GOP Sees a Future in Black Churches

[qanda]

Isn't this what Black DUers keep trying to tell people. Hopefully, this article will help some people in the Democratic Party to take note.


By Tom Hamburger and Peter Wallsten Times Staff Writers

WASHINGTON — Black conservatives who supported President Bush (news - web sites) in 2004 and gained new prominence within the Republican Party are launching a loosely knit movement that they hope will transform the role African Americans play in national politics.

The effort will be visible today at the Crenshaw Christian Center, one of Los Angeles' biggest black churches, headed by televangelist Frederick K.C. Price. More than 100 African American ministers are to gather in the first of several regional summits to build support for banning same-sex marriage — a signature issue that drew socially conservative blacks to the Republican column last year.

Before the meeting, one prominent minister plans to unveil a "Black Contract With America on Moral Values," a call for Bible-based action by government and churches to promote conservative priorities. It is patterned loosely on the "Contract With America" that former House Speaker Newt Gingrich used 10 years ago to inaugurate an era of GOP dominance in Congress.

A separate group with ties to Gingrich will announce a similar "Mayflower Compact for Black America" later this month in Washington, which includes plans to organize in key states ahead of the 2006 and 2008 elections. And at the end of the month, the Heritage Foundation will cosponsor a gathering of black conservatives in Washington designed to counter dominance of the "America-hating black liberal leadership" and to focus African American voters on moral issues.

(snip)

The effort has proved so successful already that Democrats who make up the Congressional Black Caucus (news - web sites) are quietly expressing alarm — and planning countermeasures.

(more)

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=2026&u=/latimests/20050201/ts_latimes/gopseesafutureinblackchurches&printer=1

[msgadget]

1. Didn't Hillary meet with progressive church leaders recently?

And, progressive church leaders met with w the week of the confirmation hearings, if I'm not mistaken.

I'm tired right now so I'll just say conservativism is regressive and demanding that a class of people be discriminated against is not, imo, Christian or compassionate. Work with gangs is fine - stick with that, build up communities - but drugs and even the messages in some gangsta rhymes are real threats. Homosexuality is not and I find it hard to respect anyone who deliberately turns against another child of God because they don't act according to rules interpreted by mortal men who have the hubris to speak for Him with scorn in their hearts.

the Heritage Foundation will cosponsor a gathering of black conservatives in Washington designed to counter dominance of the "America-hating black liberal leadership" and to focus African American voters on moral issues.

The civil rights movement began in the church but it wasn't partisan and 'morality' used to stand for the decency within each honest, striving citizen.

The conservative black ministers have their agenda and audience already so we have to identify and enpower the progressive, inclusive church leaders in order to drown them out. How do we do that?

[kwassa]

2. Fred Price is a joke .... Mr. Rolls Royce his own self

another living large pastor exploiting his parish through his tv "ministry". He had several Rolls, in the show I saw, years back. One of those prosperity ministers, you give him all your money, and he gets rich! You are poor because you just truly don't understand his message yet.... which is "give me your money!"

[rogue emissary]

3. Taking note is fine. What would you like the DNC to do about this? n/t

[candy331]

4. Some discreet information may have to be found on these so

called moral ministers and slipped into the air, if you know what I mean.

[rogue emissary]

11. Some of them would deserve it, but I wouldn't want Dems to go that low.

[msgadget]

6. I'd like for the DNC to

start campaigning FOR the electorate instead of AGAINST the repubs. If you stand up and speak loudly about what we need right now - fair trade and labor practices, corporate responsibility, health care (WITHOUT pandering to the insurance and pharmaceutical lobbies first), security for our seniors, education, and civil rights - you won't just be talking about moral values, you'll be promoting them. The DNC has to be passionate and rant and rave and, well, create their own reality. It's what Gingrich did so successfully against the dems and what the dems have to endure anew with this new Black Contract With America.

[kwassa]

Democrats can reclaim the moral values argument, too, by

simply talking about moral values in the first place, and what are important moral values. I don't know why Democrats are so shy about talking about them. Let's throw down!

The Democrats certainly have moral values, in all ways better than the Republicans. By not speaking up we let them own the issue.

[msgadget]

10. ACTIONS not words.

This 'moral values' bullshit has gotten on my LAST nerve. First of all, it's a phrase THEY came up with, the same party that calls a vicious, racist, political machine The Christian Coalition. No, if we've got to talk about 'morals', let's reframe the issue.

[Name removed]

9. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[rogue emissary]

12. Exactly

I'm not a fan of ditto post, but I think you perfectly summed up what's wrong with the DNC. I never just voted for Democrats because I was against the Republicans. It was always an affirmative action (no pun intended). Now, we just need the party to get it.

[msgadget]

5. Random things that eased my mind about this today

First, ain't it amazing how much press this little announcement got? And, only a day before the SOTU. Gee, how blessed they are.

Bishop Harry Jackson was on NPR today at: http://moretothepoint.com/ , click on Febuary 2, Black Contract with America. It was kinda nauseating but worth hearing for the rhetoric (only 8 minutes long). A blurb from the site:

Republicans see a future in black churches, and one of the largest black churches in Los Angeles will see the unveiling of a new manifesto. We hear more from Bishop Harry Jackson, Jr., who crossed party lines to vote for President Bush's Republican social conservatism, and reporter Tom Hamburger, who's covering the Black Contract with America for the Los Angeles Times.


But TD Jakes, an anti-gay biblical preacher, warns against taking money from the gov't:

"T.D. Jakes Wary Of 'Faith-Based' Funding
Bishop T.D. Jakes, a prominent Dallas pastor and author, has voiced serious concerns about President George W. Bush's much-touted "faith-based" initiative.

Agapepress reported Aug. 18 that Jakes, pastor of Potter's House Church, has declared that churches accepting federal funds should set up separate entities to carry out publicly funded social services.

We don't want to end up in a situation where the government is telling us what to preach or how to minister," Jakes told the evangelical news service, "and so, in order to facilitate that, I think there ought to be firewalls set up."

The pastor of the 28,000-member, predominantly African-American congregation says his church has not taken government funds. He suggests that houses of worship might set up separate nonprofit groups if they want to operate social services with federal dollars. "We need to be careful," Jakes says, "that we make sure we do not merge the message with the outreach."

http://blog.au.org/faithbased_initiatives_taxpayer_funded_religious_discrimination/

The National Black Justice Coalition is launching an ad campaign. On their site is a protest against a black-led, anti-gay march this past December in Atlanta. Here's a clip:

"To march from the King Center against the rights of gays is a slap in the face to the legacy of Dr. King," said NBJC Board president Keith Boykin, who pointed out that one of King's closest advisers, Bayard Rustin, was an openly gay man. "Dr. King said injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere," added Boykin, "but Bishop Long seems to think that injustice against gays and lesbians is perfectly fine." Boykin noted that Coretta Scott King, Julian Bond, John Lewis and many other civil rights veterans have spoken out in favor of marriage equality.

http://www.nbjcoalition.org/info/001275.html

Edit: removed italics because they annoyed me

[FrenchieCat]

7. I think it's the Faith money and the Religious "value" issue....

Hell, guess they figure he's gonna be in for another 4 years...might as well get some dough like everyone else. They are just getting in line. Too bad. My church ain't falling for it...yet. But Arnold was at my church invading on MLK day. And this is in OAKLAND....for Clark's sake. Bad sign.

I bought that Jamie Wallis "Politics of God" book and gave it to our minister. He was pleased as punch. Said that Wallis is his favorite religious writer! (YES!)

Plus, Babara Lee is a member of our church (just got her 2005 calendar)....so I doubt we start kissing any Bush ass anytime soon.

How come those damn Repugs are so good about having a big tent where everyone is on a different page?

[msgadget]

8. What a great idea, FrenchieCat,

That's something everybody can do, give the Wallis book to open pastors. Here's a link of recourses from the Clergy Network for National Leadership Change http://www.clnnlc.org/resources.html . I don't consider it so much a 'progressive' list as a list of those not partaking of the koolaide!