Nuance in Black Churches’ Approaches (NYT Op-Ed: 4/17/12), by Josef Sorett
Posted below is an excerpt from one of today's five opinion pieces addressing this question from the NYT: Is Support for Gay Rights Still Controversial?
Dr. Josef Sorett is an assistant professor of Religious Studies and African-American Studies at Columbia University. He writes a brief assessment (link below) about what I'd call "creating context" for LGBT rights among black churches/Christianity. For example, terms like "civil rights" have a culturally specific meaning among black churches but "social justice" resonates a bit more clearly regarding LGBT equality. With the recent revelation (no pun intended) about NOM's efforts to drive a wedge between African-Americans and LGBT people (of every ethnicity, age group, class, gender, etc.) -- you might find this piece informative, too.
Given these conversations, a number of black Christians openly support the full and equal protection of all citizens, including gays and lesbians. It is not such a leap, when churches emphasize their commitment to social justice (explicit in the disputes over the term “civil rights”) and when activists focus on specific legal “privileges” like hospital visitation rights, inheritance, and nondiscrimination in employment and housing.
Second, in the realm of theology, we see an evolving understanding of the relationship between religious beliefs and politics. That problematic old distinction of race vs. sexuality obviously falls short of the notion that same-gender-loving persons might be created in the image of God, just as their heterosexual brothers and sisters are.
To be clear, there are black churches — a small minority, as is also the case across lines of race and ethnicity — that endorse this belief, based on a Gospel that affirms everyone unconditionally and unequivocally. But even among those Christians whose theology embraces gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender people, there is an array of postures on issues like same-sex marriage. One on hand, some clergy now affirm marriage equality even while vociferously defending a Bible-informed view of homosexuality as sin. On the other hand, some religious leaders publicly insist that special efforts must be made to protect the most vulnerable in our society, through measures like anti-bullying campaigns and hate-crime legislation. The basic logic here is that churches, as they work out their theologies — say, a definition of “sin” adequate for the 21st century — should not have the final say in matters of citizenship and equal rights.
The growing momentum of marriage equality suggests that gender and sexuality norms are changing dramatically and opening space for new conversations. Perhaps these developments will force American society, including its churches, to mature in deliberations concerning sexual difference — a maturity we have not yet seen in discussions of race.
More at the NYT.
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