problem, as we all know, is that those chain emails are rarely legit. Except, in this case, the go-to site for the truth about hoaxes and urban myths, Snopes.com, verifies that Brown did write that email.
But he didn't write it for you.
Brown tells Snopes.com that he wrote that email to some friends who were urging him to vote for Obama because he was black, adding that he never meant for the email to be shared around the world and didn't write it to sway public opinion. Despite the hate mail that he's gotten from people who have read the email, Brown insists that he doesn't hate Obama (or gays or women who've had abortions), adding, "I love and appreciate Senator Obama but our views are diametrically opposed."
I wonder why Brown's friends would pass that email around the internet, especially when it was meant to be a private response in a discussion among friends. Shame on them.
But now that it's out there, I'm really not sure what the problem is. A black man who isn't going to vote for another black man just because he's black, but instead plans to make his decision based entirely on where the candidate stands on the issues, isn't a racist. He's an American who uses his God-given, Constitutional rights to weigh the issues and make an informed choice that best reflects his own views.
Besides, there's more to Huntley Brown than just that email.
The Jamaican-born Brown came to the US to attend Judson College in Elgin, Illinois and is an accomplished artist who had performed around the world. He was the regular crusade pianist for the recently retired Dr. Ralph Bell, an associate evangelist with the Billy Graham Association and is now the pianist for Ruth Graham and Friends Ministries. Brown's electrifying playing earned him the Top Caribbean Gospel Instrumentalist Award for 2005 and 2006.
Brown's ministry touches all ages and demographics. In one case, he was allowed to perform at a gang-infested high school, where the student body was allowed to assemble, under police guard, for the first time in four years to hear Huntley. The students responded with rapt attention and wild appreciation, including a deafening, heart-rending standing ovation.
To read Brown's entire email, along with his response to Snopes.com, visit Snopes.com.
(UPDATE 2/12/09 - I heard from Huntley Brown this week, who has requested that I remove this post due to the overwhelming amount of hate mail and threats he's receiving. While I can't unpublish a story, I do want to remind you that Mr. Brown wrote this email to his family and friends back before the election and it was made public by someone else. With the election over, Mr. Brown says, "Now that he is elected I am committed to praying for him as we have been instructed to do in the Bible. God bless you and God bless America." Even if your opinion differs from Mr. Brown about President Obama, I urge you to refrain from sending hate mail. We're all allowed to have different opinions.)
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OK, in my opinion my Bible tells me that the lord put a tree in the garden and gave Adam and Eve...choice.
The Lord told Judas that he didn't have to do this, turning him in with a kiss... choice.
The Lord told Moses to tell Pharaoh to let his people go, Pharaohs made.... choices.
On and on all through the Bible you will see choice.
If the Lord give us choice then you are subject to deal with the consequences of your choices.
However, you still have a choice.
who are we to stop the choice of another?
Most of are medical knowledge today comes from the experiments done to blacks and Jewish people from slaves, holocaust and many other atrocity's.
Christians take more birth control ( which sometimes abort ) more than any other religious group in the world, yet we adopt less children.
Stem cell research, if you needed a kidney or heart or other vital organ and it was developed from a stem cell and your life or a loved ones life depended on it....what would you do?
Don't throw stones when we all live in glass houses.
Keep your eye's on the Lord this is only a temporary drop off the Lord got all children even before they would ever come into the mothers womb...they are covered, believe that.
Our other candidate, keep the war going and kill more adults...we only win with the Lord, he told us his agenda. Keep your eyes on him, stand fast.
Teri -
Is "your husband" the same person found at this link -
?
When I ran the simple google search for your contrived phrase - "Thanks for forwarding me Mr. Huntley Brown's thoughtful piece" the same message was posted there.
Why? - Professional political blog posters like yourself are out there putting together these overly polished rebuttals to the many problems that Obama is dissembling about.
Why would any person who in their heart believes something point us to links that only show snippets of videos and then have dozens of them in a single post to a blog? Why not say it in your own words, not the words someone paid you to post?
Simply put you and your "argument" are unbelievable.
Mr. Brown's argument on the other hand is believable because the truth is simple and lies are complicated.
The facts listed in Teri's response are very flawed with biased resources. Read the actual voting records and find unbiased sources. Mr. Brown's is correct.
Any society makes rules about choices. We can't 'choose' to kill a puppy in our country. Why would a baby viable outside the womb be less than the puppy? In the same train of reasoning, you could say old people are a bother. If it is my elder relative and they are my financial responsibility, shouldn't it be my "choice" for them to be euthanized? Where does this "choice" end. There is nothing about abortion than coincides with biblical principles or secular human rights philosophy. The emotional scars and physical problems that they cause are immense. Other community issues are important and Christian groups lead the way in most communities to assist with these issues too.
Also, Gov.Palin has been very badly treated by the media and others. She is a very capable governor and will be a wonderful vice president.
The rudeness, excuses, and low comments here make me even more proud of Mr. Huntley.
Wont' be returning to this site. I wish you all well.
I commend Mr. Brown for taking a stand that was obviously against what those around him believed.
As Christians, we are to vote for the candidates that are as close as possible to the pricipals that God has set in place for us. I am not saying McCain is the best choice we could have had, but in my opinion he is the better choice today.
Mr. Brown is right on and for ANYONE to believe different is mostly a person that really don't give a damn for nothing in my opinion!...he was mostly telling his friends about this President Obama. I think 99% of the blacks voted for him...now why is this?...because he is half & half?.....not to worry about his past?.....wow....ain't this something. Naw I wouldn't vote for NOBODY with that past record!!! I wish someone like Bill Cosby had run and won....now he has much sense and is proud to be an American!!! I'm white and 71 years of age and really don't give a damn about race but I do believe he should be someone who will show proof of where he came from...where he went to college if he did...why is this man Obama holding back anything about himself?....we know nothing about him....I SMELL A RAT
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