For many churches, especially historically Black congregations, the normal traditions of Easter— massive church services, family dinners and music programs about faith— took a back seat to the George Floyd trial and news reports about COVID-19 vaccinations. April 4 is also the anniversary of pastor and Civil Rights leader Martin Luther King Jr’s assassination in 1968.
Read More(OPINION) This week the Seymour Institute for Black Church and Policy Studies, led by Dr. Jacqueline Rivers and Rev. Eugene Rivers, released a statement, “How the Equality Act Harms the Black Church”, writing that while the Black Church has historically - and continues - to act as “the central institution in the life of the African American community... the Equality Act poses a threat to the ability of the Church to continue to play this role.”
Read MoreAccording to a new Pew Research study released Feb. 16, one in five Black Americans (21%) are not affiliated with any religion and instead identify as atheist, agnostic or religious “nones.” The trend towards secularization is continuing to grow with each new generation.
Read More(ANALYSIS) President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and Sen. Rev. Raphael Warnock among other victories for the Democrats were won in part by voter mobilization in the Black community. Despite the fact that a lot of the chatter about the Black vote has centered on people of faith, the Black community is not a religious monolith. Here’s what the data says: Black religious “nones” are the least likely to identify as Democrats.
Read MoreThis past Sunday, online trolls interrupted a North Carolina Black congregation’s online service with racial slurs and hate speech. They’re far from the first church to experience an internet hijiacking. Security experts say sharing Zoom meeting IDs publicly in hopes of attracting newcomers to church can allow such breaches.
Read MoreWhile the Black Lives Matter movement has caused controversy in religious circles because of its support for non-traditional families and Marxist philosophy, researchers who study the movement say it is spiritual even with an antipathy for organized religion. Many activists want to explore their ancestors’ African spirituality, and Black churches and mainline Protestants are also influencing the movement.
Read More“Lift Every Voice and Sing” is moving far beyond black churches, civic groups and social organizations that have celebrated it as their own “Black National Anthem” for 100 years. As the nation grapples with the police killings of George Floyd, Rayshard Brooks and many other African Americans, protesters have taken it up in California, Texas and Washington, D.C, where it was performed on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial earlier this month.
Read MoreA church in the historically black neighborhood of St. Paul reopened this weekend after loosened coronavirus guidelines and days of violent protests nearby after the death of George Floyd. Pastor Dwight Buckner remembers the riots in the sixties and conjures Martin Luther King Jr.’s calming words, while a 22-year-old church member whose mother is recovering with COVID-19 tells how a white man stopped him at gunpoint on Saturday.
Read More(OPINION) Black Lives Matter is a departure from past social justice movements. It is not attached to any religious institution, and it is anonymous with no defined leadership. Unlike past civil rights movements spearheaded by ministers and laypeople, in the Black Lives Matter movement, the church has been relegated to the back seat.
Read More(COMMENTARY) A new biography on the famous African-American abolitionist explores his public and private life, including his Protestant (and anti-Catholic) faith.
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