Jan 20, 2006  | COMMENTS     

ATLANTA — Black faith leaders including former Democratic presidential candidate Rev. Al Sharpton will converge in Atlanta this weekend to discuss homophobia in black churches.

Sharpton, who recently made a public call to challenge anti-gay sentiments among notable black clergy leaders, will address some 90 registered participants during a Jan. 20 session on “The Church’s New Mandate.”

Other speakers include Bishop Yvette Flunder, senior pastor of the United Church of Christ’s City of Refuge in San Francisco, who will give the keynote address on Jan. 21 on the importance of gay-welcoming congregations.

Sponsored by the National Black Justice Coalition, a gay rights group, and held at First Iconium Baptist Church in Atlanta, organizers believe the event will initiate a much-needed dialogue toward eliminating gay bashing from the pulpit by many black clergy.

And organizers acknowledge the summit is also a direct response to many black clergy joining socially conservative groups to support ballot amendments banning same-sex marriage.

“These anti-marriage proponents are pandering to the black church for their own agenda,” said Sylvia Rhue, religious affairs and constituency development director for NBJC. “It is imperative that religious leaders realize and recognize the contributions of the LGBT community and the impact marriage discrimination will have on African-American children and families.”

Preaching condemnation

Alexander Robinson, NBJC executive director, said attending memorial services of friends who died due to complications from AIDS made him desire more discussion between black faith leaders who, while embracing the sick, were intolerant of gay congregants.

“All too many times, instead of preaching tolerance, they would instead preach condemnation of their lifestyles — those expressions led me to want to engage and challenge members of clergy and others who are willing to embrace them in their illnesses but not accept them for who they are,” Robinson said.

Holding the summit in Atlanta is no accident, according to Rev. Robert Franklin, a professor of social ethics at Emory University.

“Atlanta has been identified as second or third, certainly for African-Americans, for GLBT organizing and activism,” he said.

Custodians of values

Churches continue to be the custodian of values for many African-Americans, Franklin said. And while numerous civil rights groups such as the NAACP and black colleges are embracing gay rights and touting marriage equality, black churches — the central point in the civil rights movement — are lagging behind on this issue, he said.

“And if people are oriented by the church to be, frankly, homophobic, this is translated into the community,” Franklin said. “And this also makes us vulnerable to political manipulation — we just couldn’t think through [the anti-gay marriage ballot initiatives] clearly — we had an emotional reaction.”

But black churches and their pastors are not alone in their anti-gay stances. Churches with predominantly white memberships are also anti-gay and many preach against marriage rights for same-sex couples, Franklin noted.

But black churches should play a significant role in defeating “homo-hatred” among African-Americans by seeking tolerance and love for all people as Christ teaches, Franklin explained.

“The right hand of fellowship has been withdrawn. We need to listen to each other and stop preaching to each other,” he said.