Sunday, March 05, 2006

The Black Church

The Black church has evolved from the Slaves that couldn't worship alongside their white counterparts to a force to be reckoned with. They're African Methodist Churches, Baptist, AMEs and I could go on. From the dark depths of slavery this new religion was all that a battered and subjugated people could cling to, that offered some hope that somewhere, somehow, things were going to get better. If not in this life, by jove in a next. And that was what they clung to. Jesus was sold as a saviour and as much as the oppressor (who's religion was also Christianity but didn't seem to really much follow any Jesus or God) spoke of how redeeming the religion and Jesus could be, he never saw fit to redeem the mass of oppressed people under his thumb. So there it started and today it is a powerful machine, with its own brand of worship, music, way of delivering the message and on and on. There is also much flamboyancy and money. Money to be made and in some cases misappropriated. There are the likes of the Creflo Dollar who ride around in private jets and are sitting behind the wheels of some really plush cars, and who claim that God wants him to live that way, then they are the preachers who are well versed in the gospel of prosperity - only thing, that gospel doesn't seem to be anywhere in the Bible, no matter how hard I look. At any given time there are armies of black churches everywhere. So needless to say why I am finding it so hard to understand why on earth the black community is in such shambles, ravaged by AIDS, social ills and all other messy things. There must be some sort of disconnect. The the Black church rallies on, it is a refuge for a group of people not always welcome in there society and a bation of hope for another generation, and many times, its the only hope that many can hang onto, with life being so uncertain at times.