I love and appreciate the religious and spiritual training I recieved as a child growing up, Southern Black Baptist, straight out of the tobacco fields of Southeastern North Carolina.
I remember the church services of my youth in the small country churches in the quietness of Brunswick County,NC.
I remember the powerful preachers that traveled the county to hold services at the small churches throughout the county.
When my parents migrated north to Baltimore in the late 1950's they brought that same culture with them to the big city.
So when I think of the Black Church my ideal and memory are those of my youth,that church now has a crack in it's foundation.
As I travel the streets of Black Pittsburgh every morning at 5am,the hope for the future looks dim.
Most of the people I see don't seem to know which way is up or down!
I pass the women on the corners selling their bodies to the first car that stops.
I pass the drug dealer peddling his or her wares with Pittsburgh's men and women in blue ignoring it all.
I pass at least ten churchs out of my community on my way to work and all of them are closed except for Sunday morning.
Some are monster size churchs with thousands of members,other are small store front churchs with as few as twenty members,but they are all closed.
The Black Minister was the backbone of my community and I want to still see him as that.
The real world tells me that day and time has passed me by and it's time to get real about the church I love so much.
What is it about a man or woman who would take a title such as preacher and use that postion to pimp and exploit the very people you are charged to direct?
Bigmac
7 comments:
I relate & agree with you, big mac, the religious & spiritual training we received growing up, in those small country churches helped mold us as adults. Just that training alone, no matter where we found ourselves in life, always seemed to help bring us back to the middle. The black church I remember, was our moral foundation, it was respected,as a holy place to hold reverend, When Sunday came,first thing on the agenda was attending church services. In fact, our parents and grandparents prepared for it, the night before. Regardless of what we had done the night before or had planned,church was always in the equation, for Sunday. Regardless of where we call home,our Black Churches have and are changing with the times. It's not a priority anymore,to make a point of getting ourselves or our families up to attend. From the minister in the pulpit to the first time church goer,we all, have gotten, so overwhelmed with how fast life is taking us that, "getting our praise on" is minimized or left out, because we feel we must get so many other things done first, which brings up why alot of churches are not open to help or serve the community, but on Sundays. In today's society, Alot of churches, aren't about "that ole time religion" we grew up with, but are about the "all mighty dollar". That's why so many folks are confused about religion and don't know which way is up or down. We've lost that tradition of putting God, family, church and community first. We've gotten too sophisticated,with the demands of life, to find that church, that not only preaches & teaches that ole time religion, but also helps in the community. Your right, we need to get real about our churches and what they mean to us. So we can pass the tradition on.
Lil Bit,as usually you nailed it to the wall,it always start at the place we call home.
If we only start to stay there long enough to create a home!
Reggie:Thanks man for stopping by with your candid assessment as usually!
I think the problem is so many people seem to mistake religion or religious belief with spirituality and they tend to be lightyears apart.
Sometimes the sheer hypocrisy is difficult to stomach, and it's then that I always try to remember the quote:
"Every saint has a past, and every sinner has a future..."
One.
p.s. Thanks or the kind words on my writing.
"What is it about a man or woman who would take a title such as preacher and use that postion to pimp and exploit the very people you are charged to direct?"
It's the church that has to keep these people doing what they are supposed to. If the church doesn't then many will become charlatans.
Oh, I had a few typos in my last comment, which I deleted.
Hmmmm, I wonder about this myself.
I grew up going to church and serving in church until I was 22 years old. I haven't been to a church regularly in years. A few years ago I went to see a Solicitor about some problems I was having and he gave me some advice on how to tackle the situation. He also told me he wanted to have an affair with me, can you imagine this man is a father of four children and an elder in a so called church? Just scandalous.
The church I used to attend is constantly embroiled with allegations of people stealing money from the offerings/collection, and untold drama, bickering and fighting.
I still put my faith in God, but churches are just not for me, just too many hypocrites for my taste.
One person I know is always preaching to me, when they say something that sounds very unchristian I often challenge the person. This same person who is always talking about church, church, church told me that Christianity is foolishness, but then they have the audacity and gall to preach to me when it is convenient. Please give me a break.
Hypocrisy.
The whole thing is a money making scheme to many, although there are some genuine people.
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