The more restrained black pastors
They realize the nation is making history in this election. Most of them admire and support Barack Obama. But they’re exercising the virtue of prudence in speaking publicly.
These pastors understand the need for balance.
The Rev. Jeffrey Bryan has posted campaign signs for “Obama in ’08” and displayed snapshots of the presumed Democratic presidential nominee visiting his Newark, N.J., church. At times he wears a T-shirt emblazoned with Barack Obama’s face.
That’s as far as Bryan will go — there will be no sermons peppered with “Vote Obama!”
“It’s a historical time for black people. We cannot ignore what’s going on,” Bryan said. Yet, he added, “you can’t tell people who to vote for.”
He’s right, for multiple reasons, starting with some whip-cracking regulations.
This election year has seen an effort by the IRS and church-state separation watchdog groups to significantly step up their monitoring of churches and other nonprofits. Obama’s own denomination, the United Church of Christ, was investigated and quickly cleared by the IRS for hosting the candidate at the religious group’s national meeting last year.
Quickly cleared of violating standards forbidding endorsement of candidates? With all that extra monitoring to assure churches don’t show any support of a particular candidate?
Meanwhile, pastors’ sermons are being posted on YouTube and analyzed for any clue to the values of the candidate.
The scrutiny has gotten so tight, it’s threatening. Which is why this story of these restrained pastors is so interesting at this time in history.
The pulpit plays a powerful role in shaping political views in the black community. During the civil rights era, for example, pastors were activists as well as spiritual leaders. Now, with a black candidate one election away from the White House, black churches are trying to balance their support for Obama with their legal obligations as nonprofit institutions.
It’s prudence, whether self-imposed or IRS-induced.
This week, about 7,500 pastors gathered for the annual Hampton Ministers’ Conference to discuss issues of faith and relate them to daily life.
That’s good preaching.
By midweek, pastors were openly supporting Obama’s historic candidacy — but choosing their words carefully. Many said they personally endorsed him, but stopped short of saying more.
That’s political (and pastoral) expediency.
Some pastors at the Hampton conference wouldn’t talk publicly about politics, fearful of hurting their church.
And that’s prudence.
Churches are very actively engaged in the political process this year. As long as they center their focus on the responsibilities of faithful citizenship in a democracy, everybody wins.
0 Comment
“It’s a historical time for black people. We cannot ignore what’s going on,†Bryan said.”
But Sheila, my dear, haven’t you noticed? According to today’s news, Obama isn’t black. He’s “multi-racial.” My AOL Welcome Screen had people vote on the issue and the vast majority said that Obama is not black… So how can it be a historical moment for “blacks?” My goodness. I wonder how many people told him that when he was growing up?
It’s interesting that Sen. Obama’s white background is not on the radar. He hardly talks about it and the press never does. He was raised by a white mother and white grandparents in Hawaii for so many formative years, and his black American experience was informed by his affiliations on the south side of Chicago. He is known as the black candidate, but he is bi-racial.