Posted on 06/29/2006 5:33:46 PM PDT by Aussie Dasher
Hundreds of black ministers and activists are in Dallas this week to discuss refocusing the political efforts of black churches back on fighting social injustice instead of the "Christian right's" battle against abortion and homosexual "marriage."
Black churches need to get back to their roots of fighting for racial equality and stemming the tide of poverty, said the Rev. Al Sharpton, who organized the three-day National Conference and Revival for Social Justice in the Black Church with the Revs. Joseph Lowery and Jesse Jackson.
"If I was to ask the black preachers if their congregations are having problems with Medicaid, have loved ones in Iraq, youth violence, education or employment, 70 to 80 or 90 percent of them will say yes, but if I ask them if they are being asked to perform gay marriages, only 1 percent likely would say yes," Mr. Sharpton said.
Part of the conference agenda is to engage black ministers to focus on mobilizing black voters for the midterm congressional elections, how the church should deal with poverty and economic parity, public morality, voting rights and the war.
"This is not a question of what is more important or less important, but these two issues just don't reflect the entire spectrum," Mr. Sharpton said, referring to homosexual "marriage" and abortion.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...
Look like he's been taking remedial classes from Satan!!!!
"Black churches need to get back to their roots of fighting for racial equality and stemming the tide of poverty..."
Gee, I thought taking a stand against murdering little babies and blatant sodomy was more rooted in Christianity than worrying about a person's right to vote or make sure monthly welfare checks are on time.
But then, has anyone ever heard Al Sharpton or Jesse Jackson preach "The Gospel"?
Let's see:
1) Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord in vain... or not ever. In fact, never mention Jesus, God, or the Bible ever again.
2) Instead of interdenominational partnerships, do away with denominations completely and call it non-denominational.
3) Never use the words "good" and "evil" in a context of conflict.
4) Tolerance, tolerance, tolerance!
5) Burn witches. Witches look like Ann Coulter.
A rough draft of the results of their refocusing.
Thank GOD! (pun intended).
Look...
The leading cause of poverty in the USA is a single female head of household. This is certainly devestating in the poor black communities. The "cure" for this is a compelling proclaimation of the Gospel, and the moral values therein.
The second leading cause is illegal drug use and alcohol abuse. John Wesley's Methodists addressed themselves to such issues, both in England and in the USA, and that's why they were rabid tee-totallers (and ultimately got Prohibition passed into law). While it's okay to have a drink or two, certainly church teachings have something to say about this subject.
Schools cannot educated a child that has a horrible family life. The reason that Utah does more with less money is that (generally) the Mormons have an ethic of strong intact families.
All of the social agencies in the world cannot do enough good work at any cost to fix the problems of single-parent families, of drug use, and of lack of work ethic. Soooo... I hope that Rev. Al really does re-discover the Gospel, and address himself to those issues.
Sadly, I fear that they will simply be used as campaign stops for politicians who promise them more welfare.
"Hundreds of black ministers and activists are in Dallas this week to discuss refocusing the political efforts of black churches..."
Maybe they should 'refocus' on upping the intellectual capacity of their congregations, so they are not so easily taken in by charlatans like Al(Sharpy)Sharpton.
Won't hear a word about it from the pulpits of those who are "fighting for racial justice." Too much of a distraction. The Gospel, I mean.
At this point folks, the fight and the stemming is almost all internal to the individual.
Gee, and I thought churches weren't supposed to engage in political activity?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.