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7 Political Issues The Black Church Is Silent About

Its Ciara B1tch

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7 Political Issues That The Black Church Has Been Silent About
July 28, 2011 09:09 AM


by Anthony Jerrod

History has shown us that morality cannot be legislated. It may be tempting to certain individuals to solve America’s moral decline with partisan politics, but the real solution is the Gospel.

There was a time (not so long ago) when Americans largely disapproved of certain social practices such as abortion, divorce, pornography, xesual promiscuity, profane and obscene language, etc. The black Christian church has certainly been one of the most staunch and vocal opponents of such modes of living in times past. But, lately, it appears that the evangelical component of our community has generally gone silent.

To be sure, there are individual non-denominational and mainline black churches- both small and large- that are genuinely serious about their collective walk with the Lord. And, there are a multitude of excellent leaders who rightly divide and impart sound doctrine and “stir up” the gifts of their flock for kingdom building. Unfortunately, too many black Christian preachers exploit their positions and pulpits to encourage followers to water-down or hide the truth, all for the sake of material gain and making everyone happy.

The older black church was unashamed in its rhetoric and tough stance on certain immoral practices. Through godly living, prayer, faithful teaching and standing on the truth, present-day believers can once again become the conscience of our communities and affect positive change instead of government intervention and public policies. The following seven areas do not represent the entire breadth of moral issues that have become politicized but are some of the primary areas that the black church should stop being mute about:

Unwanted Pregnancies and Abortions





Black women have the highest rates of unintended pregnancy across racial and ethnic groups and are three times more likely as white women to have an abortion. Of these women, most are between the ages of 18 to 24 years and unmarried, have low incomes and are not high school graduates.

There are still some individual congregations and black organizations such as the Radiance Foundation and the National Black Prolife Coalition that express the common views of the early believers on these two issues.

In August, the Department of Human Health Services is expected to decide whether they will adopt the recent contraception recommendation cited in a report published by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) to decrease the rate of unwanted pregnancies and abortions. Specifically, the IOM has suggested to the Obama administration that all U.S.-approved birth control methods (condoms, oral contraceptives, spermicides, sterilization, etc.), including morning-after pills, be mandatory and free for all.

Divorce



According to the Institute for American Values, “Only 18 percent of black women who married in the 1940s eventually divorced. And, as recently as 1960, three-quarters of African-Americans were born into a family of a married couple.” Today, the divorce rate among blacks is roughly 32 percent compared with 21 percent white couples and 22 percent Hispanics. Per a Divorce 360 study, “70 percent of black women’s first marriages will end in divorce.”

Organizations and sites such as the African-American Health Marriage Initiative, Coalition for Healthy African-American Relationships and Marriages, and BlackandMarriedwithKids.com work tirelessly to ensure that marriages remain indissoluble and to keep the two-parent family structure intact.

Legislatively, liberalized no-fault divorce laws have made it relatively easy for couples to file for and to be granted permanent separation.

Violence



According to the Black-on-Black Crime Coalition, “While African-Americans comprise 13.5% of the U.S. population, they represent 43% of all murder victims, 93.1% of whom are killed by African-Americans.” Federal crime statistics also indicate homicide is the leading cause of death among African-American males ages 15 to 34.

Black on Black Crime, Inc. and the National CARES Mentoring Movement represent a small number of grassroots associations that implement the earlier church views of peace, unity and non-violence.

A significant portion of the estimated 44 percent of African-American inmates in our country’s prisons and jails are there because of black-on-black crimes. This is a tragic fact in a country that has become addicted to incarceration and that currently holds more inmates than many prisons were originally designed for.

Drug Use



Research by the Human Rights Watch indicates that ‘blacks comprise 62.7 percent of all drug offenders admitted to state prison, although there are five times more white users than black.

The Urban Minority Alcoholism & Drug Abuse Treatment Program and similar substance abuse programs for African-Americans have been the leaders in helping to restore the broke n lives of drug addicts in our communities.

Although Congress did pass the Fair Sentencing Act of 2010 to reduce racial inequity for people caught with crack cocaine versus powder cocaine, blacks are still admitted to state prison on drug charges at a rate that is 13.4 times greater than that of whites.

Lack of Education



Approximately seven thousand kids dropping out of school per day. Although the dropout rate of black high school students has somewhat declined, it is still relatively high at 9.3%.

There are a number of black charter schools and prep academies (e.g., Englewood’s Urban Prep Academy for Young Men in Chicago and the Seed School in Washington D.C.) around the country that are settling for no less than 100% graduation and acceptance rates into college.

The primary education legislation is the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act. The NCLB has proven to be no more than a “teaching the test” mechanism that has, in fact, kept minority and impoverished students at a disadvantage. Instead of standardized test scores and associated school performance, a multitude of students are no longer given a well-rounded education that is centered on the real metric- how they will perform after graduation.

Unhealthy Eating



In 2007-2008, African American children were 30% as likely to be overweight than Non-Hispanic Whites. Black children between the ages of 6 to 11 are more likely to develop diabetes and other health complications than white children because of childhood obesity.

The Whole Kids Foundation, Shape Up America and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Center for Childhood Obesity represent a growing number of associations targeting childhood obesity around the country.

First Lady Michelle Obama has launched a nationwide campaign and childhood obesity initiative with LetsMove.gov to expand access to healthy, affordable food. There has also been an upward swing in states passing childhood obesity laws.

xesual Promiscuity



According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Although blacks make up only 13.6 percent of the U.S. population, they account for 50.3 percent of all diagnosed cases of HIV. Additionally, the rate of HIV diagnosis among black men is eight times that of whites and two times that of Hispanics, and the rate for black women is 19 times that of whites and four times that of Hispanics.”

Black support groups that focus on celibacy and the benefits of a xes-free life are sorely needed in our community.

In August, the Department of Human Health Services is expected to decide whether they will adopt the recent contraception recommendation cited in a report published by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) to decrease the rate of xesually transmitted diseases. Specifically, the IOM has suggested to the Obama administration that all U.S.-approved birth control methods (condoms, etc.) be mandatory and free for all.
 

back4the1sttime

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It for the simple fact that black churches have now become business driven. So they don't want to do or say anything that my cause a rift or upset their donors (church members). On the flip side, I have notice that most black people don't want to hear all of that in church anyway. They just want to be preached happy and sing the latest and greatest gospel or christian songs and go home. The issue is, they are never ministered to, just entertained so they go back to the same hell they were in before they got to church.
 

BETonBlack

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It for the simple fact that black churches have now become business driven. So they don't want to do or say anything that my cause a rift or upset their donors (church members). On the flip side, I have notice that most black people don't want to hear all of that in church anyway. They just want to be preached happy and sing the latest and greatest gospel or christian songs and go home. The issue is, they are never ministered to, just entertained so they go back to the same hell they were in before they got to church.


I hate to say this but it's true. I had a lady tell me Black people experience racism all the time why should they come to church to be shamed? All I can say is tell the truth and shame the Devil.
 

fabulsdom

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i dont know what type of churches you guys attend, but my church, and the churches affiliated with us address ALL of these issues and some.

our youth and young adult ministries have xes ed awareness and education, and help for those facing unwanted pregnancies and dealing with the choice of abortions. and for those who are having trouble providing for their children,there's help for that too.

divorce: there's marriage counseling, and male and female support for those who are having a hard time going thru divorce. and just last week, my grandmother spoke a message of when it IS ok to leave and let go

violence: my church is in the heart of the city next to the police station on a street where hoes still walk the block, and where there''s shoot outs and gang violence being reported everyday. they have an effectice violence awareness program thats been on the front page twice alone this month.

unhealthy eating- we have 4 doctors in our church that give "health" lessons every sunday. classes ever tuesday and thursday, and a personal trainer that holds workout classes every saturday...all for free.

i could on and on disputing every uneducated general claim because while, yes, there are some scam driven churches, black and white, there are also a lot that actually do their job of making a positive impact of their communities and congregations.
 

HamBoiBaker

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They're silent about a lot and the megachurches are only focused on making money. They can speak on issues but they cant support political parties and candidates. They're plenty of conservative evangelical preachers that support a range of political views including banning gay marriage, zionism, putting prayer in school etc so the black church is too focused on emotionalism and making people feel good or extorting them for money.
 

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Wow, I noticed one important issue left out: mental health
 

Audiophilia

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I think it's true, but I think it should be action-oriented rather than just pulpit oriented. One of the things I like about TD, he's very action-oriented.

Sure, you can speak on it, but follow it up with actions, that's how it used to be. The Black church used to be both a safe haven for Blacks and also a resource center.

There needs to be a better balance of business and problem solving printed tactics and services.
 

Shugah

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Wow, I noticed one important issue left out: mental health

I scanned the article looking for paragraphs about mental health. We have mental health professionals on staff & are affiliated with a hospital. Mental Health is extremely important to the vitality of our community.
 

back4the1sttime

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i dont know what type of churches you guys attend, but my church, and the churches affiliated with us address ALL of these issues and some.

our youth and young adult ministries have xes ed awareness and education, and help for those facing unwanted pregnancies and dealing with the choice of abortions. and for those who are having trouble providing for their children,there's help for that too.

divorce: there's marriage counseling, and male and female support for those who are having a hard time going thru divorce. and just last week, my grandmother spoke a message of when it IS ok to leave and let go

violence: my church is in the heart of the city next to the police station on a street where hoes still walk the block, and where there''s shoot outs and gang violence being reported everyday. they have an effectice violence awareness program thats been on the front page twice alone this month.

unhealthy eating- we have 4 doctors in our church that give "health" lessons every sunday. classes ever tuesday and thursday, and a personal trainer that holds workout classes every saturday...all for free.

i could on and on disputing every uneducated general claim because while, yes, there are some scam driven churches, black and white, there are also a lot that actually do their job of making a positive impact of their communities and congregations.

The church I attend now addresses these issues as well. But it just not common to find these churches (especially black churches). The thing with my church is its a very small church and I like it like that. I mean we are only like 100 members. But we all know each other and we have built a report were we can talk about any and everything and not be to churchy about it. I live in TX so there are mega church pretty much on every corner. I tried the mega church thing and it's all entertainment. I don't mind it but me personally, I'm at a place now where I want to grow. So with that being the case, I made it a point to find a church that is actually about ministry and not entertainment. It took a minute, but I did find a place where this does take place. There are churches out there that are like that, but they are hard to find at this point.
 

fabulsdom

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The church I attend now addresses these issues as well. But it just not common to find these churches (especially black churches). The thing with my church is its a very small church and I like it like that. I mean we are only like 100 members. But we all know each other and we have built a report were we can talk about any and everything and not be to churchy about it. I live in TX so there are mega church pretty much on every corner. I tried the mega church thing and it's all entertainment. I don't mind it but me personally, I'm at a place now where I want to grow. So with that being the case, I made it a point to find a church that is actually about ministry and not entertainment. It took a minute, but I did find a place where this does take place. There are churches out there that are like that, but they are hard to find at this point.

another thing that people dont realize is that not every church preaches the same thing or has the same activites because every church and every pastor has a different mission. for example, my great grandfather's church had a prolific mission of alcohol and drug recovery. my grandfather's was mission work. my uncle's has a HUGE youth ministry and following.....and so on. thats why generalizations irk my nerves. u just gotta find what works for u when it comes to the right place to practice your faith

and the thing with mega churches is that they lack in focusing on specific things because they have to have voice a message that has to address the congregation as a whole.
 

back4the1sttime

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another thing that people dont realize is that not every church preaches the same thing or has the same activites because every church and every pastor has a different mission. for example, my great grandfather's church had a prolific mission of alcohol and drug recovery. my grandfather's was mission work. my uncle's has a HUGE youth ministry and following.....and so on. thats why generalizations irk my nerves. u just gotta find what works for u when it comes to the right place to practice your faith

and the thing with mega churches is that they lack in focusing on specific things because they have to have voice a message that has to address the congregation as a whole.

Exactly, our churches has two ministries to going, mentorship and outreach. And when I say outreach, I mean just that. Meeting the needs of the people. So once a month, we go out to a poverty neighborhood and pass out free lunches that we all money together to buy food, and pass it out. We have passed out numerous gas cards and would stand at a gas station and pass them out when gas prices were ridiculously high. We have helped people pay there rent, help with medical bills, even help get somebody out of jail. and I mean this is just with 100 people and all we do is put in 100 dollars a month to the out reach ministry fund, and decide what to do it. So imagine if a mega church of 5,000 or 10,000 member did something like that??? But that is what I like to do. Outreach because to me, that is true ministry. Doing what you can to meet the needs of the people. And through that, they will be ministered to through our actions.
 

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What say you?

7 Political Issues That The Black Church Has Been Silent About
July 28, 2011 09:09 AM


by Anthony Jerrod

History has shown us that morality cannot be legislated. It may be tempting to certain individuals to solve America’s moral decline with partisan politics, but the real solution is the Gospel.

There was a time (not so long ago) when Americans largely disapproved of certain social practices such as abortion, divorce, pornography, xesual promiscuity, profane and obscene language, etc. The black Christian church has certainly been one of the most staunch and vocal opponents of such modes of living in times past. But, lately, it appears that the evangelical component of our community has generally gone silent.

To be sure, there are individual non-denominational and mainline black churches- both small and large- that are genuinely serious about their collective walk with the Lord. And, there are a multitude of excellent leaders who rightly divide and impart sound doctrine and “stir up” the gifts of their flock for kingdom building. Unfortunately, too many black Christian preachers exploit their positions and pulpits to encourage followers to water-down or hide the truth, all for the sake of material gain and making everyone happy.

The older black church was unashamed in its rhetoric and tough stance on certain immoral practices. Through godly living, prayer, faithful teaching and standing on the truth, present-day believers can once again become the conscience of our communities and affect positive change instead of government intervention and public policies. The following seven areas do not represent the entire breadth of moral issues that have become politicized but are some of the primary areas that the black church should stop being mute about:

Unwanted Pregnancies and Abortions





Black women have the highest rates of unintended pregnancy across racial and ethnic groups and are three times more likely as white women to have an abortion. Of these women, most are between the ages of 18 to 24 years and unmarried, have low incomes and are not high school graduates.

There are still some individual congregations and black organizations such as the Radiance Foundation and the National Black Prolife Coalition that express the common views of the early believers on these two issues.

In August, the Department of Human Health Services is expected to decide whether they will adopt the recent contraception recommendation cited in a report published by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) to decrease the rate of unwanted pregnancies and abortions. Specifically, the IOM has suggested to the Obama administration that all U.S.-approved birth control methods (condoms, oral contraceptives, spermicides, sterilization, etc.), including morning-after pills, be mandatory and free for all.

Divorce



According to the Institute for American Values, “Only 18 percent of black women who married in the 1940s eventually divorced. And, as recently as 1960, three-quarters of African-Americans were born into a family of a married couple.” Today, the divorce rate among blacks is roughly 32 percent compared with 21 percent white couples and 22 percent Hispanics. Per a Divorce 360 study, “70 percent of black women’s first marriages will end in divorce.”

Organizations and sites such as the African-American Health Marriage Initiative, Coalition for Healthy African-American Relationships and Marriages, and BlackandMarriedwithKids.com work tirelessly to ensure that marriages remain indissoluble and to keep the two-parent family structure intact.

Legislatively, liberalized no-fault divorce laws have made it relatively easy for couples to file for and to be granted permanent separation.

Violence



According to the Black-on-Black Crime Coalition, “While African-Americans comprise 13.5% of the U.S. population, they represent 43% of all murder victims, 93.1% of whom are killed by African-Americans.” Federal crime statistics also indicate homicide is the leading cause of death among African-American males ages 15 to 34.

Black on Black Crime, Inc. and the National CARES Mentoring Movement represent a small number of grassroots associations that implement the earlier church views of peace, unity and non-violence.

A significant portion of the estimated 44 percent of African-American inmates in our country’s prisons and jails are there because of black-on-black crimes. This is a tragic fact in a country that has become addicted to incarceration and that currently holds more inmates than many prisons were originally designed for.

Drug Use



Research by the Human Rights Watch indicates that ‘blacks comprise 62.7 percent of all drug offenders admitted to state prison, although there are five times more white users than black.

The Urban Minority Alcoholism & Drug Abuse Treatment Program and similar substance abuse programs for African-Americans have been the leaders in helping to restore the broke n lives of drug addicts in our communities.

Although Congress did pass the Fair Sentencing Act of 2010 to reduce racial inequity for people caught with crack cocaine versus powder cocaine, blacks are still admitted to state prison on drug charges at a rate that is 13.4 times greater than that of whites.

Lack of Education



Approximately seven thousand kids dropping out of school per day. Although the dropout rate of black high school students has somewhat declined, it is still relatively high at 9.3%.

There are a number of black charter schools and prep academies (e.g., Englewood’s Urban Prep Academy for Young Men in Chicago and the Seed School in Washington D.C.) around the country that are settling for no less than 100% graduation and acceptance rates into college.

The primary education legislation is the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act. The NCLB has proven to be no more than a “teaching the test” mechanism that has, in fact, kept minority and impoverished students at a disadvantage. Instead of standardized test scores and associated school performance, a multitude of students are no longer given a well-rounded education that is centered on the real metric- how they will perform after graduation.

Unhealthy Eating



In 2007-2008, African American children were 30% as likely to be overweight than Non-Hispanic Whites. Black children between the ages of 6 to 11 are more likely to develop diabetes and other health complications than white children because of childhood obesity.

The Whole Kids Foundation, Shape Up America and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Center for Childhood Obesity represent a growing number of associations targeting childhood obesity around the country.

First Lady Michelle Obama has launched a nationwide campaign and childhood obesity initiative with LetsMove.gov to expand access to healthy, affordable food. There has also been an upward swing in states passing childhood obesity laws.

xesual Promiscuity



According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Although blacks make up only 13.6 percent of the U.S. population, they account for 50.3 percent of all diagnosed cases of HIV. Additionally, the rate of HIV diagnosis among black men is eight times that of whites and two times that of Hispanics, and the rate for black women is 19 times that of whites and four times that of Hispanics.”

Black support groups that focus on celibacy and the benefits of a xes-free life are sorely needed in our community.

In August, the Department of Human Health Services is expected to decide whether they will adopt the recent contraception recommendation cited in a report published by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) to decrease the rate of xesually transmitted diseases. Specifically, the IOM has suggested to the Obama administration that all U.S.-approved birth control methods (condoms, etc.) be mandatory and free for all.

What jackass came up with this bµllsh!t ass list?

How they gonna speak the ills of unwanted pregnancy and abortion and focus the problem on BLACK WOMEN instead of all these random ass [black] males out there being promiscuous and having children by various women--and this includes all the dirt that a lot of males (such as pastors!) do WITHIN the church? See--I can't take this mess seriously. At all. If he'd mentioned how males need to use birth control religiously, or hell control their hormones in the first place, and do their part not to contribute to the abortion and unwanted pregnancy rates, I might be able to take him seriously.

And furthermore, why is that nut job singling out black women when speaking of marriage and divorce rates in the black community? Why not spout stats on black males in the black community and discuss their CONTRIBUTION to the divorce rates. I mean, if you're gonna speak on sh!t, speak on sh!t. Speak on how infidelity is a primary factor contributing to divorce, and speak on how [black] males (who supposedly commit marital infidelity more than females) need to be faithful to their spouses, thereby PREVENTING a lot of divorces. The twisted ass psycho who wrote this sh!t is concentrating on the wrong thing, and trying to lay blame and make it seem like the problem is in black women, while he needs to look at things from a less biased point of view and present how black males, as well, need to be on their business. sh!t, I don't blame a lot of women who get divorced. The last thing the church needs to do is try to guilt trip black women into staying with no-good ass men. So he can fµck off with that mess. No fault divorce is a good thing because it makes it easier for a woman to get away from a piece of sh!t man. Do y'all realize how many women of the past stayed with men who beat them, cheated on them, abused their kids, or did other dirt because back then divorce was harder to acquire and criminalized? Like I said, he can fµck off with THAT mess.

In the meanwhile and until he does right, ain't nobody "stun" his bµllsh!t ass article. He can go suck on a lemon.

:disdain:
 

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