Has the Black Church lost its power?
"The Black Church has no power!" exclaimed an audience member at IPFW's recent "The Role of the Church in the Community" panel discussion. The young man complained that despite the presence of more than 50 churches within a one-mile radius of his home, crime, violence and drugs remain unchecked threats in the neighborhood. "The Black Church has no power," he repeated.
The panel, which included pastors Anthony Pettus, Sylvester Hunter, Chrystal Thomas, Angela Shannon, Keion Henderson and Luther Whitfield all bristled at the suggestion that the Black Church has no power.The Black Church DOES still have power, they noted; the power to change lives through Jesus Christ. Several of the pastors also touted the work their congregations were doing in the areas of community and economic development, housing and entrepreneurship.
While the pastors' point about Christ's power is indisputable, and while their various and respective outreach ministries and projects are commendable, the young brother accurately represented the frustrations that simmer in the minds of many Black people when it comes to the subject of today's Black Church.
The real questions is whether our Black Churches still have the power to change society, as they did during the Civil Rights Movement? And if so, do our pastors have the will and the wisdom to do so? The 1968 Freedom School movement, led by pastors like the late Dr. Jesse White and others, was perhaps the last time that most people can remember Fort Wayne's Black Church community truly rallying together with determination and strategy to fight for social justice. Does the local Black Church still have that kind of power and drive?
There is a disconnect between what many Black people expect of today's Black Church and what today's Black Church seems willing to deliver. The reality is that the Black Church is no longer the monolith that we, in part mythically and in part romantically, believe that it was in the Civil Rights struggle of the 1950s and 1960s. Nor are today's pastors the firebrands that we nostalgically remember using the pulpit to loudly and consistently speak out about the social conditions that impede progress for local Blacks.
Times change. Perhaps our expectations should, too.
The panel, which included pastors Anthony Pettus, Sylvester Hunter, Chrystal Thomas, Angela Shannon, Keion Henderson and Luther Whitfield all bristled at the suggestion that the Black Church has no power.The Black Church DOES still have power, they noted; the power to change lives through Jesus Christ. Several of the pastors also touted the work their congregations were doing in the areas of community and economic development, housing and entrepreneurship.
While the pastors' point about Christ's power is indisputable, and while their various and respective outreach ministries and projects are commendable, the young brother accurately represented the frustrations that simmer in the minds of many Black people when it comes to the subject of today's Black Church.
The real questions is whether our Black Churches still have the power to change society, as they did during the Civil Rights Movement? And if so, do our pastors have the will and the wisdom to do so? The 1968 Freedom School movement, led by pastors like the late Dr. Jesse White and others, was perhaps the last time that most people can remember Fort Wayne's Black Church community truly rallying together with determination and strategy to fight for social justice. Does the local Black Church still have that kind of power and drive?
There is a disconnect between what many Black people expect of today's Black Church and what today's Black Church seems willing to deliver. The reality is that the Black Church is no longer the monolith that we, in part mythically and in part romantically, believe that it was in the Civil Rights struggle of the 1950s and 1960s. Nor are today's pastors the firebrands that we nostalgically remember using the pulpit to loudly and consistently speak out about the social conditions that impede progress for local Blacks.
Times change. Perhaps our expectations should, too.
posted by Afrozen at 6:05 PM
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