Some people in the Albany, New York area, are trying to get local officials to force the removal of billboards that show gay black men in a church, with a family, and on a basketball court.

The church billboard says: “I am gay, and this is where I pray.” The gay man in the picture is standing with a supportive minister.

Schenectady city councilman James Allen said the message might confuse single moms, according to the Times-Union.

“This kind of billboard is putting the stamp of approval on a gay lifestyle,” Allen said.

“It’s directly against God’s word and what God hates, I hate,” said Pastor Richard Parsons of Consecration Temple Church of God Christ.

The billboards are all over the Albany-Schenectady area, and local officials said they are protected by free speech.

The billboards are being sponsored by an Albany-based group, “In Our Own Voices.”

More than half a century later — despite myriad task forces, initiatives and informal efforts by church leaders and congregations to increase racial diversity in the pews — nine in 10 congregations have a single racial group that accounts for more than 80 percent of their membership, said Dr. Kevin Dougherty, assistant professor of sociology at Baylor University.

Equally significant is that congregations that manage to attract worshippers of other races have difficulty keeping them, according to research by Dougherty and Dr. Christopher P. Scheitle, senior research assistant at The Pennsylvania State University. They co-authored the article “Race, Diversity, and Membership Duration in Religious Congregations” published in the academic journal Sociological Inquiry in August.

“Socially, we’ve become much more integrated in schools, the military and businesses. But in the places where we worship, segregation still seems to be the norm,” Dougherty said.

“It’s not just an issue of attraction, of getting them into the door, but of retention,” he said. “Can we keep them? Our research indicates that we’ve not been able to.”

In learning whether, and why, minority members leave congregations faster than majority members, Dougherty and Scheitle studied data from the U.S. Congregational Life Survey of 2001, a survey of more than 100,000 worshippers in more than 400 congregations representing more than 50 faith groups.

One theory is that the more groups an organization tries to serve, the less effective it is at serving any specific group. Specialist organizations tend to do better than generalist organizations. And congregations are no different.

A Korean church that tries to add other ethnic groups is still likely to serve its traditional majority better, whether it comes to the type of food served at a potluck, the type of ministries it offers or the use of the Korean language, Dougherty said.

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Source: Baylor University | Contact: Terry Goodrich, Assistant Director of Media Communications, (254) 710-3321

Bishop Eddie Long, left, embraces a friend, Sunday, Sept. 26, 2010, at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Atlanta. Long, the pastor of a Georgia megachurch accused of luring young men into sexual relationships, has told his congregation of thousands that all people must face painful and distasteful situations.

Casting himself as the Bible’s ultimate underdog, Long went before congregants who packed his 10,000-seat church Sunday and promised to battle claims in lawsuits filed last week that he abused his “spiritual authority.”

Three members of the New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in suburban Atlanta and a fourth from a North Carolina branch filed lawsuits last week alleging Long used his standing and gifts including cash, cars and travel to coerce them into sexual relations when they were 17 or 18 years old.

“I feel like David against Goliath. But I got five rocks, and I haven’t thrown one yet,” Long said Sunday in his first public remarks since the lawsuits were filed. He stopped short of denying the allegations but implied he was wronged by them.

“I have never in my life portrayed myself as a perfect man. But I am not the man that’s being portrayed on the television. That’s not me. That is not me,” he said.

Long’s brief addresses to the congregation were met with thunderous applause and an outpouring of support during services that were equal parts part rock concert and pep rally. The sanctuary was nearly filled to its 10,000-seat capacity for both the 8 a.m. and 11 a.m. services. Many lined up two hours before the doors of the church opened.

Cheryl Barnett, who has attended New Birth since Long became senior pastor more than 20 years ago, said she was “very much fulfilled with what he had to say.”

“It was simple. It was direct. He’s standing in the scriptures. That’s what we would expect from our minister,” she said.

Followers prayed, sang and embraced one another as they rallied around their senior pastor. Wearing a cream-colored suit as he strode into the church sanctuary hand-in-hand with his wife, Vanessa, Long paused to soak in the adoration.

During the second service, however, one young man in a blue shirt stood up and shouted: “We want to know the truth, man!” He was quickly escorted out and did not return.

After the service, many expressed support for their leader.

“We know and we love Bishop,” said Annie Cannon, a seven-year member of New Birth. “We love our place of worship. My son goes to school here. We do everything here.”

Long became one of the country’s most powerful independent church leaders over the last 20 years, turning a congregation of 150 into a 25,000-member powerhouse with a $50 million cathedral and a roster of parishioners that includes athletes, entertainers and politicians. And there was almost no sign Sunday that his flock wanted to turn him away.

It is unclear whether Long faces any risk of being removed by his church’s board, but the allegations at the very least guarantee months of scrutiny as the lawsuits move forward.

Long is a father of four who has been an outspoken opponent of gay marriage and whose church has counseled gay members to become straight.

Two of the men who filed lawsuits say Long groomed them for sexual relationships when they were enrolled in the church’s LongFellows Youth Academy, a program that taught teens about sexual and financial discipline. Two other young men – one of whom attended a satellite church in Charlotte, N.C. – made similar claims.

The men say they were 17 or 18 when the relationships began. Federal and state authorities have declined to investigate because Georgia’s age of consent is 16.

“I’ve been accused. I’m under attack. I want you to know, as I said earlier, I am not a perfect man,” Long said. “But this thing, I’m going to fight.”

Long did not address the allegations directly but spoke at length about enduring painful times. He used the word “painful” nearly 20 times. The term “difficult” came up seven times.

“We are all subject to face distasteful and painful situations. Bishop Long, Eddie Long – you can put your name in that blank – will have some bad situations,” he said. “The righteous face painful situations with a determined expectancy. We are not exempt from pain, but (God) promises to deliver us out of our pain.”

Long addressed the media briefly during a news conference between services, but media access to the services themselves was tightly controlled. Reporters were required to check in with church officials and were led to a separate part of the church to view the service. The media was also told not to interview church members inside the sanctuary or on church property.

After Long’s remarks during the 8 a.m. service, an Associated Press reporter was escorted out of the sanctuary by church officials who said the press were not allowed in the sanctuary during worship.

Members clapped and swayed in their seats as the first service began, with several people with microphones singing on stage. Later in the service, hundreds began dancing and chanting, “Jesus, Jesus.” A small group of young people held Apple iPads high over their heads, with the screens scrolling white letters against a black background reading, “It’s time to praise him.”

As Long entered the cathedral, a group of people shouted, “We love you bishop!”

“I love you, New Birth,” Long replied.

“I’m not leaving you if you don’t leave me.”

Online: New Birth Missionary Baptist: http://www.newbirth.org/

Source: AP

Pastor Eddie Contreras was shot in the face and hand by 20-year-old Josue Pablo as he was in the middle of preaching to a group of about 35 at Walnut Park Assembly of God Church in Garland. After going through the pastor’s hand, the bullet hit Conteras in the face.

“One of our beloved youth pastors, one of our leaders, is down, but he’s not out,” reported the church’s senior pastor, Mauricio Ramirez, on the Sunday after the shooting.

According to reports, some in the congregation initially thought Pablo was part of a skit as he entered the church yelling obscenities and accusing them of being fake.

When Contreras moved toward Pablo to calm him down, Pablo fired at the pastor and afterward argued with his sister and mother, who were present at the time. Pablo’s sister and mother had encouraged Pablo to come to church in light of the personal struggles he was having.

After arguing, Pablo reportedly left the church and was apprehended by police officers a few blocks away.

Contreras, meanwhile, was taken to Parkland Memorial Hospital, where he spent eight hours in surgery.

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SOURCE: The Christian Post
Lawrence D. Jones

I was a kid, but I can remember it like it was yesterday; Jim Baker being stuffed into a police car, crying and looking like a total train wreck after being convicted of fraud and conspiracy.

His alleged affair with the church secretary, Jessica Hahn, which he denied until his release from prison many years later, is what really got the ball rolling in exposing him for the type of preacher he really was.

Remember Louisiana based preacher Jimmy Swaggart and his famous tearful confession that he had sinned against God? Swaggart was well known for being outspoken against Christian rock and metal music, referring to it as pornography and putting other ministers of the gospel on blast for their extra-martial affairs.

All seemed to be well with Swaggart after his confession, but a couple of years later he was caught for the second time with a prostitute.

The Catholic Church has had its share of problems over the years as well with numerous documented cases of priests molesting young boys. Young men that were looking for comfort and spiritual guidance were walking away scared and broken because a person they thought was doing God’s work took advantage of them.

The Church of God in Christ (COGIC), a highly respected and powerful Christian group in the black community has taken its share of lumps over the years as well. Some of their most powerful and influential preachers have been exposed for doing more than just praying and counseling their members.

The African Methodist Episcopal (AME) church has been linked to molestation cases all over the country for a number of years as well. Jamal H. Bryant, a very popular AME preacher in the Baltimore area was caught up in a scandal of his own.

Bryant once preached a sermon, specifically addressing the allegations against singer R. Kelly and telling his members to watch out for pedophiles. Shortly thereafter, a young girl in his church miraculously came up pregnant and numerous reports surfaced that he fathered several other children and was not financially supporting or acknowledging them. When I say miraculously, I’m not talking about that young lady being today’s version of the Virgin Mary.

You would think a guy like this would be humble and apologetic for taking advantage of his members, their generous giving and trust placed their pastor, but not him. A guy, who was already being scrutinized by many in the media and people around the Baltimore area for his flamboyant and lavish lifestyle, had the nerve to get in the pulpit and preach a sermon announcing that “I’m still the man!”

He basically used a few scriptures to somehow justify his actions as being human and falling victim to his own flesh. He boldly declared that he was still going to be preaching and teaching whether the members stayed or left because the anointing on his life was bigger than his mistake.

Stepping down for a period of time until he got control of his personal life would have been the best way to handle this situation, but his arrogance allowed him to continue to stand in front of his members and preach to them about right versus wrong.

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SOURCE: Charlton County Herald

Islam claims nearly one-fourth of the world’s population — 1.57 billion Muslims. But fear — felt by both Muslims and Christians — ranks among the most significant barriers separating the Muslim world from the Gospel today.

After Sept. 11, 2001, Western culture collectively branded Muslims as suicidal jihadists bent on the Islamization of the globe politically as much as religiously by the fear-producing act of terrorism. Though these stereotypes are softening as Americans’ understanding of Islam grows, strong anti-Muslim sentiment endures as war with terrorist groups continues in Afghanistan and Iraq.

What’s more, Americans’ phobia toward Islam doesn’t appear to stop at the church threshold. A survey of more than 1,000 Protestant pastors released by LifeWay Research in December 2009 showed that 77 percent of evangelical pastors either somewhat or strongly agreed that Islam is a “dangerous religion,” though the study did not explore the specific issues behind their concern.

So what does all this mean in light of Jesus’ command to make disciples of all nations?

McAlister, who leads the IMB’s strategy for spreading the Gospel among Central Asian peoples, believes Christians must transcend their own prejudices if they are committed to fulfilling the Great Commission. The real problem, he says, is a “lack of love” for Muslims that causes believers to respond with fear and hatred rather than loving them as God does.

“The stereotypes that you see in the Western media are no more true of the Muslim world than to say all Americans are New York City gangsters or Wild West cowboys,” McAlister says.

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Source: Baptist Press | Don Graham

Monday night, two York County churches bound by an awful part of history – but connected by location and sometimes even blood – come together for a single revival that, in its simplicity and purpose, exemplifies what Christians say is true because of their faith.

There is a single Kingdom of God and Jesus Christ – we had better get used to being together in it.

Bethesda Presbyterian Church outside McConnells, a 250-year-old white church that traces its roots in part to the Bratton plantation that held slaves in that area, is holding its annual revival.

Invited to share in that revival are the members of Mount Zion Baptist Church, the black congregation from just down the road that was formed in 1863 by the slaves of some of the members at Bethesda.

The idea came a few weeks ago from the Rev. Daniel Smoak, pastor at Bethesda for the last couple of years. For Bethesda’s 250th anniversary earlier this summer, about 25 members of Mount Zion came to be a part of the celebration.

“They sat right in the front center, and I realized even more that this was a powerful connection we have here,” Smoak said.

He had heard that years ago, several of Bethesda’s members and its choir participated at a Martin Luther King Jr. Day event at Mount Zion.

Members of the two congregations have come together to distribute food to the hungry.

But this is different. This is church.

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SOURCE: Herald Online

I vividly recall the Sunday in 1985 my father took me to the church bookstore after service to purchase a copy of the first Christian rap CD, “Bible Break” by Stephen Wiley, an Oklahoma-based youth minister/rapper who became a recurring guest at my church’s annual youth retreats. By all accounts, my youth leaders sought to “keep it real” even as their real goal was to keep us “saved.”

By no means is “Bible Break” great music, but it is certainly memorable. I still can recite its lyrics almost verbatim.

These memories inspire much of my current work. I had the opportunity to interview Wiley while writing my dissertation. He shared with me the story of a church where an actual fist-fight broke out as leaders were debating whether to allow him to rap in their pulpit.

In dramatic fashion Wiley’s experience reveals the common belief that faith and popular culture are (or should be) diametrically opposed. Black churches have always been a place where people have come to sway, to dance, to shout and — value judgments aside — to be entertained. To be moved by the Spirit. And sometimes not.

In short, there are multiple layers of meaning at the source of what brings folks into “the House of the Lord.” Churches were the first independent black institutions. They were a place for both worship and politics. In addition to serving as arbiters of things spiritual and political, church was also a space of pleasure and play: a theater, a concert stage and a dance hall. Many prominent black cultural institutions and artists began in churches. The Dance Theater of Harlem and the Harlem School of the Arts both held their first practices in churches.

American music legends Sam Cooke and Aretha Franklin began their careers in the church, as did contemporary artists Fantasia Barrino and John Legend. To this day, a common thought is that all black entertainers come out of the church. Yet few acknowledge that the church was and is a source and site of entertainment.

In today’s tabloid-driven, scandal-obsessed celebrity culture, people are reluctant to reconcile the seriousness of a “Hallelujah!” with the sensationalism, sensuality and sometimes downright silliness of Hollywood. The writer Rudolph Fisher captured this phenomenon well in a short story that appeared in what is considered the bible of the Harlem Renaissance, Alain Locke’s 1925 anthology “The New Negro.” Fisher tells a tale of two young men in 1920s Upper Manhattan. Debating whether or not to attend a local revival, one of the men ended their exchange as follows:

“Ought to be a pretty good show when some o’ them old-time sisters get happy. Too early for the cabarets; let’s go in a while, just for the hell of it… Somethin’ funny’s bound to happen. You might even get religion.”

Clearly, for these men, a revival was as much about pleasure as it was about the promise of salvation. To be sure, this illustration fails to capture all of the many motivations that fill church pews. Yet it suggests that recreation and religion are fundamentally intertwined.

Fisher’s Harlem, of course, holds a special place in African-American cultural history. Yet his stories are not solely about race or place. Rather, they show black churches to be exceptional even as they are quintessentially American.

Recent public debates around black liberation theology often portray black churches as occupying an alternative universe. African-American Christians breathe the same cultural and political air as their churchgoing brothers and sisters of other races. This is perhaps no more clear than in the realm of aesthetics. Most of the fastest growing black churches have adopted the praise and worship format that has long been popular in white evangelical and charismatic congregations. A prime case of this is Byron Cage’s “Breathe,” a remake of the Hillsong standard, “This is the Air I Breathe.”

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SOURCE: CNN

The pastor, Terry Jones of the nondenominational Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville, Fla., said Sept. 10 he had cancelled “International Burn a Koran Day,” and the next day he went a step further and said his church would never hold such an event, “not today, not ever.” His previous plans to burn copies of the Quran on Sept. 11 had sparked an international controversy and had led to protests in some Muslim countries.

Although there were a handful of incidents in the U.S. on Sept. 11 where copycats either tore pages out of the Quran or burned it using lighter fluid, none of them drew significant attention.

Jones’ church runs about 30-50 people on a Sunday mornings.

Eddie Pate, a missions professor at Golden Gate Seminary and a former mission worker in North Africa and the Middle East, said such incidents only do harm to Christianity.

“In our attempts to share the Gospel and model what it means to be a follower of Jesus to Muslims in America and around the world, seeking ways to offend them, such as burning the Quran, do not help that effort,” Pate, the seminary’s director of the Kim School of Global Missions, told Baptist Press in an e-mail. “Provocative comments on Islam and actions toward Muslims (even by well-intentioned pastors and leaders) not only affect the ministry of Christian workers overseas but also may physically endanger fragile communities of Christians living in majority Muslim countries.”

Southern Baptist Convention President Bryant Wright made similar comments Sept. 10, saying in a statement directed at Jones, “Your proposed actions do not encourage people of the world to respect your faith.”

Jones told NBC’s “Today” show Sept. 11 he felt “God is telling us to stop.”

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SOURCE: Baptist Press
Michael Foust