As Whites Return To D.C., BLACK CHURCHS' HOLD ON POLITICS Is Eroding -- FAST! Same-Sex Marriage Issue Is Puttin' 'Em In A Corner!
Suppurating Tool
We must always remember the national mandate of separation of church
and state.
Which is almost as important as separation of science and the
supernatural.
Or, better stated, separation of REALITY and the booga-booga
(religion).
=============
"Church's influence on politics shifting"
"D.C.'s same-sex marriage debate pushes some clergy further to the
sidelines"
By Tim Craig and Hamil R. Harris
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
It wasn't that long ago that "there was no such thing as putting a
pastor on hold" when the leader of a Washington, D.C., church called
city hall, said the Rev. Patrick J. Walker of the New Macedonia
Baptist Church in Southeast.
But when Walker, whose church has 2,000 members, asked to sit down
with D.C. Council members this summer to discuss same-sex marriage,
some of them wouldn't meet with him, he said.
"This city certainly is no longer church-friendly," Walker said.
The clout of the local faith community, particularly the black church,
in D.C. politics has been declining for decades. But with the council
heading for a vote next week on a bill to legalize same-sex marriage,
the near-certain passage of the legislation has come to symbolize both
political and spiritual changes in the District.
Ministers who oppose same-sex marriage say they now feel belittled,
ignored and isolated by a government that no longer views the clergy
as a mighty political force. Activists, political leaders and some
ministers who have come to tolerate, if not embrace, same-sex
relationships argued that socially conservative ministers just chose
to fight a battle they had lost years ago as the city changed around
them.
Everyone cautioned that the highly personal nature of the marriage
debate makes it difficult to determine whether the tense relationship
will spread to future policy debates. But all agree that black
churches are no longer the force they used to be in local politics as
the city becomes whiter and wealthier and a new generation of pastors
gains standing.
"I am very, very surprised with what seemingly little opposition there
is here" to same-sex marriage, said Sterling Tucker, who in 1974 was
elected the first council chairman after Home Rule. "It's a sign of
the changing leadership in the pulpits of Washington and also the
changing culture of the community."
The same-sex marriage bill has the support of 11 of 13 council
members, and the Board of Elections and Ethics has twice rejected
requests by a group of ministers for a referendum on the issue, ruling
in favor of gay rights activists who argued that such a vote would be
discriminatory. And when the Catholic Archdiocese of Washington raised
concerns about whether its charities would have to recognize same-sex
married couples, several council members and staffers dismissed the
church as irrelevant.
"I believe that the church has become like the invisible man," said
Rev. James Coleman, pastor of the All Nations Baptist Church in
Northeast.
Internal disagreement
Not all church leaders see the inevitable passage of the same-sex
marriage bill as a commentary on their influence in the city. Indeed,
more than 200 local religious leaders have come out in favor of same-
sex marriage, reflecting the large network of progressive churches in
the city.
And even among the more conservative, mostly Baptist, religious
leaders, there is disagreement over how aggressively to wade into the
issue.
While Bishop Harry Jackson of Hope Christian Church in Beltsville and
other ministers who oppose same-sex marriage dominate the headlines,
many of the city's well-known faith leaders have purposely avoided
becoming publicly entangled in the debate.
The Rev. Morris L. Shearin, pastor of Israel Baptist Church and former
head of the city's NAACP branch, said he is steering clear of the
debate because "there are more substantive issues" to "focus on, like
education and fair housing."
"My perspective is framed by my understanding of Scripture," said the
Rev. Derrick Harkins, 50, pastor of 19th Street Baptist Church. "But
that may not be relevant to someone who doesn't form their life around
the understanding of the Bible. . . . I would never, never want to say
or do anything that marginalizes or dehumanizes anyone."
Harkins said the church is struggling to find its place in a changing
city. He said churches have faced increasing challenges from residents
over planning and zoning issues, and he noted that there is no longer
an office of religious affairs. Instead, Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D)
appointed a director of community and religious affairs.
The changing status of D.C. churches reflects a political and social
shift in the city that has been building since the early 1980s. Since
then, many predominately African American churches -- and tens of
thousands of their congregants -- have left the city for the suburbs.
At the same time, the city has maintained a large gay population and
experienced an influx of young professionals who have gentrified
numerous neighborhoods.
The change has led to tensions in some neighborhoods, particularly in
Ward 2, where some traditionally black churches have clashed with new
residents over parking spaces on Sunday and, in one particularly
divisive fight, over a gay bar that opened across the street from a
church in the historical Shaw neighborhood.
African Americans, who private polls show are far more likely than
white voters in the District to oppose same-sex marriage, made up 70
percent of the population in 1980. Today, according to census data,
they account for 54 percent of the city's population.
"When I was campaigning, you go to these churches and, frankly, if you
look in the parking lot, a lot of the cars have Maryland tags," said
council member Michael Brown (I-At Large), who was elected in 2008.
"But if you look at the gays and lesbians, they make up 19 percent of
the electorate. That's a sizeable voting bloc."
Others put the percentage closer to 15 percent, but all agree that the
gay men and lesbians are emerging as an influential political force.
The D.C. Council has two openly gay members, one of them David A.
Catania, an independent who was elected citywide four times.
In the District, black churches played a crucial role in both the
civil rights battles of the 1950s and 1960s as well the city's push to
secure Home Rule in 1973.
Tucker, who served on the council until 1979, noted that church
leaders rebelled when he suggested in the mid-1970s that the city
study the creation of a lottery, forcing him to abandon the idea. The
lottery was eventually created in 1982.
"I lost a great deal of support from the religious community around
the issue at the time," Tucker said.
Clergy as advisers
When Marion Barry was elected mayor in 1978, several African American
ministers, including the late Rev. Ernest Gibson, William H. Bennett
II and Bishop Walter "Sweet Daddy" McCollough, emerged as top
advisers.
"I invited them in," Barry said in an interview. "They felt welcome,
and they felt listened to, and they were listened to."
Now, Barry argues, "certain council members just don't respect"
ministers.
Judging from the chilly reception he got at city hall this summer,
Watkins couldn't agree more. He said council member Muriel Bowser (D-
Ward 4) refused to meet with him to discuss same-sex marriage because
he did not live in her ward.
Bowser, who represents a majority black ward, said she doesn't
remember refusing to meet with Watkins. But she said in an interview
that she will be supporting the same-sex marriage bill when it comes
up for a vote Dec. 1.
"I don't think we can make a decision in our state institutions based
on the church," Bowser said.
In 2006, Fenty swept every precinct in race for the Democratic
nomination for mayor, even though he expressed unequivocal support for
same-sex marriage and did not hide the fact that he had no home
church. But Fenty managed to build relationships with several
prominent faith leaders during his campaign by stressing his plan to
invest more in neighborhoods.
"Pick another issue and the council members will listen to the
ministers," said council member Phil Mendelson (D-At Large). "The
council has been accepting of and supportive of same-sex marriage for
year. . . . The ministers just can't come in and reverse that."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/24/AR2009112403963.html
Hope for the Heartless
<54047e27-ca52-4d68...@l13g2000yqb.googlegroups.com>,
Suppurating Tool <kin...@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> Ministers who oppose same-sex marriage say they now feel belittled,
> ignored and isolated by a government that no longer views the clergy
> as a mighty political force. Activists, political leaders and some
> ministers who have come to tolerate, if not embrace, same-sex
> relationships argued that socially conservative ministers just chose
> to fight a battle they had lost years ago as the city changed around
> them.
Churches no longer control the government? Boo hoo.