Sharpton Turns the Church Out On “Gay Marriage” Focus
14 Jan
The Southern Voice reported today that Reverend Al Sharpton on Sunday in Atlanta called out Black church community on how much energy they put on the same-sex marriage issue, and little else about anything else in the Black community. Here’s what he said:
“It amazes me when I looked at California and saw churches that had nothing to say about police brutality, nothing to say when a young black boy was shot while he was wearing police handcuffs, nothing to say when the they overturned affirmative action, nothing to say when people were being delegated into poverty, yet they were organizing and mobilizing to stop consenting adults from choosing their life partners,” Sharpton told a packed audience on Jan. 11.
“There is something immoral and sick about using all of that power to not end brutality and poverty, but to break into people’s bedrooms and claim that God sent you,” Sharpton added.
(DAMN, THAT LAST LINE IS FIERCE!!!)
He spoke at Tabernacle Baptist Church, which was written about in the New York Times in 2007, because Rev. Dennis Meredith proclaimed the church open and accepting to the LGBT community, which meant much of his congregation went elsewhere. According to SOVO, Reverend Meredith has since come out as bisexual.
Sharpton goes onto speak more about the hypocrisy of minister who are often in the closet themselves, and preaching hatred of gays, as well as their lack of participation in racial & economic justice issues.
“I am tired of seeing ministers who will preach homophobia by day, and then after they’re preaching, when the lights are off they go cruising for trade…“We know you’re not preaching the Bible, because if you were preaching the Bible we would have heard from you…We would have heard from you when people were starving in California, when they deregulated the economy and crashed Wall Street you had nothing to say. When [alleged Ponzi schemer Bernie] Madoff made off with the money, you had nothing to say. When Bush took us to war chasing weapons of mass destruction that weren’t there you had nothing to say. … But all of a sudden when Proposition 8 came out you had so much to say, but since you stepped in the rain, we gonna step in the rain with you.
Let the church say Amen.
Tags: al sharpton, black homo, black lgbt, christians, faith, rev dennis meredith, the black church
Not all churches follow the ideas of people like Sharpton. Some are concerned with faith as opposed to secular politics and only get involved when the two things are at crossed purposes.
But then the cultists of “Liberation Theology” know little of religion and much of revolution….
How is faith separate from politics? Jesus, regardless of how you view him as a Savior or a historical figure, was a deeply political person. The New Testament is full of stories about Jesus’ relationship and critiques of Judaism as it was being practiced, as well as the state of Rome itself. How is that not political? Furthermore, as the descendant of African slaves who converted to Christianity by choice or by force, and as the grandchild of Civil Rights movement veterans who were also ministers, Liberation Theology gave us a framework from which to understand our own enslavement and oppression. Religion and politics are never separate. The Christian Right is always trying to operationalize their “faith” into public policy. Given me a break.
You’re right, that one line is FIERCE. Here’s hoping he spreads the word to the powers that be like Tom Joyner and the like and spread the love to those that would otherwise not hear this.
I might not be the biggest fan of Sharpton, but he really took them to town on this one. That last line really did make me stomp my feet and clap my hands!
On a less related note, did you catch this?
http://www.windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=20230
Despite what they say, they deliberately published this on the heels of the inauguration. It’s sad.
i saw sharpton speak in 2002 at howard university (med school, strangely enough). he threw down on homophobia then too and i was surprised. i heard he has a queer family member, but then, who doesn’t!?
thanks for pointing this out, kenyon. for all his faults, sharpton has been consistantly unafraid to address homophobia to his audiences for years. i hope he knows that we appreciate a solid ally. *ahem* mr. obama…
You preach it, Sharpton!