Considering Ethics in the Black Church
I remember vividly sitting in Dr. Patricia Gould-Champ’s class at the Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology at Virginia Union University. Dr. Gould-Champ is an exemplary professor with a very “familiar” style of teaching and interacting with students. Familiar in the sense that she made you feel as if you’d known each other for a long time. I loved her class, but I remember one night being disappointed when Dr. Gould-Champ said that we would be talking about the sad reality of manipulation, abuse, and molestation that occurs in far too many pulpits in America. She spoke in very grave terms about the practice of some ministers to prey on the congregation or mishandle their influence by using it for selfish, sinful, and even criminal pleasures. At that time, I felt like I didn’t need to hear about such things because I concluded that I would never do anything near the nightmarish stories of abuse that I’d heard other ministers involved in.
Five years later, I’m so glad that Dr. Gould-Champ forced the class to engage this sometimes uncomfortable issue. The reality is that the issue of unethical and even criminal behavior in the Black church is still an extremely taboo topic. While many improprieties have occurred in Black congregations across the nation; it would seem at times that more energy is devoted to covering up what happened as opposed to dealing with what happened and moving forward in a healthy way. Also unfortunate is the practice of protecting the perpetrator even at the expense of the wellbeing of the victim. Let me also say that as it pertains to Pastors I believe that even if consensual sexual relations occur - especially in a situation of infidelity - the Pastor is still the perpetrator. The Pastor in the Black Church enjoys enormous amounts of influence over the congregation. It behooves them (whether male or female) to be humbly aware of that reality and rely on God entirely so that they will be found faithful in executing the office of UnderShepherd.Â
So much confusion happens when Pastors forsake the sanctity of their office. Some members defend their UnderShepherd at all cost - no matter the allegation. Other members become disillusioned and walk away from the church and sometimes even God. Moreover, the Pastor’s family - a family that already struggles with the unique (and sometimes unrealistic) demands placed upon them - is hurt deeply to say the least. I know of ex-spouses and PKs (preacher’s kid) that have never fully recovered from poor decisions made by their clergy husband/wife/father/mother. In the bigger picture, the Body of Christ is negatively impacted by a Pastor’s lapse of judgment as well. There are some in the surrounding community that readily jump at the opportunity to say “I told you so” - those preachers are nothing, but pimps, profiteers, and opportunists. Those that are faithful to God, their spouses, their children, and their congregation quickly become guilty by association.
The writer of the Book of James suggests that Teachers of the Gospel will be judged more strictly. (James 3:1) Those that teach one thing and do something else will meet judgment. That should be a grave warning to anyone who would attempt to pimp the pulpit, fleece the flock, or prey on parishioners. So many souls are impacted by the example and standard of living that is set by the Pastor/minister. As an ordained reverend in the Baptist Church; I know first hand that we are not perfect. All have sinned - including the Bishops, Pastors, Apostles, Reverends, and Ministers and I thank God that forgiveness is available even to us if we would but confess our sins, repent, and turn from our wicked ways.
However while forgiveness is available to religious leaders, we should not escape correction and accountability. Thee Judgment will come in the Day of the Lord, but in the meantime correction on earth must come for the sake of credibility. Religious leaders must recognize the standard of leadership outlined in the Bible and taught in seminaries. If it is our desire to be treated (and even compensated) like other professionals (i.e. doctors, lawyers, etc.) then we must act like professionals and face penalty if we compromise the agreed upon standard of service. Clergy must ascribe to some clearly defined, thorough, and assessable Code of Ethics for Ministers like this one provided by Christian Ethics Today magazine. Aspiring ministers must be examined thoroughly about their “Call” and instructed in appropriate and ethical behavior. Advice about how to avoid potentially problematic situations should also be shared and understood by the ministerial staff. (For example if a male minister is counseling a female, the physical door to the room should be left cracked and/or another female should be present or in the adjacent room. Having female counselors on staff or being able to direct females to professionals outside of the church is another option especially if you know that you have difficulty controlling youself in the presence of vulnerable women - and ladies only “vulnerable” in the sense that the woman is opening up to a man who is not her husband.)
Clergy must be accountable to someone - preferably someone who will pray for you, challenge you without hesitation, and if need be take you to another respected Elder who can point out the error and suggest a Christ-like course of action. (including the possibility of being relieved of your duties as Pastor) Beyond unethical behavior; if a crime has occurred,  the proper authorities need to be notified and that person should face their day in court. (I know that some would prefer that legal matters be worked out in the church and that we should avoid the so-called “secular” legal system; however, the church does not have a strong track record of penalizing offenders, providing reparations, and/or securing justice for victims. Until churches demonstrate that it can do that consistently without partiality or discrimination; we must work with the admittedly flawed legal system that we have.)
Finally, a major theme in the Gospel revolves around the issue of redemption. Those who have sinned are not damned, but are provided with an opportunity to experience the grace, mercy, and forgiveness of God if they but, confess, humble themselves, ask for forgiveness from God (and others intimately involved) and repent of their ways. No one should ever revel in the poor choices of another or relish hearing news of another’s sin for all of us are liable to either fall in that same pit or take up residence in a sinful pit of our own.Â
As an unfortunate occurrence in the Body of Christ has served as the catalyst for this post; I pray that the congregation of Believers would utilize this tragic situation as an opportunity to learn, grow, and pray that God would order all of our steps in ways that would encourage increased levels of faithfulness, integrity, character, and wisdom.
Let us pray one for another.Â
June 27th, 2007 at 9:26 pm
I’m in Baltimore and there is a true or false rumor going around about a certain “Pastor”. Whether it is true is really not the point. The reaction of some people is what is troubling. God has blessed us all with common sense and some of us with a forgiving heart. Wrong is wrong but who among us has not been tempted? All I’m sure. But who among us take from the poor for their own gains? Some, but I think that Christ will judge those who rob than those who are tempted. If you can forgive the “Pastor”, then you can also forgive all of the drug addicts, thiefs, whoremongers and etc. in your own families before you forgive/exault a man you don’t even really know. The Black Church is in crisis. Wake up people. Your souls depend on it.
June 28th, 2007 at 9:48 am
While I do believe that some Pastors & Ministers use their authority to “prey” on those weaker members, I am not sure what can be done. There is, I think, a huge different between a ‘minister’ or ‘pastor’ who uses his position for his own selfich gain and a Minister or Pastor who falls short and makes a mistake. Like the person above me said… we all have been tempted. And even tho these leaders of the church are leaders, they are flesh and blood just like the rest of us. Maybe the problem is that we place them too far up on a pedalstal. We reverence them and give them more glory than we give God. So who is to blame?? When a Pastor is being glorified way too much do you blame him/her when it starts getting to their head?? Or do you blame the people who name him something bigger than what he is?? There is a lot going on in our churches that we need to deal with but how do we differentiate the sheep from the wolves??
June 28th, 2007 at 2:19 pm
Well…I agree with you Heb. We all need to be accountable for our actions. That just does not seem to be what is going on in our churches today. I always talk to my grandmother about this and she said that long along the deacons approached the ministers and something was done. Nope!! Not today..I find that if the church is striving financially, and people appear to be satisfied..the situation becomes hush,,hush,,,and swept under th rug due to fear that the congregation will leave:( It is pitiful, sometimes I truly see why in some churches anything goes..because no one is going to call you to accountability for your actions…I just pray that we get it straight one day..or maybe we wont!! Jesus help us!!!
June 28th, 2007 at 3:21 pm
hey iam anon12 june24/07 i did not realize what i had started.
instead of wasting allthis time speaking about pastors that will probaly never change . we should focus on uplifting a MAN like “DOC”
A Man who fights For his community on the daily never gets paid.He not as wealthy as all these blood sucking pastors.But dedicate his time and effort to the NAACP lets blog about him lets pray for him lets up-lift him your all shared hours of bloging about this socalled pastor{ was he out protesting against the BGE Rate HIte ‘no’ because he can afford his} but not 2min about ‘DOC’ He cant compare to DOC
June 28th, 2007 at 4:14 pm
Baltimore and America, wake up. You are being led by many a “motivational speaker”. Now tell me, how much has your life increased by spreading thin your wallets and increasing the pockets of these high throne robbers!
Defend the innocent, the poor, the abused children by your so called “Men of God”!
June 28th, 2007 at 9:53 pm
I thank you for this and I thank you for acknowledging that according to the scriptures, teachers/preachers of the Gospel will be and are “judged” more strictly and held to a higher standard than others. Jeremiah 23:1 comes immediately to mind…. “Woe be unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! saith the LORD.” As to the code of ethics, doesn’t 1 Timothy 3 give exactly that? I think the main issue with the church and organized religion as a whole is that the focus long ago shifted from it’s true intent and purpose, and that is Right Relationship with God! The church has become a show place, which building is bigger/better, which person in the pulpit is more important/popular and has become more about the trappings/surroundings than The Church that Christ is coming back to reclaim. Just MHO….. Peace and Blessings
June 29th, 2007 at 2:32 am
Be Encouraged to keep being who God has designed you to be. There is so much i could say here But the Lord has led me to understand One thing Very clearly. We have Attonement with God through the Blood of Christ. However, our offences to each other must be reconciled through forgiveness, compassion, love, correction, and ACCOUNTABILITY. Servant of God you have been given a gift of ministering in a time where there must be accountable leadership. There must be leaders who are covered by the blood and Accountable to other leaders and servants of Christ alike. I admire that you are discussing this topic with integrity and class. Be encouraged.
I want to stop typing but I feel God telling me to let you know that you are fulfilling prophecy not only over your life personally but over the ministry that God will eventually entrust into your hands. You have been called to do more than just be an ordinary Pastor But I see other Shepards coming to you for counsel because of the wisdom yo will grow to have. Be encouraged and as always if God has not spoken this then you will not receive confirmation but since we both know that it is God since I don’t know you from a grape… Be blessed
June 29th, 2007 at 10:58 pm
Whether we’re speaking in terms of churches, corporations, or educational/social institutions, ethics, or lack thereof in this case, have become a widespread problem across this and many other nations. The fact of the matter is that we live in a capitalist society. And it matters not whether we’re discussing our local Pastor/Pimp or a corporate CEO, at the end of the day, it all boils down to the almighty dollar.
Back in the day, when Black folks did not have the material trappings we have today, and Churches served their intended mission, and were truly institutions in the Black community. As a result, , our communities were stronger and thriving. In today’s society however, a Pastor would much rather raise money to build a bigger church (mainly to keep up with the competition– much like his counterpart in corporate America), than open up a community center that would help address many of the social issues ailing our communities.
Unfortunately, Pastors are not excempt from the selfishness that prevails, although they absolutely should be. Instead, they’d rather talk the talk, than walk the walk. And on the rare occasion that a Pastor gets “outed” (and I say rare because as we well know, most often these sorts of things are swept right under the gold encrusted offering table), they are quick to take the the “do as I say, not as I do” approach and start tossing around appropriate scriptures in an attempt to explain away any improprieties.
Why Black folks become so fixated with these, as one of the previous writers stated, motivational (albeit charismatic) speakers is beyond me. I’m not totally convinced, and probably won’t be until I receive word from God himself, that the Pastor is my conduit into heaven. If one is truly interested in growing closer to God and living the life of a true Christian, you need not rely on “such characters” to help you do so. God only requires that we study and live his word.
The Bible is very much open to interpretation. Try this experiment: Compare the sermons of two or more pastors on the same scriputue. The likelihood that the Pastors interpet and deliver the scriputure in the same way is, well, highly unlikely.
The Church, like much of the world, is full of hypocrisy. At best we should take what we can from the Word of God and leave all the bells and whistles and fanfare that these jack-legged (I’m taking it back a bit to a term my Daddy used to use) preachers use to deliver the message behind. Or, leave the Church altogether and develop our own private relationship with God. I hope you all won’t damn me to a life of eternal suffering for saying that… I’ll keep my fingers crossed.
I’l tell you, some of the greatest and most inspirational people I’ve ever met are out here in the Black communities making a difference, even saving lives, every day. These are the folks I revere; those who forgo the high salaries, luxuries and accolades to truly do God’s work. Like wise, I know folks who are deacons/deaconess, never missed a day of Sunday School, and can quote scriptures backwards and forwards, but would’t open their mouths to say a kind word or offer a kind gesture if their lives depended on it. Hypocrisy at its finest.
I think instituting a Code of Ethics for Ministers is a grand idea! But, considering all the money and power that would be lost by doing so, we all know that this will occur around about the same time that pigs start to fly. The next best solution is for congregations to wisen up and demand more of their spiritual leaders. This is what I pray for…
June 30th, 2007 at 12:03 am
I believe that one of the biggest problems is that we as a people tend to forget why we are in church. It is mandated in the Bible that we should come together to worship God, but too often we begin to worship the Pastor or Man/Woman of the church. When you take your focus off of God and put it on Man, you are bound to be disappointed. Whether he/she is a Pasotr or other leader in the church; we must remember that they are no diifferent than us.
Yes God has given the gift to preach and lead His people; however He did not make him/her perfect. We expect more from our pastors and leaders, but we must remember that the Bible says ALL have sinned; and there are no exceptions. We need to come together against satan instead of letting him tear us apart. the further apart we are; the more opportunities he has to come in and create chaos.
Whenever I look at the sins of others; I always remember that one; we are not to judge, but also that I have enough of my own crap to answer for and therefore have no time to judge others. If we spent at much time trying to keep our own lives straight; we wouldn’t have the time to get into someone elses.
As far as what is going on tha tbrought this issue to the forefront; my opinion is that one this is not the first or the last leader in the church to make mistakes. Furthermore, we need to lift EVERYONE involved either directly or indirectly in prayer; that they will be healed. Instead of spending so much time tearing a person down; let stand in the gap and pray for their deliverance and growth.
I will keep them all in prayer from the pulpit to the door and keep in mind; that I am no better than the next. We all sin and need the mercy and grace of God. Had it not been for His mercy and grace; none of us would be here.
Be blessed and be the christian that you claim to be.
July 1st, 2007 at 12:34 pm
for get the pastors in the pulpit they have money, power and they will keep having other women and more babys. lets uplift aMAN who fight for bettering the lives of the poor ,keeping the people informed ,protesting for issues that we all strugle w/ everyday and he does this for no political gain.All for Free How about that. “DOC” Iwill blog about you every day. I do not want you to leave the NAACP and others should share the same concern.
July 2nd, 2007 at 6:50 pm
I agree with theJoyous1. Preachers are held to a higher standard than the lay “man”. See 1 Tim:3. The priest is set apart from the rest of us sinners. The priest is not a King, like David and Solomon, both of whom had all kinds of baby mamas. Forgiveness and judgment is not the issue. An overseer of God’s Church can not be trusted to take care of God’s Church if he cannot manage his own family. Any such overseer who has disgraced himself and his family should step down from the pulpit and get his life and house in order. The Elders of the Church are the ones in the position to make that decision.
July 5th, 2007 at 11:20 am
The issue of ethics has been a constant discussion amongst my peers for the last several years.
I want to share some stories:
A friend recently shared a story about how a guest preacher at his church shared in his sermon that his church had brought some undeveloped property in 1996. He made a bargain with his church at that time that once he developed the land for future use by the church for a sanctuary/family life center, the church would buy him a Rolls Royce as reward. Well, it is 2007 and the property still sits undeveloped. In the mean time the pastor has moved into a new multi-million dollar home and owns a Maybach. This year the pastor came back to his church and told his leaders that all though he did not develop the property as promised, he DESERVED the Rolls Royce anyway and still wanted the church to purchase it for him immediately!!! He stated that because he lives in a exclusive gated community next door to bank presidents and other CEO’s he must look the part of a succesful person so that he can influence his new neighbors.
A young Baptist minister sees the calling of God on his life to Pastor. He has been faithful in service to his church and has sought out scholarly experience through undergrad studies and now attends seminary. A local church is interested in having him as their pastor, but he need to be ordained. He seeks the support of his Pastor, but the pastor will not ordain him. This leads to a rift in the relationship, which results in the pastor restricting his opportunities to preach and possibly the derailement of his opportunites to preach locally. You see there is a “Baptist” mafia/network and since his pastor is part of that mafia/network, he can spread a negative word on the young minister and ruin his chances of being considered for the pulpit. The pastor eventually relents and reluctantly ordains the minister, but still offers no support and/or guidance.
Deacon has concerns about the financial operations of the church . He recently comes across information that shows that the churches finances are in terrible shape (bounced checks, unpaid taxes, etc.) and the financial future of the church is in peril because of it. The pastor, who is aware of this decides not inform his leadership, but keep it a secret. The leader confronts the pastor with the information and the pastor, who is afraid that the leader will expose this information to other leaders and the general congregation, removes the leader from his position.
Where are the ethics?
How can a pastor see his church struggling financially and demand/expect a $500,000 car as compensation?
How can a pastor see people ready to move to the next level, but purposely hinder there opportunities b/c of their own insecurities?
How can they make sweeping decisions without unilateral support?
July 5th, 2007 at 4:49 pm
Kingdom Minded - July 5, 2007
Kingdom Minded
A wise counselor once told me that you will never go as far as your character. It is the character and the integrity of the Word of God that will lead us into the purpose for our lives.
We have to remember we have been brought with a price and we are citizens of the kingdom of God. Because this is true that Word of God has to be the final authority in our lives and all arguements should cease.
With that said, each individual should began to look at the requirments of the Kingdom of God (His Way of Doing and Being Right). Whether it involves relationships, family, money, faith etc…, the only way that change can take place is through the Word of God.
The message of Jesus was about changing to live as a citizen of the kingdom of God and not merely a church member. Failing to yield to the Word of God in any area is just a product of our selfishness in that area and our failure to be led by Him.
Let us stop putting the degree of character that we possess on the office, title or position that we have or the handle that is on our name. We are all suppose to walk as citizens of the kingdom and obeying the order of it’s King.
Let us change the information that goes into our system and get back to the basics. Love God with all of you and all of what you are and possess. And let the love for your neighor be the byproduct of the love you have for God. (Love is an Action Word)
Let’s Change our belief system to God’s belief system than we can change our character.
Mat 22:35 And one of their number, a lawyer, asked Him a question to test Him.
Mat 22:36 Teacher, which kind of commandment is great and important (the principal kind) in the Law? [Some commandments are light–which are heavy?]
Mat 22:37 And He replied to him, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind (intellect). [Deuteronomy 6:5]
Mat 22:38 This is the great (most important, principal) and first commandment.
Mat 22:39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as [you do] yourself. [Leviticus 19:18]
Mat 22:40 These two commandments sum up and upon them depend all the Law and the Prophets.
2Co 8:1 We want to tell you further, brethren, about the grace (the favor and spiritual blessing) of God which has been evident in the churches of Macedonia [arousing in them the desire to give alms];
2Co 8:2 For in the midst of an ordeal of severe tribulation, their abundance of joy and their depth of poverty [together] have overflowed in wealth of lavish generosity on their part.
2Co 8:3 For, as I can bear witness, [they gave] according to their ability, yes, and beyond their ability; and [they did it] voluntarily,
2Co 8:4 Begging us most insistently for the favor and the fellowship of contributing in this ministration for [the relief and support of] the saints [in Jerusalem].
2Co 8:5 Nor [was this gift of theirs merely the contribution] that we expected, but first they gave themselves to the Lord and to us [as His agents] by the will of God [entirely disregarding their personal interests, they gave as much as they possibly could, having put themselves at our disposal to be directed by the will of God]–
July 5th, 2007 at 11:47 pm
As I hear many comments and read many blogs there is a large reference to the lack of finances for the people of God. This is my comment about the discussion on finances and charater; I don’t have to give, but I give because I love God. That should be our motive alone for financing or giving to the kingdom of God.
As a citizen of the kingdom, this is what I have discovered, most people lack of finances is not just because they give money to the church, but they have not been properly educated on how to be good stewards of their finances, concerning other areas that did not include church finances.
I believe that we should begin to educate ourselves on the purpose of money and how to be good stewards of their finances. With that in mind there are many avenues on educating individuals how to handle their finances. The Bible says my people are destroyed for thr lack of knowledge.
We should begin to put an emphasis on educating ourselves so that we should stop blaming financing the kingdom of God as the reason for peoples lack.
There are many ministries out there that are willing to help in this area, but it is the decision of most to ignore the need for help in this area. I believe that if we would just begin to obey the voice of God and attend the church that God directs us to as oppose to the one that we choose to go to, we could cut down on the unforgiving language that we sow towards others.
Remember character is important, do not sacrifice yours because someone else has sacrificed theirs.
Remember everything that we do and say is a reflection of the King and His Kingdom.
July 6th, 2007 at 12:30 pm
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July 6th, 2007 at 3:50 pm
Brother I am so glad I came through when I did. I had such a time dealing with racial prejudice. Heber keep pricking the saints because they are surely still kicking against it.
July 6th, 2007 at 4:28 pm
My brother, I respect you very much and I admire you for your work in the Lord. I do know you personally but I would like to remain anonymous because of personal reasons. I have immensely enjoyed reading your blogs and I intend to continue even if I do disagree with some of your approaches. I am an ordained minister and I believe that we have to be careful when we try to mix our socio-political and cultural views with those of God. Let me give you some examples:
1. God is no respecter of persons. We can help our fellow man without having to publicly and “unashamedly†boast our “blacknessâ€. Doing that just alienates other races and cultures and promotes the sad truth that most of churches continue to be segregated. If segregation was immoral and ungodly for everything else, ie. restaurants, movies, workplace, restrooms, how can we justify segregation in the church? I love my people and I am proud to be black, however, I do NOT focus on my blackness. I focus on my humanity and the fact that before a righteous God, we are all the same. The church needs to be careful. QUESTION - Where were our black “so-called†mega church pastors when Jerry Falwell died or when Billy Graham’s wife died… I imagine they will show up in full force when someone like Louis Farrakhan exits the scene… I hear more quotes in my church from Brother Malcolm X and then I hear nothing but criticism, among dead silence, when Ruth Graham and Dr. Falwell passed away. When we make an obvious decision to be absent to events such as these, we, as black clergy, become just as racist in our behavior and as extreme in our partisanship as those who we criticize… Think about it…
2. To vehemently bash Israel for their treatment of Palestine is dangerously crossing a line that God has crossed. God’s Word is clear and emphatic concerning a nation’s support of His people. As far as their sins are concerned, they are God’s to address. I understand your points and I agree to an extent and I am concerned. However, it is not the Christian church’s job, nor has God sanctioned the church to issue any PUBLIC criticism of His chosen people. We are to pray for them and we are to stand with them. God will handle their atrocities in due time. He has a plan to reconcile that nation to Himself but in the meantime, he will reward the nations that stand with Israel during His Millenial reign.
3. We must hold MINISTERS accountable for their witness. All of us have issues but we are held to an extremely HIGH standard. I am concerned that we seem to focus only on the WHITE CONSERVATIVE politicians and our disdain for them and we ignore the arrogance, intentional sin and the financial looting that some of our black pastors perpetrate on their congregations. Contrary to what many believe, God does allow us to judge. He just tells us to remember ourselves before we do. As my uncle always says, who is a pastor as well, WE ARE CALLED TO BE FRUIT-INSPECTORS. Some fruit out there is ROTTEN to the core.
4. Finally, we must be careful how we denegrate the office of the President. I agree fully that we should be concerned and outraged with a lot of the activity of this present administration. However, other than proclaiming it to be a “private matterâ€, where was the black church when Clinton was defaming the office with his abominations? We become hypocrites in the public eye. We need to hold up the banner and the standard all around. We cannot be partisan and we cannot ignore God’s command for us to respect and honor those in charge of us, civically. To hear preachers call the president and vice president a “jokeâ€, a “moronâ€, etc…, does not help our witness but draws it into scrutiny even further. It does not matter what they do, the questions are WHAT SHOULD WE DO and HOW SHOULD WE GO ABOUT MAKING IT BETTER. Which leads me to one more observation… We had a great opportunity in MD to elect a BLACK senator… Where was the activism then? Where were the invitations given from our so-called “black mega churches†to support this brother? If we are so pro-black, where was our support of Him? But NO, we elect more of the same in Ben Cardin and never gave Steele a chance. ALL BECAUSE OF HIS PARTY AFFILIATION…
Some things to ponder…
I love you in the Lord…
July 6th, 2007 at 5:48 pm
New web site new rules?? Was not profane or disrepectful but yet my comments seem to have been deleted after #14. Free speech or buisness as usual for the so-called Christian community?
July 6th, 2007 at 5:53 pm
Just some thoughts:
Beliefs are a strange sort because they can’t be proven nor can they be un-proven. They just are.
Some of the blog responses seem to attempt to tell others what to do. I have observed over the course of my life that people do all kinds of things. We are not homogeneous beings we are in fact very hetero-.
For some reason I need to paraphrase what one preacher said about the genius of Christianity - Being Christian means you can always start again.
Since opinions abound I submit this one; the Black Church is the place you return to start over again and again and …
July 6th, 2007 at 7:12 pm
I am really enjoying how this conversation is unfolding. I do plan to give a more thorough response to a few items that some of you have raised, but let me offer these quick comments/questions.
Deacon (#12) - Thank you for the case studies. They remind me of some of the exercises that we did in Christian Ethics class that were designed for us to think critically. No easy answers, but certainly situations to think about.
Kingdom Minded (#14) - In this materialistic culture; education about being a good steward over personal finances is definitely needed. I, however, would like to see greater balance in the area of church-sponsored financial teachings. In addition to focusing on micro-level finances (personal); the church should also raise its voice about macro-level economic social justice and exploitation. The church would do well to raise its voice on issues of living wages, cost of energy increases impact on the poor, the misuse of american tax dollars, how greed has thwarted aggressive challenging of genocide in Darfur, Sudan, how the people of Nigeria live in squalor while European and American oil companies rape them of their natural resource, etc, etc.
Ray (#17) - Thank you for your very thorough commentary on some of my positions specifically and other more general issues. Your comment reminds me why I love blogging. The healthy engagement of meaningful issues has for a long time been a passion of mine. I want to respond in a more lengthy way, but I don’t have the time at this second. However, let me say this. My upbringing, theological training, personal study, and social activism make it impossible for me to divorce theology from social issues. During my time of critical study of the Bible, I find that the sacred text is replete with socio-political and cultural issues. The text informs much of my activism and political thought. There are certainly other texts that have helped guide my development in this arena. Some of them are: The History of Ancient Israel & Judah (Ross), Jesus and the Disinherited (Thurman), God of The Oppressed (Cone), The Prophetic Imagination (Brueggemann), The Mis-Education of the Negro (Woodson), Black Power (Carmichael/Ture), Pedagogy of the Oppressed (Friere) and more recently Where Have All The Prophets Gone? (McMickle). I’ll elaborate further on a future post. Thank you for you comment.
Common Sense (#18) - I have no recollection of your comment. I have emailed you in an attempt to explore what you wrote and to discuss what might have possibly happened. As you can see from other visitors, a myriad of opinions are welcomed here even if there is disagreement.
Vernon Johns (#16 & 19) - Your wisdom is truly missed. I especially appreciate your definition of the Black Church given in comment #19. It forced me to think about all of the times I’ve had to push the “Reset” button in my own life. Most of these times, I pushed it while weeping on the pews of somebody’s Black Church.