Black Christians, the Homosexuality Debate, and the American Creed
Malcolm X used to tell blacks to put aside their religious differences in order to confront their common oppressor, but lately it’s not so clear who that common oppressor is.
By Kim Pearson
All of a sudden, it matters tremendously what black Christians all over the world think about sexuality. When the Episcopal Church of the United States of America consecrated openly gay clergyman Eugene V. Robinson as Bishop of New Hampshire in 2003, African and Caribbean leaders of the Anglican Church led the revolt that has brought the denomination to the brink of a historic split. When, in June 2003, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Lawrence v. Texas that anti-sodomy laws were unconstitutional, social and political conservatives salivated over the prospect that opinion polls showing heightened African-American opposition to gay marriage might cause some black American voters to vote Republican. Republican pollster Richard Wirthlin advised his party that the marriage issue could be a “great wedge issue” for Republican candidates in 2004. Continue Reading →