White evangelicals, black churches could reshape politics

Dallas Morning News ^ | 11.09.03 | William McKenzie

[Cathryn Crawford]

White evangelicals, black churches could reshape politics

By WILLIAM McKENZIE / The Dallas Morning News

This wasn't your ordinary presidential rally.

Ministers were urging the crowd to "go crazy for the Lord." Shouts of "glory hallelujah" echoed through the sanctuary. Cries of "get radical for Jesus Christ" followed along. All the while, people clapped, swayed and sang.

And this was before the main event, when the 43rd president of the United States was to appear. When George W. Bush finally strode onto the stage, alongside the Rev. Tony Evans, the sanctuary went wild.

As I said, this wasn't your ordinary presidential rally.

It was even more unusual because the president is a white evangelical and the audience was the largely black congregation of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas. You may not think those two groups have much common ground. And you may be surprised by the overt religious language. But that's where President Bush stopped by last week to congratulate Pastor Evans and his church on its new youth center.

The president also wanted to chat about his policies that encourage churches like Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship to use federal dollars for their mentoring programs and other social initiatives. A "social entrepreneur" is what Mr. Bush termed his friend, the Rev. Evans, in talking about the church's Project Turn Around initiative.

White evangelicals and black congregations may seem incongruous, but it's time to say hello to a force that could transform American culture and politics – if the two grasp their potential.

A Pew Research Center poll this summer revealed that white evangelicals and African-American churchgoers share many beliefs. They tend to agree about Israel's fulfilling biblical prophecy about Christ's return. They think religious values should influence politics. And they don't want gay marriages or assisted suicides.

They possess other common characteristics, too. "They share the idea of helping people," Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship member Vicky Sellers said about white evangelicals and black churchgoers who want religious institutions to help resolve issues like drug addition.

Most of all, they share strong religious values. They both believe "God's in charge," Tanya Greene of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship said. Both value "the Lordship of Christ," her friend Luciana Lang added.

You can't put a political term on those beliefs and probably shouldn't. These values reflect a deeper language that exists outside of politics.

The common vocabulary nonetheless creates a strong spiritual connection between two of America's more powerful political forces. White evangelicals and African-American churches both emphasize personal conversions, Bible reading, daily prayer and regular fellowship. The exuberant reception Mr. Bush received at Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship Wednesday night came out of their common habits and language.

Where the two part company is over issues of justice and power. And those differences are profound. The first political leader to find a way to bridge the divide will find quite a wind at his or her back.

Mr. Bush comes close. In his speech to the Oak Cliff congregation, he again decried "the soft bigotry of low expectations" that he says characterizes too many inner-city schools.

But the president talks about religion transforming individual hearts, without saying enough about how it can transform larger institutions. He told the crowd at Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship that he "was glad to be with people who are transforming a community one heart at a time." But what happens if that community still lacks enough good-paying jobs or if its people can't find affordable housing? They still are stuck economically.

That's why power and justice issues separate white evangelicals and African-American churchgoers. One African-American I interviewed attributed the divide to different life experiences. Blacks experienced a lack of justice; many whites didn't.

Perhaps the gap between the two potent forces will be bridged only when "the pews" in white evangelical and African-American churches start talking with each other about their values and experiences. There are plenty of chances to do that today, with many black urban and white suburban churches working together on projects.

If the two can bridge their differences, watch out. This odd couple could change American culture and politics. At that point, rallies like the one last week in Dallas won't seem so strange.

William McKenzie is an editorial columnist for The Dallas Morning News. His e-mail address is wmckenzie@dallasnews.com.

[Cathryn Crawford]

Tony Evans is big news around the East Texas area. Pres. Bush appearing with him shouldn't be that much of a surprise.

[Mercat]

I hear him on our local Christian radio station. If you can get past his voice which sounds like he's been abusing it for decades, his sermons are amazing. He is obviously extremely bright and educated on his faith. He speaks to his people, his culture. A very powerful man of God.

[Dr Warmoose]

For years Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship did "exchanges" with lilly white Northwest Bible Church where the pastors and choir would minister to their sister congregations.

The Dallas Morning News is deliberately trying to make a racial issue out of this. The Church does not believe in race (we all come from Adam & Eve and have a common ancestor in Noah), it is the world imposing their atheistic Darwinism views on everything. These pagans have no clue, and should not be listened to when they opine on things they have absolutely no understanding of - anything that deals with faith and God.

[VOA]

A Pew Research Center poll this summer revealed that white evangelicals and African-American
churchgoers share many beliefs. They tend to agree about Israel's fulfilling biblical
prophecy about Christ's return. They think religious values should influence politics.
And they don't want gay marriages or assisted suicides.

Amongst the mainstream Churches of Christ, it's generally accepted that the
predominantly-black congregations are more culturally-conservative than the
predominantly-white congregations.

[bankwalker]

He is obviously extremely bright and educated on his faith.

I haven't had the pleasure of hearing him speak. How does he compare to my favorite, Creflo Dollar?

[VOA]

The Church does not believe in race (we all come from Adam & Eve and have a common
ancestor in Noah), it is the world imposing their atheistic Darwinism views on everything.

As a transplanted Okie, I often have fun with some of the "enlightened" Los Angeles
sophisticates I meet.
If race issues come up, I tell them that "in Oklahoma, we were multi-cultural and diverse
before y'all even thought up the word".
And that I attended school with minorities (Hispanics, Native Americans) before the
schools were integrated.

Sometimes, these educated jack-@$$e$ as much as call me a liar on these points.

[WhiteGuy]

" You may not think those two groups have much common ground."

Nonsense.

Politics and organized religion - The Big Two

Money and power - The Big two

Quite alot of common ground I would say.............

[c-b 1]

The president also wanted to chat about his policies that encourage churches like Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship to use federal dollars for their mentoring programs and other social initiatives.

Federal dollars to churches what a concept, welfare for churches. That will get very interesting when Godless Liberals regain control of the purse strings.

[EternalVigilance]

You're a real Know-Nothing. Maybe you should start a Party.

[EternalVigilance]

"For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you all one in Christ Jesus."

-Galatians 3:26-28

Looks to me like the apostle Paul had this all figured out 1900+ years ago. But of course, the world just doesn't get it, still.

[Kuksool]

If the GOP could get 50% of the black vote, Roe vs. Wade would be ancient history. Although black and white Christians share similar views on moral issues, the 2 groups have different outlooks on economic issues. For example, many blacks see the "War on Poverty" as the second phase of the civil rights movement. They see living wages, universal healthcare, and other gov't programs to help the unfortunates as moral issues. Whereas, white religious conservatives tend to see such issues as strictly economic and have no relation to religious teachings.

This is the reason why the GOP is unable to court many black voters. Until blacks stop seeing gov't programs as the saviour of their communities, they will continue to shy away from political parties that champion the free market.

[WackyKat]

The Church does not believe in race (we all come from Adam & Eve and have a common ancestor in Noah), it is the world imposing their atheistic Darwinism views on everything. These pagans have no clue, and should not be listened to when they opine on things they have absolutely no understanding of - anything that deals with faith and God.

Nonsense. The Southern Baptist Convention came into existence because of a schism that developed among Baptists over the question of slavery-the Southern Baptists supported it.

Ever heard of the "Curse of Ham" which was the 19th century theological justification for slavery and segregation?

The Bible has been frequently used to justify slavery and racism, because in fact, it does contain numerous passages that can easily interpreted to condone slavery and racism. To blame atheism for racism and say that mainstream Christianity has always been against racism is the worst sort of self-serving revisionist history.

[EternalVigilance]

Mainstream or not, true Christianity overcame racism in the first century. Subsequent sin notwithstanding.

[tallhappy]

You prove #3's observation perfectly.

[EternalVigilance]

Acts 8

Christ Is Preached to an Ethiopian

26 Now an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, "Arise and go toward the south along the road which goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza." This is desert. 27So he arose and went.

And behold, a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace the queen of the Ethiopians, who had charge of all her treasury, and had come to Jerusalem to worship, 28was returning. And sitting in his chariot, he was reading Isaiah the prophet. 29Then the Spirit said to Philip, "Go near and overtake this chariot."

30So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, "Do you understand what you are reading?" 31And he said, "How can I, unless someone guides me?" And he asked Philip to come up and sit with him. 32The place in the Scripture which he read was this:


"He was led as a sheep to the slaughter;
And as a lamb before its shearer is silent,
So He opened not His mouth.
33In His humiliation His justice was taken away,
And who will declare His generation?
For His life is taken from the earth."


34So the eunuch answered Philip and said, "I ask you, of whom does the prophet say this, of himself or of some other man?" 35Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning at this Scripture, preached Jesus to him.

36Now as they went down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, "See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?"

37Then Philip said, "If you believe with all your heart, you may."

And he answered and said, "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God."

38So he commanded the chariot to stand still. And both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him.

[WackyKat]

Mainstream or not, true Christianity overcame racism in the first century. Subsequent sin notwithstanding.

BS. Christians always try to use the "they weren't true Christians" dodge to avoid the responsiblity for historical acts by Christians that they are now embarrassed about.

Are you aware that some Muslims use the same argument to distance Islam from responsibility for terrorism?

Their argument is fallacious, and so is yours.

[EternalVigilance]

Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him, where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all and in all.

-Colossians 3:9-11

[EternalVigilance]

I didn't say they weren't true Christians. I said they sinned. Get your facts straight.

[EternalVigilance]

Are you aware that some Muslims use the same argument to distance Islam from responsibility for terrorism?

Your attempt to equate Christians with Islamists is offensive, to say the least.

You need to get some perspective.

[GOPJ]

Dean didn't put his foot in his mouth. Too calculated for that.

Are Dean's numbers up? Did every liberal media person play this story to the hilt? Wonder why?

Democrats know how to whip blacks and still get their votes. Racist code? Sister Soulja? Play'em for fools.