Free Republic

The Rev. Reginald Jackson, who last week announced he was throwing his coveted support to incumbent Gov. Jon Corzine, received $87,000 in donations from the multimillionaire governor last year, Jackson confirmed yesterday. According to Corzine's 2008 tax returns, the governor made a $50,000 donation to Jackson's congregation, St. Matthew AME Church in Orange. Corzine gave another $37,000 to St. Matthew from his philanthropic foundation, Jackson said. He explained the smaller sum was contributed early in 2008 and the $50,000 was donated in July last year, shortly after the governor began raising money for his re-election campaign. The contributions were the...

The Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) has announced election of The Reverend Bernice King, the youngest daughter of The Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. (the organization's founder), as its eighth president. The announcement has raised concern among the LGBT community and its supporters. Bernice King has been vocal against marriage equality and has stoked the homophobic fires when she said, "I know in my sanctified soul that he (Dr. King) did not take a bullet for same-sex marriage."

Prayer stopped for a few moments Sunday at 11 churches in Chesapeake and Portsmouth as pastors allowed time for a little bit of politicking between hymns of joy and sermons of salvation. State Del. Lionell Spruill Sr. came to visit, bringing along Democratic candidate for governor Creigh Deeds and envelopes of tickets to one of the hottest political events in Hampton Roads this season. Conducting what has become a tradition for Democrats running for high statewide posts, Spruill led Deeds on a five-hour whirlwind tour of Sunday services, with staff members and reporters in tow. At each stop, Deeds, a...

During the entire Bush administration critics accused him of using religion for political purposes. Many people were aghast that our President was a religious man -- as opposed to his predecessor whose fidelity to the Ten Commandments was an on-off sort of affair. When George Bush named Jesus as his favorite philosopher he was laughed at as being a simpleton. What really provoked the left was when he created the Office of Faith-Based Initiatives as a way to work with religious groups to perform social services. There were fears that the wall between church and state were going to tumble...

Prayer was mixed with a dose of politics at Passaic’s largest black church on Sunday as congregants donned Obama T-shirts in a show of support for a president they say has been unfairly criticized after only eight months in office. The Union Baptist Church held a “Support Obama Sunday,” asking members to “turn the script” on the “wicked and nasty” reaction Obama has received in some quarters as he pushes for health-care reform. The church’s pastor, Rev. Ronald W. Johnson, said he rarely brings politics into the church but was moved to do so because he is concerned that some...

A group of pro-life black pastors are showing their support for President Obama’s health care plan, though conservative public policy experts note that such a plan remains nowhere in sight. Bishop Charles E. Blake Sr., who heads the six million-member Church of God in Christ, and the group of black ministers endorsed the president’s controversial health care overhaul Thursday but was careful to reiterate Obama's no-abortion-funding pledge while cautioning the White House against breaking its promise. "In accord with our commitment to Christian teaching, we wholeheartedly affirm the president's position that medical costs related to the abortion of fetuses shall...

At The Top Of The Televangelist's Game Wesley Pruden. Barack Obama did what he does best. Billy Graham once said Bill Clinton could make a great evangelist, but Bubba's not a patch on this president. Mr. Obama early on mastered the cadence of the black church - dropping his voice on the last word of the sentence to make the listener pay attention - and he understands the power of language. He speaks great prose. He understands that a televangelist concentrates on sales, not substance. The president was on his game Wednesday night, soaring with a promise of partisan geniality...

black woman is suing the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, saying she was abruptly fired after complaining that the organization was not reaching out to black churches. A spokesman for the organization didn't comment on the firing, but said the association does extensive outreach and works extensively with black congregations and other diverse churches. Kimberly McCallum said in the lawsuit that was moved into a federal court on Wednesday that she was the only black employee working in the executive offices in Charlotte when she started in February 2007. She complained to her superiors later that year when she was asked...

A coalition of gay marriage opponents asked the D.C. elections board Tuesday to authorize a ballot initiative that if approved by a majority of voters would define marriage in the District as the union of a man and a woman. Stand4MarriageDC, led by Bishop Harry Jackson of Beltsville's Hope Christian Church, filed papers with the Board of Elections and Ethics seeking authority to collect petition signatures for a November 2010 referendum on the definition of marriage. The filing, backed by the Archdiocese of Washington, comes ahead of an anticipated D.C. Council effort to legalize same-sex marriage in the District. "The...

What is Black Liberation Theology anyway? Barack Obama's former pastor, Jeremiah Wright catapulted black liberation theology onto a national stage, when America discovered Trinity United Church of Christ. Understanding the background of the movement might give better clarity into Wright's recent vitriolic preaching. A clear definition of black theology was first given formulation in 1969 by the National Committee of Black Church Men in the midst of the civil-rights movement: Black theology is a theology of black liberation. It seeks to plumb the black condition in the light of God's revelation in Jesus Christ, so that the black community can...

In an unexpected move, Michael Vick might not be feeling venom outside of Lincoln Financial Field Thursday night but rather he will be feeling some puppy love as supporters planned to march the night that the controversial QB returns to the NFL. The Philadelphia Chapter of the NAACP, the Black Clergy of Philadelphia and other Philly-area civil rights groups were planning a “massive demonstration” outside of the Eagles preseason game against Jacksonville -- the game where Vick is expected to make his Eagles’ debut

Besieged pastor of L.A.'s First AME Church touts his successes Critics seeking to oust the Rev. John J. Hunter cite financial issues and what they view as a shift in priorities from his predecessor's. Hunter's backers cite progress they say the church has made. Teresa Watanabe August 2, 2009 Nearly five years after replacing a legendary pastor in one of the nation's most prominent African American pulpits, the Rev. John J. Hunter counts his blessings. Since taking the helm of the First African Methodist Episcopal Church of Los Angeles in October 2004, Hunter says, he has been privileged to bring...

The Rev. Frederick J. Eikerenkoetter II, the flamboyant minister better known as the Reverend Ike, who preached the blessings of material prosperity to a large congregation in New York and to television and radio audiences nationwide, died Tuesday in Los Angeles, where he had lived since 2007. He was 74. “This is the do-it-yourself church,” he proclaimed. “The only savior in this philosophy is God in you.” Along with Jim Bakker, Jimmy Swaggart and Pat Robertson, he was one of the first evangelists to grasp the power of television. At the height of his success, in the 1970s, he reached...

African-Americans are the most religiously devout racial group in the nation when it comes to attending services, praying and believing that God exists, according to a recent profile. Compared to the rest of the U.S. population, which is generally considered highly religious, African-Americans engage in religious activities more frequently and express higher levels of religious belief, Pew Research Center's Forum on Religion & Public Life highlighted in a report released in time for Black History Month. The center's U.S. Religious Landscape Survey, conducted in 2007 on more than 35,000 people, found that 79 percent of African-Americans say religion is very...

WASHINGTON – A number of black evangelical leaders are rising up as a new voice in the conservative movement traditionally dominated by white Protestants. Their centerpiece agendas are abortion and same-sex “marriage” – the same two key social issues emphasized by most conservative evangelicals. But unlike the typical white evangelical Christian that is most likely part of the conservative wing of the Republican party, these African American leaders may be card-carrying Democrats but willing to switch over to the Republican side if their conservative values are addressed. Bishop Harry R. Jackson, Jr., who heads the socially conservative black pastors group...

Last week, Senator Dick Durbin made comments that should have won him the “Most Racially Insensitive Remarks of the Year Award.” His statements were made in a committee markup. An audio recording of the heated exchange between Senator Durbin (D-IL) and Senator Brownback (R-KS) revealed the unfortunate bias of the Senator from Illinois. Senator Durbin justified the fact that 41% of pregnancies in DC are terminated by abortion by essentially saying, “It’s a black thing!” His exact words are listed below: Durbin: In terms of safe, legal and rare, to the Senator from Kansas, I will tell you two things....

The following is an excerpt from a letter that will be sent this week to President Obama from leaders in the African-American community. Two events have precipitated the writing of this letter. 1. The President hosted a Stonewall Riot 40th anniversary celebration at the White House, when no such meeting has been afforded to African-American clergy to date. 2. The legal attempt to overthrow the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) that has come out of Massachusetts last week. All too often, both the press and politicians view the African-American community as a monolithic group that will go wherever the cultural...

A conservative black pastor and former NFL linebacker says he's highly offended that President Obama would compare the plight of homosexuals to that of blacks during the Civil Rights Era.On Monday, President Obama told a gathering of homosexuals at the White House that he is aware that many of them "don't believe progress has come fast enough," and compared their struggles to those of blacks during the Civil Rights Movement. Ken Hutcherson, the senior pastor of Antioch Bible Church in Kirkland, Washington, says the comments are especially disturbing from an individual who is supposed to be familiar with "the black experience." "But I...

President Obama hosted a reception at the White House celebrating LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender) Pride month. Black Christians should take note and learn a few things about our black President. As they say, we are what we do. It tells us something that Mr. Obama had no time to host an event for the National Day of Prayer. Nor did he have time to accept the invitation to convey greetings and a few remarks to the couple hundred thousand who came to Washington, as they do every January, for the March for Life. However, the LGBT Pride event did...

Irrespective of race, it seems that nowadays the primary question asked when deciding which party to support is, “What will you do for me (and my downtrodden brethren)?” Looking at the “comments” section of an article about diversifying the GOP, it’s clear that for many African Americans, the answer expected from and assumed of Republicans is: nothing. (One of Asim’s reader’s comments: ” The Republican Party has not done anything in recent time to warrant an AFRICAN AMERICAN caring about it.”) This despite the fact that it was Richard Nixon who signed the first major application of affirmative action into...

A black evangelical Christian pastor and former NFL linebacker says there was "absolutely no truth in anything" President Obama said in his speech to homosexuals in the East Room of the White House Monday. President Obama promised LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) supporters Monday at a White House "gay pride" celebration that he "will continue to be an ally and a champion" for their agenda, once again vowing he will repeal the Defense of Marriage Act and the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy. (Related article: Obama White House not appealing transgender ruling) Ken Hutcherson, senior pastor of Antioch...

After having served 18 days in prison, the Rev. Walter Hoye is a free man and will remain so — as long as he doesn’t come within eight feet of anyone who is about to enter an Oakland abortion clinic. That hasn’t stopped the 52-year-old minister from returning to the public sidewalk outside the Family Planning Specialists Medical Group building near Jack London Square, the site of his arrest last May that resulted in his incarceration at Santa Rita Jail in Dublin earlier this year. Hoye, executive elder of the Progressive Missionary Baptist Church in south Berkeley, is on a...

With the Capitol dome as a backdrop, Bishop Harry Jackson of Hope Christian Church in Beltsville, Md., and a large group of pastors in town for a national conference, joined House Republicans for a press conference Thursday to announce legislation in opposition to the recent decision by the D.C. City Council to recognize same-sex marriages from states where the practice is legal. The D.C. Defense of Marriage Act, co-sponsored by Reps. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and Dan Boren (D-Okla.), states “that in the District of Columbia, for all legal purposes, ‘marriage’ means the union of one man and one woman.” “The...

I think we Freepers should be supporting this man any way we can . I'm sure he could use some financial support , and I am thinking about giving him a modest donation . Has anyone here met the man , or been to his church ? He is the real deal wouldn't you say ? I'm in Japan or I would have checked him out personally by now .

Black clergy have long opposed the march toward legal same-sex marriages. Now, they’re also challenging the growing efforts of gay-marriage supporters to frame the issue as a civil rights cause. The Rev. William Gillison, pastor of Mount Olive Baptist Church, a large African-American congregation on East Delevan Avenue, said he is insulted by the comparison. “We know what we have gone through as an ethnic group. We feel the terminology, the definition itself, has really been hijacked,” he said. “Unfortunately, it’s just another ploy to garner more support from people who may not understand what the civil rights struggle was...

Battling anger and indifference on the part of California voters, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger implored them Sunday not to make the state "the poster child for dysfunction" by defeating a host of measures on Tuesday's ballot that seek to restructure the state's bleak finances. The governor's visits to three African American churches in Los Angeles came as proponents and opponents of the ballot measures marshaled the last of the millions of dollars they have collected for the special election. Schwarzenegger said Sunday he had been told that about 25% of voters are expected to show up, ... Schwarzenegger, accompanied by Assembly...

Last week, Washington, D.C., City Councilman Marion Barry raised eyebrowns when he predicted that there would be a “civil war” if the District of Columbia endorsed gay marriage legislation. "All hell is going to break loose," warned Barry, the former D.C. mayor and one-time convicted felon, after the council voted 12-to-1 Tuesday to recognize same-sex marriages performed elsewhere in America. "We may have a civil war," declared Barry. "The black community is just adamant against this." .... During the Prop 8 campaign in California, the tensions spilled onto the streets and got ugly. “It was like being at a klan...

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Congress should let the District of Columbia pass a gay marriage law if it wants to, without interference. "I don't think Congress should intervene, any more than we should intervene when New York did something similar," Pelosi said. The D.C. Council on Tuesday passed a bill to recognize same-sex marriages performed elsewhere. The vote was overwhelming, but it drew heated opposition from Councilman Marion Barry and African- American ministers. The vote foreshadows a debate over whether to legalize same-sex marriages performed in the city....

Via JWF, a tough call here for the forces of tolerance. On the one hand, he’s a Democrat and a minority and therefore presumptively possessed of Absolute Moral Authority. Attack him at your peril. On the other hand, he’s a tax cheat and an ex-crackhead. No need to impeach his credibility; there’s none left to impeach. Really, about the only thing that can be said in his favor is that, warts and all, he’s still more appealing than Perez Hilton. This much is certain: Hate like this demands the release of another Carrie Prejean topless photo. D.C. Council member Marion...

Despite opposition from some local churches, the Washington, DC Council has voted 12-1 to recognize homosexual "marriages" legal in other states. View Video News Report : http://www.onenewsnow.com/vidPlayer.aspx?videoId=12834 Associated Press reports advocates from both sides of the debate were part of an overflow crowd that filled city hall, and more than 100 opponents from churches in the Washington region held a rally across the street. Peter Sprigg of the Family Research Council believes the DC Council is on a slippery slope to recognition of same-gender marriage. "It's unfortunate that the Council chose not to respond to the outpouring of opposition that...

Members of the U.S. House today approved a plan to create a federal "hate crimes" plan that will provide special protections to homosexuals and others with alternative sexual choices, but leave Christian ministers and pastors open to prosecution should their teachings be linked to any subsequent offense, by anyone, against a "gay." The vote was 249-175, and came despite intense Republican opposition to the creation of the privileged class. Bishop Harry Jackson Jr. of the High Impact Leadership Coalition also condemned the action, offering a warning about the future of the United States.

What’s at risk is the ability to preach the Gospel.’ So said Bishop Harry Jackson, standing with other black religious leaders and Republican congressmen at a press conference yesterday.   Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) led a group of members of Congress and Christian leaders yesterday in denouncing HR 1913, the federal hate crimes legislation that was passed on a straight party line vote out of the House Judiciary Committee late last week.   Jackson, a well-known leader in the black community as Sr. Pastor of Hope Christian Church in Beltsville, Md., and chairman of the High Impact Leadership Coalition, cautioned...

Oakland, CA (LifeNews.com) -- A pro-life pastor in Oakland, California who was convicted of helping women outside abortion centers find life-affirming alternatives has been released after spending 18 days in jail. Reverend Walter Hoye was charged with violating an anti-free speech ordinance Oakland officials put in place to target him.Oakland officials had enacted the law that prohibited contact within eight feet of women entering abortion businesses without their consent.Last month, Hoye began serving a 30 day sentence and he received three years probation as well as a requirement to pay a $1,000 fine and a $130 restitution fee. He...

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Black pastors to ask Burris to resign One cites senator's effort to raise money for disgraced Blagojevichago pastors originally supported Burris' appointment Feb. 19, 2009 CHICAGO - A group of black ministers who supported U.S. Sen. Roland Burris as he fought to get his job now plan to ask for his resignation following revelations that he tried to raise money for the disgraced governor who appointed him, one of the ministers told The Associated Press on Thursday. Many of the city’s influential black pastors supported Burris because of his scandal-free reputation — even though he was appointed by then-Gov. Rod...

CHICAGO (AP) - A group of black ministers who supported U.S. Sen. Roland Burris as he fought to get his job now plan to ask for his resignation following revelations that he tried to raise money for the disgraced governor who appointed him, one of the ministers told The Associated Press on Thursday. Many of the city's influential black pastors supported Burris because of his scandal-free reputation—even though he was appointed by then-Gov. Rod Blagojevich three weeks after the governor was arrested for allegedly trying to sell the Senate seat. Now some of those pastors will ask Burris to resign,...

Ministers in New Orleans kick off recall campaign Wednesday, February 18, 2009 A group of black ministers in New Orleans is kicking off a campaign to recall newly elected 2nd District Congressman Joseph Cao. An organization called the Louisiana Ministerial Alliance of Churches says it will file papers with the Secretary of State to begin the process of seeking the signatures needed to force a recall election. The group is upset over Cao's two votes against an economic stimulus package which Cao said would mean little in terms of job creation to his district. Cao joined fellow GOP members of...

Tonight on Evil Conservative Radio we were joined by Pastor James David Manning of Atlah Ministries in Harlem. You've heard the hype. Now meet the man. In this first segment he tells us a little about who he is and what his ministry has done in the community, as well as what's wrong with the community he serves. This is a fascinating interview you don't want to miss. He's not just about Obama. We talk about abortion and crime and many other topics in this segment.

Friday January 23, 2009 At March, Black Pastor Warns Obama not to Preside over “Genocide” of American Blacks WASHINGTON, DC, January 23, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The most well received speech at the March for Life this year was that of an African American pastor from Frederick Maryland.  Pastor Luke Robinson began noting that the election of the first African American President of the United States was a fulfillment of “part” of the “Dream” of Dr. Marin Luther King Jr. Speaking of the inauguration of the “first black President” of the United States, Pastor Robinson explained: “So many African Americans...

The Associated Press noticed liberal Rev. Joseph Lowery's prayer raised eyebrows when he prayed for that day in the hazy future when "white will embrace what is right." That divisive note drew this headline: "Lowery gives sole inaugural note of racial caution."

WASHINGTON -- Barack Obama's controversial former pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, says the lesson in Obama's rise to the White House is that black people shouldn't limit themselves -- or allow others to. Wright delivered his sermon Sunday during church services at Howard University in Washington.

More Christian Than African-American is author Kimberly Cash Tate's truthful, courageous account of the spiritual journey that completely transformed her sense of identity. A native of the Washington, D.C. area, she was raised in the comfort and security of a thriving black culture. After attending the University of Maryland and earning a law degree from George Washington University, she had every intention of enjoying a lucrative career in the comfortable blackness of D.C. Instead, Tate's world was shattered when the bear job market offered no jobs from D.C. firms. With no career possibilities in D.C., Tate accepted a clerkship in...

Alabama State University (ASU), a historically black college, is planted near the west side of the capital city of Montgomery, a birthplace of the civil-rights movement. The campus sits at the edge of a major housing project. Or as Tijuanna Adetunji puts it: "It's in the 'hood." That made it the perfect place for Adetunji, 38, who grew up in the Montgomery projects herself, to share her message on African-Americans and the true nature of abortion. Earlier this year, an ASU professor invited Adetunji to address her students on the topic. "The professor knew some of her students had faced,...

Given some of the reactions to an item I wrote yesterday about Barney Frank's objections to Rick Warren giving the invocation at the inauguration, let me state for the record that I lean libertarian on marriage. On the one hand, I don't like courts substituting their judgment for legislatures or the will of the people. But in the long run, I think it might be better for government to recognize that marriage is a religious or spiritual institution, and confine its role to enforcing agreements between partners. That said, I can't help but chuckle at the way the MSM is...

The attitude of white, liberal Hollywood toward African- American churches has long been one of almost participatory respect. ... It was only recently that the A-list discovered that this love is unrequited. Last month, Proposition 8 passed, making gay marriage illegal in California, and the demographic that lent insult to injury was the state’s African-American voters. They came to the polls in record numbers to support Barack Obama, and they brought with them a fiercely held and enduring antipathy toward homosexuality: 7 in 10 blacks voted in support of traditional marriage. ... “It’s their churches,” somebody whispered to one of...

Voters' economic status and religious convictions played a greater role than race and age in determining whether they supported the Nov. 4 ballot measure outlawing same-sex marriage in California, a new poll shows. The ban drew its strongest support from both evangelical Christians and voters who didn't attend college, according to results released Wednesday by the Public Policy Institute of California. Age and race, meanwhile, were not as strong factors as assumed. According to the poll, 56 percent of voters over age 55 and 57 percent of nonwhite voters cast a yes ballot for the gay marriage ban.

We now know that blacks probably didn’t tip the balance for Proposition 8. Myth busted. However, the fact remains that a strikingly high percentage of blacks said they voted to ban same-sex marriage in California. Why? There was one very telling (and virtually ignored) statistic in CNN’s exit poll data that may shed some light: There were far more black women than black men, and a higher percentage of them said that they voted for the measure than the men. How wide was the gap? According to the exit poll, 70 percent of all blacks said that they voted for...

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is becoming a potent political force. Last year's story was that Mormons had risen to some of the highest offices in America -- Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid belongs to the church, as does former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney. This year's headline is that, with the encouragement of their religious leaders, Mormons gave loads of money and man-hours to pass Proposition 8 in California, which banned same-sex marriage in the state. Indeed, they were probably the most organized and consequential force behind the measure's passage. But in the face of post-election protests...

The emotion and strong-feelings on both sides of Proposition 8 divided leaders in the African-American community on Friday night. At the annual NAACP Banquet in San Francisco some pastors chose to boycott because of another's stance on same-sex marriage. "Seizing our moment of triumph" was the NAACP celebratory theme for this major fundraiser, but conversation often still centered on Proposition 8 and Rev. Amos Brown's much publicized stance to support same-sex marriage civil rights. "Tonight our national president, Ben Jealous, will be here to show he stands with us. And for the state president Alice Huffman to be here, to...

When comedian Wanda Sykes disclosed during a rally in Las Vegas this week that she had been in a same-sex marriage since October, no one cheered louder than those who face the double indemnity of being black and gay. "You know, I don't really talk about my sexual orientation," said Sykes, 44, who stars in the television series "Adventures of Old Christine." "I didn't feel like I had to. I was just living my life, not necessarily in the closet, but I was living my life." But living life in the spotlight -- as black and gay -- is twice...