A panel discussion was offerd by the Church Federation of Greater Indianapolis in an attempt to ease racial tensions and build understanding in our community. My church, St. Luke's United Methodist Church, served as host to this community forum. Pastors with a broad perspective from the community along with political leaders made up the panel. Perhaps this in one way the entire Obama Race-Baiting can be addressed, one community at a time. One of my small group discussion members made this observation. She said, "I always thought black churches were just like white churches, only with different colored people attending." We learned that there is a fundmental difference in the approach to the community by each church.
My pastor, Dr. Kenneth Millard, was featured with other pastors in an article on the front page of the Sunday edition of the New York Times, about preaching about Obama's speech. Dr. Millared said congregational members had a right to disagree with their pastor. He pointed out our congregation in the home church of Senator Richard Lugar. The pastor said he would hope Senator Lugar would not be held responsible for everything Dr. Millard had said in the last 15 years.
Excuse me: this my second diary attempt: I want it to be succinct, but there is so much to talk about on this issue.
Participants, backgrounds and a bried summary of thier inital presentaion are listed.
Rev. Jack Johnson, Trinity United Church of Christ, Gary, IN (Black)
Rev. Jackson presented a brief history of the four strands that make up the UCC church, including its roots to the Pilgrims on the Mayflower. He remineded us of the Armistad history and the white UCC support to end the slave trade, recognizing that the division toward good people includes all races. He talked of his experience of serving as a black pastor in a 90% white denomination.
Rev. Derek Duncan, East 91st Christian Church, Indianapolis: (White)
Rev. Duncan represented a white surburban church, recognizing Obama's comment about Sunday Morning being the most segregated hour. His primary focus was the the church needed to be faithful to preaching, "salvation." He really didn't have much to offer for building up the community. Perhaps his "saving grace" was Rev. Duncan's closing about the need to listen to one another.
Rev. Gretchen Schneider, St. Andrew Presbyterian Church, Indianapolis. (White, Female)
Rev. Schneider represented women clergy and a more main-line theology. She spoke strongly about the need for reconciliation and bridging the gap in racial differences. The need to compassionately care for one another was heard. The Katrina factor was discussed during the evening, pointing to the black community still viewing Katrina as being deserted by their governemnt. Katrina is still deeply ingraned in Black psyc.
Mr. Hosea Baxter, Crossroads Bible College, Indianaplis.(Black, conservative)
Mr. Baxter shared personal experiences of being asked to speak in the hostile, white territory in an attempt to disfuse a bad situation. His fear was obvious, but talking about the need to begin this racial dialogue at the place the people are was helpful.
Bishop T. Garrot Benjamin, Light of the World Christian Church, Indianapolis,(Black, Megachurch)
Bishop Benjamin has long been recognized as a leader in the Black/White reconciliation movement in Indianapolis and is extermely well spoken. Bishop Benjamin's guidance about how the Black Church is much more intregal within the lives of the people was helpful. Undersanding the historical roots dating back to the slave community where being "Prophetic" about hope while helping individual members through difficult times explains a greater emphasis on relationship with the pastor and congregation than in the white congregation's perspective was beneficial. This helped understand why one just doesn't leave if there is a disagreement with the pastor.
Bishop Benjamin proposed a series of questions, for which he admitted he didn't have answers. Some of his questions were:
Why did the media handle the Rev. Wright with such Shock and Awe, running the same film clip 1000 times in a five day period. Why was nothing else from his 10.00 other sermons or the 70 compassionte caring ministries of Trinity Church covered in the news?
Why weren't quotes from Hagee, Parsley and other "spiritual" leaders of the other candidates being scrutenized by MSM and the cable networks?
Were politicians talking about Red States and Blue States or Black States and White States? Bishop Benjamin asked us to look carefully at the things that divide us and be much more reflective about issues of poverty, health care needs and the other concerns that must to be addressed by our government.
What has this display of race baiting done to the image of our nation and the vision of Democracy in the world?
The two polititians who were on the panel were:
Mr. Ed Simcox,State Representative, Republican
Simcox kept his focus on the Church's need to be the Chruch and to stay away from politics, but he did run paitriotism up the flag pole a couple to times.
Mr. Mike O'Conor, Marion County Democratic Chair.
Mr. O'Connor added an interesting, taking as an Irish Catholic. He talked about his long family history with the Catholic Church. He talked of the praise he was given when he named his daughters Irish-Catholic names including forms of :Mary." He noted we don't offer that same sense of celebration to naming chidren of other reces. In fact, we question their patritism if names are "different" from our Anglo-American names. He talked about being disappointed by the behavior of some priests in his denomination and noted her often disagreed with the Pope. But O'Connor said, no one was demanding he seperate from this church and denounce the leaders. Much of this focus was on the double standard b which politicians hold Black people.
Dr. Angelina Wheeler, Chair of Church Federation served as moderator.
A DVD or Cd of this discussion is avaliable ;
The Church Federation of Greater Indianapolis
churches@churchfederationindy.org
Phone 17 926-5371 FAX 317-925373
The final conclusion was that this was only a first step in community building and needed to be continued.