AOL Black Voices: God, Gays and the Black Church: Keeping the Faith Within the Black Community

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Updated: 2005-09-01 23:32:13
God, Gays and the Black Church:
Keeping the Faith Within the Black Community
by Herndon L. Davis, Special to AOL Black Voices

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"Homophobic sermons do indeed cause depression, suicidal tendencies, etc., in SGL [Same-Gender-Loving] people," asserts Dallas-based evangelist Tuan N'Gai, co-founder of OperationRebirth.com, a black gay and lesbian religious Web site.

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Although Foster admits anti-homosexual sermons may cause severe emotional distress for gays and lesbians, he says, "To call homosexuality sin is not homophobic, but to use the knowledge that homosexuality is sin against someone for the purpose of driving them away from God is sin." Though once an active homosexual, Foster believes homosexuality is a sin and continues to preach against it.

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But what if the "sinner" is the pastor himself or the soloist at the early-morning service? Do the rules against homosexuality somehow change? To date, black church history has shown us that if the rules don't change, then at best they’re severely bent when it comes to gay and lesbian clergy or gospel singers.

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No one seems to contest the fact that there are gays and lesbians within black churches (and in no smaller number than elsewhere in society), which certainly begs the question: can a pastor effectively minister to his or her gay and lesbian congregants if he/she genuinely believes that homosexuality is a sin?

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In terms of the church's role as a centerpiece of the black community, could it be that the demeaning and negative labeling of perceived sexual sins ranging from pre-marital sex to homosexuality is really part of the problem -- and not the solution -- in the increasingly difficult fight against AIDS in the black community?

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