Social Stratification in the Deep South

This morning we went to Sunday services at 16^th Street Baptist.  I’ve never been to an African American Baptist Church before, so I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect.  Given the history of the church and it’s involvement in the Civil Rights Movement, I expected to find a traditional Baptist Church with a large choir and a stereotypical Baptist preacher.  I certainly got the stereotypical preacher part right, however the choir and music was much more contemporary than I expected.  At the beginning of the service I really enjoyed just sitting back and watching the church goers worship.  Similar to the experiences I’ve had in South American and Caribbean churches, the people worshiped with a refreshing purity of faith.  The love for God that these people exhibit reminds me of the way that I should practice my own faith.  They have unfailing devotion and seem to be able to pour their whole selves into their Savior to let Him be the guiding light of their lives.  They had no regard for those sitting around them and what they might think of them for how they worshiped.  They considered only that God deserved the very best of their worship, the loudest of their praise.  This spirit was exemplified by one of the songs we sang.  One of the lines talked about dancing like David danced.  Another talked about singing like David sang.  Just watching them actually do this filled my heart with so much joy.

The sermon the pastor gave was very interesting.  He was the spitting image of the fire and brimstone Baptist preachers in movies and tv shows.  I love to experience all different types of worship and preaching, so I’m glad that this was the case.  It was most definitely an entirely different experience than I’ve had at Hyde Park UMC in Tampa or Athens First UMC or Centenary UMC in Winston.  The sermon was about not losing heart.  He talked at length about the ministry, speaking some powerful truth about our role.  He said that we should have intensity of spirit for the ministry because of the mercy of God.  He continued onward about how sometimes God gives us great blessings but he also gives us pain so that we remember our humble insufficiency.  This will force us to be dependent on Him and in relationship with Him.  Additionally, this will allow Him to form us into the people He would have us be.

While I did take many great things from his sermon, in the middle there was a section that was alarming to me.  Seemingly out of nowhere, the preacher gave his personal views on homosexuality and “shacking up.”  The comment had little to no connection to the sermon and caught me totally off guard.  It was incredibly concerning to me that he would be so vocal about this in the middle of a sermon.  As I have expressed to many of you probably reading this, it breaks my heart to hear pastors speak so openly and judgmentally about their views on this…especially when they are not going to talk about the Biblical basis for these views.  The preacher mentioned that there was Biblical background for these views, yet did give it.  He simply stated how he felt and dove back into his sermon.  Every time I encounter a situation like this, I am concerned for the future of the Church.  Yes, every person is entitled to their own views.  Yes, the Bible does speak about homosexuality.  My concern is the huge concentration that is placed on this issue, given the amount of time it is focused on in the Bible.  The Bible mentions homosexuality very few times, yet it speaks on love and acceptance at length.  Unfortunately, many Christians and churches seem to have forgotten this.  The idea of Christianity is to love and accept everyone, so that they many see the love of Jesus through your love.  If they feel judged from the moment they walk in the door, that does not facilitate an inviting environment.  I recall my preacher at Hyde Park often saying, “I’m in sales, not in management.”  By this he meant that it was his job to get people to believe in God, i.e. sales, and let God be concerned about the management of sins.  I do concede that legally the Church is entitled to hold whatever views it chooses.  This is not my level of concern.  My concern comes from the perspective of a Christian who desires for everyone she knows to experience the love and fulfillment she found in her Savior.

After church, we had a lively discussion on the bus.  Many people echoed views similar to those I expressed above.  The one differing opinion was the one Jamie presented, which was something I had not thought about before.  She said that the Black Church holds a special responsibility in the Black community to do its part to protect its members against things like HIV and AIDS.  We didn’t talk about it at length, but it definitely gave me something to think about.

This afternoon, we drove to Montgomery.  To all of the student’s delight, we had the afternoon and evening to spend how we chose.  We just hung out and went to the pool, which was an appreciated break.