by UrbanFaith Staff | Dec 18, 2014 | Headline News |
c. 2014 Religion News Service
(RNS) The Rev. Delman Coates approached his pulpit on Sunday (Dec. 14) with a straightforward sermon: “Black Lives Matter.”
The Facebook page of his Mount Ennon Baptist Church featured photos of a congregation of thousands, dressed in black, with their hands held up. And the Clinton, Md., church announced plans for a “March on Annapolis” on Martin Luther King Jr. Day to push state lawmakers on police brutality, foreclosure and African-American businesses and colleges.
Fifty years after civil rights movement activists marched across the South, the black church is finding new ways for activism. But often, its clergy admit, they are not the leaders, and their sanctuaries are no longer ground zero for the civil rights movement.
On the day some churches dubbed “Black Lives Matter” Sunday, many people in the pews found themselves playing catch-up with the people who had already been on the streets.
Thousands of black churches — prompted initially by leaders of three historically black denominations and later joined by officials of mostly white and Hispanic faith groups — marked the day with black suits and dresses, litanies and prayers to be counted among the throngs of Americans decrying recent grand jury decisions not to indict white police officers in the killings of unarmed black men.
“I hope that we can build the sentiment … to really reclaim this tradition of activism and social justice advocacy, which is really at the heart of the black church,” said Coates, who spearheaded the first conference of the progressive Black Church Center for Justice and Equality earlier this month.
Coates and others say the black church — which he defines as a movement committed to freedom, not just a group of African-American worshippers — is being challenged by a number of factors, including young people who are not drawn to their pews and pro-gay activists who are pushing for more welcoming attitudes in their sanctuaries.
In a statement responding to the “Black Lives Matter” campaign, young adults of the African Methodist Episcopal Church urged its members to “find ways to connect with young adults who are not in our churches” and address their needs.
“Let us not become comfortable in places or spaces of privilege as our privilege is only of worth if it serves as a platform to challenge the status quo,” they wrote.
African-American churches also struggle with whether to focus on only black concerns or on a broader range of issues. When some said they were going to focus specifically on praying for black males on that Sunday, women and gay activists called for more inclusivity. “Black LGBT bodies must matter, too!” said a statement from Many Voices, a pro-LGBT church group.
“It really makes for some of our congregations to be betwixt and between,” said Alton B. Pollard III, dean of Howard University’s School of Divinity.
Jacquelyn Dupont-Walker, director of the AME Church’s Social Justice Commission, said the challenges reflect a generational divide and a wider disconnect that needs to be bridged.
“We’ve become aware that the -isms that the young people want to approach are broader than the -isms that the historic black church is focused on,” she said.
As the upcoming movie “Selma” depicts the Alabama voting rights marches led by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and other clergy, today’s ministers acknowledge they now have a different role.
“I think what history is going to record is that this is the first movement in black history that’s not been led by the church or by a religious figure,” said the Rev. Jamal-Harrison Bryant, pastor of Baltimore’s Empowerment Temple, whose members marched to a nearby mall after Sunday services for a “die-in” protest.
“The church is jumping in to lend its support — not to lead it — which is a different place from where the black church has been historically.”
Even as leaders of the black church grapple with their roles and plan activism around updated legislation and police policies, new LifeWay Research surveys show that black clergy may have to lead the charge themselves.
Two-thirds of U.S. adults say religious leaders offer a positive role in the country’s race relations. The vast majority of African-American pastors (93 percent) said their churches were involved in racial reconciliation, compared with 71 percent of white pastors.
After the Sunday demonstrations, leaders of the AME, AME Zion and Christian Methodist Episcopal churches plan to meet to discuss strategy to carve out their place in the latest cries for equal treatment.
“To assume we are at the forefront is erroneous,” said Senior Bishop Lawrence Reddick, of the CME Church. “We certainly should participate, and if people call us to leadership we certainly should take the role of leadership. But leadership has to be earned by people who look at us and want to follow.”
And, he added, for some black clergy this may take some adjustment: “It may be a change we don’t all want to accept.”
Copyright 2014 Religion News Service. All rights reserved. No part of this transmission may be reproduced without written permission.
by UrbanFaith Staff | Dec 15, 2014 | Feature, Headline News |
(RNS) The Rev. Pauline Njiru of Kenya displays a poster showing how Ebola can be transmitted. (Photo Credit: Fredrick Nzwili)
NAIROBI, Kenya (RNS) The government of Sierra Leone banned public Christmas and New Year’s celebrations because they may exacerbate efforts to eradicate the Ebola virus.
President Ernest Bai Koroma said that despite immense help from the international community, the number of people infected with the virus continues to rise.
Ebola infections in Sierra Leone recently surpassed those of Liberia and Guinea.
“The illness started at the border and now is in the cities and close to 2,000 people have died from the outbreak,” Koroma told reporters. He asked traditional leaders and tribal chiefs to quit performing rituals in hopes that will help curb Ebola.
The majority of Sierra Leone’s 6 million people are Muslim, but Christmas is widely celebrated among the 27 percent of people who are Christian.
Officials said soldiers will be deployed on the streets and people are advised to stay at home with their families.
Ebun James-Dekam, general secretary of Sierra Leone’s Council of Churches, said Christians should be allowed to pray in churches on Christmas and New Year’s Day, and then go back home.
“If we have a quiet Christmas, that does not make us less believers,” she said. “We must break the chain by avoiding body contacts.”
Meanwhile, Nigeria’s Roman Catholic Church lifted the ban on shaking hands and receiving the Communion wafer on the tongue. It also ordered the refilling water fonts at church entrances.
The practices were suspended in August over Ebola. The World Health Organization declared Nigeria Ebola-free in October.
Copyright 2014 Religion News Service. All rights reserved. No part of this transmission may be reproduced without written permission.
by UrbanFaith Staff | Dec 13, 2014 | Headline News |
My daughter Ana was born on a Tuesday morning in early April 2006. Her life was ended in her first grade classroom on a Friday morning in mid-December—six years, eight months, and ten days later. Despite the efforts of many to identify and debate the issues surrounding the Sandy Hook School shooting, an awful reality remains—there has been a proliferation of heinous, senseless acts of violence in America—acts that have ravaged my family and the families of so many others across our country. Much attention has been paid to the way in which my precious Ana died, but my album attempts to paint the picture of how she lived—lovingly, faithfully, and joyfully. In a way, my recording also represents a reaction. Not a reaction to the discourse sparked by the events of December 14, 2012, but rather the reaction of a father after having witnessed a miracle—the miracle of his daughter’s beautiful life.
The songs I chose for this recording are also particularly meaningful. Ana herself is heard singing, both on “Saludos”—Spanish for “greetings—, recorded during a 2011 Christmas family gathering in Puerto Rico—and on “Come Thou Almighty King,” accompanied by her older brother from his first-year piano lesson book. Ana loved the musical Annie and would sing “Maybe” a cappella, especially on car trips. In the care is where we often heard Natalie Grant’s acoustic version of “Your Great Name” over the radio. “Ana’s Way”, “When I Come Home”, and “Little Voices” speak about Ana’s life, a father’s hope through grief, and a humble suggestion as to where we can go from here as a society. The photo of my children that appears in this article inspired the compositions “Last Summer” and “Seventh Candle,” both written in the early spring of 2014 on what should have been Ana’s seventh birthday. “Prayer is my setting of the biblical text my mom taught me as a youngster and, in turn, I taught my children at bedtime. Jackie McLean showed me the melody of “Where is Love?” in 1990, on the first day we met at the Artists Collective. I was 15 years old and decided that day music would be my life’s work.
Within my album there is an assertion that, despite the seemingly unbearable weight of loss, there is still lots of beauty all around and much to be thankful for in this life. I’m grateful that my dad reminded me of this fact in the days after Ana was killed because from that moment, my focus gradually shifted from inward to outward, eventually resulting in the album. I’m thankful for the important work of my wife Nelba initiated in creating The Ana Grace Project of Klingberg Family Centers as well as the access to the arts the Artists Collective has provided for generations of children and families. And I’m thankful for the opportunity to share this music and a bit of Ana’s beautiful life with you.
Urban Faith is grateful to Jimmy Greene for his permission to reprint these beautiful words. You can find a copy of Jimmy Greene’s album, Beautiful Life, here.
by UrbanFaith Staff | Dec 8, 2014 | Feature, Headline News |
c. 2014 Religion News Service
NAIROBI, Kenya (RNS) Some church leaders are criticizing a British musicians’ charity group raising funds for the West African Ebola crisis, saying its new single reinforces negative stereotypes of Africa.
Band Aid, which was started 30 years ago by Bob Geldof, has re-recorded the charity title, “Do They Know It’s Christmas?”
The song was first recorded in 1984 to raise money to help victims of of the Ethiopia famine.
Where the original lyrics said: “Where the only water flowing is the bitter sting of tears,” the reworked lyrics have it: “Where a kiss of love can kill you and there’s death in every tear.”
Critics say the lyrics are patronizing and demeaning to Muslims in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea who do not celebrate Christmas.
“I feel a whole new song is required,” Emeli Sande, a British singer-songwriter said in a tweet.
The general feeling here is that 30 years after the Ethiopian famine, Africa has surged forward. In fact, Nigeria was able to stem the Ebola crisis without much external help.
“Seeking help for some of the bigger challenges in Africa has often sparked off all types of stereotypes,” said Dr. Daniel Gobgab, the head of the Christian Health Association of Nigeria. “This tends to overshadow the good that happen here.”
Not everyone agreed with the critique. The Rev. Kwabena Opuni-Frimpong, general secretary of the Christian Council of Ghana, said the continent still needs people who can help mobilize resources to help fight Ebola and the willingness to help is appreciated.
“They do that not because Africans are a bunch of helpless, hopeless people, but to remind the world of our common humanity and our common responsibility,” said Opuni-Frimpong.
In Sierra Leone, one of the countries bearing the brunt of the crisis, Ebun James–Dekam, general secretary of the Council of Churches, said Band Aid was raising funds for people who are suffering.
“I bet when the monies are sent to us we will not say we do not want it,” she said.
She blames some problems facing the continent on Africa itself.
West Africa’s most famous musicians recently released their own Ebola appeal song, which urges the people to trust doctors.
Listen to the song:
Copyright 2014 Religion News Service. All rights reserved. No part of this transmission may be reproduced without written permission.
by UrbanFaith Staff | Nov 26, 2014 | Headline News |
Why is it that the holiday season and a lack of self-control seem to go hand in hand? We overspend, overeat, and just downright overindulge all in the name of the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. What an oxymoron. It actually started with Halloween. The candy brought into the home and office gets the ball rolling. The smartest parents take the leftover candy to the office to “share” with unsuspecting co-workers with sweet toothes. The innocent co-workers (read: suckers) fall for it, and the non-stop seasonal nibbling begins. Next up is Thanksgiving, the official annual day to eat yourself into a coma. Who has the mindset to be thankful when you’re suffering from brain fog brought on by food intoxication? By the time Christmas rolls around, some of us could be rolled around.
The retail industry absolutely loves this time of year. We are being completely driven toward a lifestyle of overindulgence in eating, drinking, and shopping from Halloween to New Year’s Eve. We are most susceptible to food intoxication and excessive spending during this time of year. While the retailers benefit with fatter bank accounts, we are simply getting fatter. We then enter the new year guilty, possibly heavier, and expecting to resume or start a new healthy lifestyle. The problem is we have not been practicing healthy habits. So by February, we give up and face the reality that the poor lifestyle habits gained during the holiday season are not going anywhere without a fight.
Here’s a little guidance to keep the holiday spread on the table and off of you.
Attend the potluck with a plan
An online study conducted by toggl.com showed that office productivity drops by 52% between December and February in North America. Everyone is working less in the name of celebrating the holidays, or so it seems. When you peel back the layers, what’s really going on under the guise of celebrating might actually be just plain old overeating. Perhaps you’ve been invited to some of the many office potluck celebrations. You know, that wonderful time for coworkers to show off and share what they can, or think they can cook? These happen right in the middle of the workday, taking away from normal office productivity hours with eating, drinking, and endless mingling. You can avoid this unnecessary calorie fest by acting like you forgot about it and just don’t participate. Perhaps you can eat beforehand so you won’t be so tempted. Another effective method is to mentally convince yourself that the people who prepared the food have very poor kitchen hygiene. How’s that for appetite control?
Leave the less than worth it items on the table.
The company holiday party never has good food, and you know it. It usually takes place at a hotel or somewhere that serves the typical menu: Green beans from a can, dry chicken breast, and that same old rice pilaf is what you’ll likely get if it’s a seated dinner. Stuffed mushrooms and other frozen and heated finger foods are offered on trays at receptions. The buffet table will always have a cold cut platter, a vegetable tray, some store-bought desserts, and if you’re lucky, a carving station with a succulent roast turkey or medium rare garlic and rosemary crusted prime rib. Either way, you’ve had it before and nothing has changed. My mantra for you in this situation is “I am not a garbage can.” Repeat that to yourself every time you feel the urge to eat something that you know is not worth the time and effort it takes to digest it. Be selective and go for the best of the best, like that carving station I hope your company blesses you with, along with the fresh veggies.
Food gifts are made to be shared, re-gifted, or tossed
Food gifts are difficult sometimes. When someone gives you those chewy, buttery, molasses-and-ginger-laced homemade cookies that you can taste with your eyes and know are amazing, keep them. As much as I enjoy good home-baked goodies, I would be wrong to tell you to re-gift them. However, before you even open the package, decide who you will share them with and cut your calorie intake at least in half. On the other hand, any sweets given to you that are less than excellent, like the fruitcake that can double as a doorstop, re-gift it. Or if it’s that bad, toss it. I remember a pastor’s wife saying she had a garbage can named Spot. Whenever a church member asked how she liked the cake or pie they gave her family, she replied “It hit the spot.” That may sound cruel and even ungrateful, but you cannot let someone else’s decision to feed you determine what you’ll eat. Once you realize all the love expressed through pie and cake gifts is making you fat, as the pastor’s wife recognized, you’ll see my point. The same mantra you’ll use at the company holiday party applies here. “I am not a garbage can.”
If all else fails, preserve your health.
If none of this is seems doable to you, think about how you’re feeling. Runny nose, coughing, and sore throat are all common this time of year. Have you ever considered it could be related to changes in the diet? This is the time of year we consume more dairy, sugar, and wheat, all known to increase inflammation which manifests as cold symptoms. Increased mucus is a sign that your body is trying to get your attention. Whatever you’re feeding yourself, when these symptoms arise, it’s a sign that your body is attacking it with increased mucus production. The candy, cookies, cakes, and pies that we consume so frequently from October 31 to December 31 are guilty of adding to the increased occurrence of what seems like the common cold. Instead of cold medicine and chicken soup, try abstaining from or cutting down on the sweet and starchy treats. You’ll feel better and avoid the holiday spread.
The holiday season is not a green light for abusing your body with food.
It’s ironic that we celebrate the holidays by being greedy and lacking restraint. We take good health for granted a few weeks out of the year, at a time when we should be doing the opposite. What ever happened to temperance, one of the fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22–23)? What if we celebrate what we have been blessed with instead of how much abuse we can get away with? If we remember the reason for the season, just imagine how much healthier we would be upon entering the new year. Let’s be appreciative of good health while we have it by living a lifestyle to preserve it all year long. Then there will be no need for the January weight loss panic, and certainly no threat of a holiday spread.
