The Black Church and the Civil Rights Movement: Where is the Church Now?
by Reverend Jeanette M. Pollard, RN, APRN, BC, M.Div.
"One of the tragedies of a prosperity gospel mentality is the emphasis on individual achievement, rather than how to elevate the masses for the benefit of the whole."
We were packed into that small auditorium like sardines in a can, though not quite as tightly as our ancestors were when transported to these shores from Africa. Cramped as we were, it felt good: to hear the sounds of the drummers, calling us to awareness and action. It looked good too: to see our people of all hues and tones, with all kinds of hair and clothes, smiling and talking with one another, yet respectful and attentive to the various speakers who came forth to share their thoughts.
I am referring to the rally for the Jena 6, which was held this past Wednesday night at a local District of Columbia church. I was struck by the small size of the building....but it's not packaging that's important; it's what goes on in the inside that makes the difference. The atmosphere of the crowd that swelled that church past its capacity was electrifying, and certainly strong enough to be felt way down in Jena, Louisiana. I wound up going to that rally because I was unable to attend the rallies held in various other places around the metro DC area. As I scanned the Internet for rally venues, I was surprised that only two churches were listed for rallies: Johnson Memorial Baptist Church, in the District, and New Shiloh Baptist Church, in Baltimore.
"I was surprised that only two churches were listed for rallies."
One of the organizers spoke quite frankly about her disappointing experience trying to get a larger venue for the rally to be held. She reported that she contacted every last megachurch in Prince George's County, Maryland - every one - and asked for permission to hold the rally at one of those churches. Much to her admitted surprise (but not mine), none were willing to allow such a rally to support the Jena 6 within their sacred walls. Some had never heard of the Jena 6. How could this be in the nation's capitol, in 2007, with virtually every type of technology at our fingertips?
If you recall, Ebony magazine featured a story on Prince George's County in a 2006 issue. That county was cited as being the most affluent Black county in the United States. Median household incomes were either at or very near six figures. It boasts a Black County Executive, Black State's Attorney, and a conglomeration of more Black megachurches than probably any other metropolitan area in the country, save Atlanta. I have often joked with colleagues that if one more Black megachurch is built in P.G. County, its going to sink, float out into the Potomac River and empty into the Atlantic Ocean.
"Prince George County, Maryland, boasts more Black megachurches than probably any other metropolitan area in the country, save Atlanta."
Clearly Jena 6 was and remains a civil rights issue. Not only Jena, but recent events warrant that we as a people - Black people - become vigilant and not afraid to speak out for justice and righteousness. The noose at the University of Maryland; nooses in Germantown, TN; the rape and torture of the young Black woman in West Virginia - just mark the beginnings of more and more racial unrest and conflict. As whites see the immigration issue and Blacks demanding more equitable treatment as imminent threats to their status quo, there are those in power with racist/ white supremacist attitudes, who are willing to do anything, by any means necessary, to reinforce their hold on ultimate power.
This was the same attitude that dominated this country in the 1950's and 60's, as Blacks began demanding equal opportunities for being brought to this country without choice some 300 years earlier. But Black folks back then believed that God was a God of justice, a God of the oppressed, and a Deliverer of those who were in bondage. The civil rights movement in the 20th century would not have found its legs and crawled, then walked and ran, had it not been for the hundreds, perhaps thousands of Black churches that sponsored and supported civil rights activities. It was not enough for church members to come to church on Sunday to "shout out" the oppression and injustice they were subjected to by Miss Ann and Mister Bob throughout the week. The ministers of that day, as well as the lay people, understood that the church was the best place to organize and strategize, the best place to gain strength and encouragement from other brothers and sisters suffering under the same mantel of racism as did others, the best place to connect with the God of their spiritual, economic, social, and political salvation. Our people back then knew that the physician and the lawyer with the MD and JD, suffered the same racism as the garbage man and maid. It was the church that brought us together then and stood by us as together we prayed and then took to the streets for justice and righteousness.
"The ministers of Fifties and Sixties understood that the church was the best place to organize and strategize."
But now that we have a little money, gotten a government job or a business, gotten a degree or two, gotten a 3,000 sq. ft. house with a 2-3 car garage, and the rest of the "stuff," we've altered our views of religion, spirituality, and what is true worship. Some of us have become so "bling" minded, we are not much earthly good. One of the tragedies of a prosperity gospel mentality is the emphasis on individual achievement, rather than how to elevate the masses for the benefit of the whole. Lest we forget, the foundation of the Christian church began in the Biblical book of Acts, and despite what we now practice as benevolence, the record is clear about the church as community: "All the believers were one in heart and MIND. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had....There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time, those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales, and put it at the apostles' feet, AND IT WAS DISTRIBUTED TO ANYONE AS HE HAD NEED." (emphasis mine) Acts, Chapter 4, verses 32, 34, and 35 (NIV). In other words, the church saw itself as part of the community that was there to assist its people with whatever they had need.
We as ministers and followers of the Gospel of Jesus Christ must present and practice a balanced and holistic Gospel, a Gospel that includes both salvation for ourselves, but salvation for others as well. We must remember that the God of Abraham, Sarah, and Hagar, was interested in correcting injustice and stood on the side of those who were oppressed. God did not call people to be uninvolved and passive back then, and if we believe that phrase "God don't change," then the God we supposedly serve now, demands that we as followers of God's Word, let "justice roll down as water and righteousness as a mighty stream." (Amos 5:24)
Reverend Jeanette Pollard can be reached at jmprnrev@hotmail.com.
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