Black Church Leaders Ask for Forgiveness From the LGBT Community

[Duncan Grant]

In an unusual meeting, several ministers apologize to gays about how they have been treated.

By: Delano Squires | Posted: March 3, 2011 at 12:44 AM

<snip>
Many traditional Protestant African-American churches have taken the fire-and-brimstone approach to preaching about sexuality and the LGBT community. Interestingly enough, this tactic rarely gets deployed for many of the other "thou shalt not"s that are enshrined in the Bible. In truth, many Christians have cloaked their personal revulsion to homosexuality in a thin veneer of religiosity.

While it may reinforce some people's sense of self-righteousness, shrouding hatred in Scripture makes for bad doctrine and even worse evangelism. Jesus built his ministry by spreading the gospel to people who were scorned by society. In addition to healing lepers and restoring sight to the blind, Jesus was criticized by the contemporary religious rulers for associating too closely with individuals they deemed unworthy.

Although the image of a preacher declaring eternal damnation resonates with many members of the LBGT community, not all churches have taken this position. A recent New York Times article cited U.S. Census Bureau data indicating that child rearing among same-sex couples is more common in the South than in any other part of the country, and found eight churches in Jacksonville, Fla., that openly welcome gay worshippers. It remains to be seen, however, to what extent the recent forum and the demographic trends in historically conservative regions foreshadow a broader shift in black churches' attitudes toward gays and lesbians.

The benefits of such a dialogue are not confined to Christians or members of the LGBT community. For years, the black church has been criticized for its lack of action in the fight against the spread of HIV and AIDS in the African-American community. This was undoubtedly in part because of doctrinal dissonance between messages about safe sex and HIV prevention, and biblical positions on the prohibition of sexual intimacy outside of a marital context. Regardless of the reasons, the outcome has been a deafening silence from one of the black community's most effective institutions for social change.
<snip>

Full story: TheRoot.com.

[babylonsister]

1. This is a start; I applaud their change of heart, and forgiveness is good. nt

[Divine Discontent]

2. that it is! I hope this continues across the world.

Very nice to see this!

amen!

[xchrom]

3. Recommend

[BillStein]

4. We all need to recognize

...that African-American homophobia is the same as White racism or anti-immigrant (which is anti-Latino) hysteria, all products of our divide-and-conquer strategy of nation building.

The best way to control people is to make them angry at straw men so they aren't angry at the forces that really threaten them. Bravo for the pastors who took this important step!:applause:

[yardwork]

9. Exactly. Very well said.

This is all about breaking up coalitions so that the people in power stay in power.

[Cherchez la Femme]

13. I wish I had as much hope as you

but I give that as much of a chance as convincing the white conservative religious of the same thing.

Especially in the pentecostal (not meaning strictly denomination but 'Born Again', speaking in tongues, slain in the spirit, etc.; vast numbers of which AA's belong) religious tradition where they think they hold the bible literally,
including of course, Leviticus
(Speaking of which, I haven't heard tales of stoning their children as of yet).
(Nor the refusal of a good crab boil. Or wearing blended fabric clothing. Or staying kosher. Or...
and that goes for all colors within those churches)

And it has always appeared to me that there were a disproportionally larger population of black Lesbians & Gays than whites; but I must be honest and qualify that with perhaps it was the demographics of the county I lived in when I was dating.
If it is indeed disproportionate, than my heart is heavier than ever and more goes out to my black sisters & brothers-in-sexual orientation regarding what they have to go through and endure.

[joeybee12]

5. Good to see...knr

[readmoreoften]

6. +1

[RetiredTrotskyite]

7. Nice to See This...

It's real men (and women) who can stand up, say they were wrong, ask forgiveness and go onto to make things as right as they are able to.

[Jamastiene]

8. As far as I am concerned: Forgiveness should be given freely in that case.

There was a local news story about some local* black churches praying for a cure for AIDS and the story was heart warming to see. It wasn't about God hating gay people or any nonsense like that. It was just a sincere prayer for a cure for AIDS and hopes of bring people of all kinds together for good. I like to see things like that.

* What counts for local for me in rural NC is still 100 miles away. Still, it was nice to see something like that happening that close at least.

I still say we have more power to end racism and homophobia if we work together and fight for each other as one. Our unity would make us a very powerful source of positive change.

[Cherchez la Femme]

12. Of course it should

as long as they, as Jesus said 'went their way and did not sin again'
i.e. Repeat the behavior they were asking forgiveness for.

I used to have long discussions with born-agains in which they'd say they were 'saved forever' so it didn't matter if they 'backslid': adultery, theft, the rest of the Ten). It was truly sad to see the idea that they had of having always a Get Out Of Jail Free card.

I'm very glad they're advocating for AIDS from the church now, but this is I don't know how many years in a row where the AIDS infection rate in the U.S. AA population if both genders (and IIRC, by a large margin, straight) is vastly the largest and most disproportionate.

But never look a gift horse in the mouth, eh?

(My first horse was sold to me, cheap, as a young-middling teen when he was in truth elderly. I loved my Buddy all the same).

[TygrBright]

10. A minister I greatly respected and learned much from years ago put it this way:

"We are all wounded, until we are all whole."

He was a man who knew Dr. King and marched with him and was a leader of the SCLC. He was referring to Dr. King's last couple of years, when the decision was made to take the strength and energy that had won the Voting Rights act for African-Americans, and point it toward the next fight: poverty in America.

It was not a broadly popular decision among the activist AA leadership, but those were the words he used to explain the reasoning behind it, from himself, from Dr. King, and from other leaders.

"We are all wounded, until we are all whole."

I do wish I could sticky that in gigantic red letters to the top of every DU forum and the Home Page, too.

wistfully,
Bright

[Bluenorthwest]

11. Some of the early, brave, unflinching heroes of the AIDS crisis

were African American ministers, churches, gospel artists and community organizations. I know this because I was there, so while many, maybe most, have forgiveness to ask- exactly as do other churches serving other communities-some were what I would call saints. For many, many years, the only chruches I would attend at all were African American. Because they were the one being most proactive in inclusion, while at the same time other congregations might stew in bigotry, some were leading the way, and I will never, ever forget the many ministers and gosple artists and rank and file belivers who stood with us then, when such stands could and did have a deep impact on a person. Back then, just saying 'AIDS' could make a person a social piraiah in some circles. And entire choirs of tongue speakers took that stand. I'm not going to forget that.
While some need to seek forgiveness, others deserve to be lauded, remembered, and openly loved for their great and unselfish actions. If it were not for some of those people, I do not know where I'd be, what I'd be, or if I'd be.

[closeupready]

14. Talk is cheap.

But I'll K&R anyway.