Since the election, conservatives all over the United States have been giving each other high-fives for another Bush victory. This base has also spent this time giving their congratulatory “pats the back” to their emerging newest members: The Black Church.
With all the celebration and downright gloating at times, I have found that not too many within this movement have considered the fact that Black churches have now placed themselves within the cross-hairs of American liberalism.
What conservatives must understand is that since the days of Dr. King, the black church has been a solid voting block for democrats. Over the years, we have seen the Black church intertwine its powerful message of “victory over oppression” with movements such as abortion, women, and even homosexual rights—all of which have been spearheaded by liberals. It would be very foolish for conservatives to believe that democrats will do nothing with the slight up-tick of Bush supporters without a fight.
As we all know from the exit polls from the election that Black Bush supports largely voted for him on the basis of his stance on two issues: Abortion and Homosexuality. I believe the latter of the two could very well serve as a open target in the days to come. Here’s how.
If you are Black and have been to a predominately Black church on at least an occasional basis, you will know that it is not uncommon to find homosexuals in the mix (many of them are on the DL – Down Low [closet homosexuals]). You will usually find them either in the choir, or serving in some type of administrative role – both of which are roles with high visibility (this may be a reason why we do not find many strong (masculine) men in our churches—that statement is a book in of itself. I will address that whole deal in a later posting).
Now, follow me through this possible scenario: A church that receives federal monies via the Faith-Based Initiative program now decides to take a much firmer or biblical stand on homosexuality. In today’s political environment, anything that the church may do or say on the issue of homosexuality can very easily be misconstrued as harassment. Before you know it, that church could find itself looking at a lawsuit. This could very well happen in spite of the fact that the faith-based initiative is exempt from federal hiring practices. Just the negative press itself could be enough to put a church out of business.
I believe that the church of today is on very dangerous ground when it involves itself in politics while at the same time, enjoys the benefits of a tax-exempt status. Liberals have been waiting to exploit this legal loophole for years. The only reason why they haven’t is simply because they have benefited from this loophole themselves.
There are two things I believe the church of today must do if it is to continue its involvement in the political arena: #1. Rid itself of its tax-exempt status along with its involvement in the Faith-based initiative. As the old saying goes, “…there is not a such thing as ‘free’”. Churches that that greatly depend on funding or even special breaks from the government only subject themselves to governmental bureaucracy and political power games. You cannot be in the business of “saving souls” when the soul of the organization is subject to a government that is increasingly distancing itself from God. #2. Make a more definitive stand on issues such as homosexuality. Churches today must not be two-faced when addressing issues of this nature. You cannot take a strong stand against something like homosexuality and not expect to be seriously challenged on your stance. You cannot tell people that homosexuality is wrong and yet still benefit from their services to the organization. I believe the days of down-low-ism in the Black Church are coming to an end due to the increasingly politically-polarized climate in which we live. If the church will not take a firm stance on this issue, then lawyers and judges will make that decision for them.
The longer these issues are ignored, the bigger the target conservatives are giving to liberals.
The targeting has already begun…
