Contrary to what some believe, all black opinion is not informed by what is discussed in houses of worship and barber shops. However, it would be foolish to deny that black churches, especially in the south, wield a lot of political and social power. That power could be used to help fight HIV and AIDS in the black community, but, by many accounts, the church is not doing its job in that arena.
For example, one HIV-positive church goer interviewed by the AP expected more from his minister after he was diagnosed than an instruction to "pray for forgiveness." This why Reverend Deborah Warren started the Regional Interfaith AIDS network in 1992 to change attitudes about HIV and AIDS and get the church more involved in prevention. Unfortunately, of the 700 churches in the Charlotte, NC, area, only 75 have joined the network.
Despite the fact that pastors across the south have offered small consolation to people infected with the virus, AIDS activists say they need black churches the help stem the growing tide of new HIV and AIDS cases. While African-Americans represent 19 percent of the south's population, Pinkston reports they're 56 percent of new AIDS cases in the region.
It is an issue that the people of God must address, said Reverend Claude R. Alexander, Jr., of the University Park Baptist Church in Charlotte, N.C. Alexander was one of the first to address the crisis from the pulpit. "The church must step forward and clarify it as a disease like any other disease," Alexander said…
"If we're not willing to tell our members in our churches that being homophobic is a sin, then we're really shucking and jiving," said Reverend Clifford Matthews of St. Luke's Church.
Speaking of sins, it would be one for me to lie and tell you that I attend a black church or any church at all. For those of you in the know, how is the topic of HIV broached during your Sunday service? Is it mentioned at all? [AP]
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I feel sad to say this but the topic of HIV is not broached in my church. Although we may have ministries that focus on targeting the needs of individuals infected, it's not Sunday sermon material. Unless you want to put it under the umbrella of healing when they discuss God's ability to heal us from all infirmities…
Yes, I attend World Changers New York and the pastor broke it down. We have been on this topic for the last 3-4 weeks. He has dedicated 1.5 hrs sermons to this topic.
I have been a member of World Changers for 8 years and this series has been the realest that I have experienced.
I don't regularly attend church these days either, but there are some black churches in my area that are making an effort to establish an HIV/AIDS ministry and are even welcoming towards LGBT congregrants. While I agree that the black church still has a long way to go on this issue, at least there are some black ministers who recognize the problem and understand their role in trying to curb HIV prevalance.
My church, New Birth Missionary Baptist in Atlanta, has taken on the task of fighting the rise of HIV & AIDS in the community. I think Black churches are going to have to get off their do-nothing and self-righteous behinds to help. Faith without works is pointless.
The topic of sex isn't really talked about in my church, unless it's to tell you that premarital sex is wrong, so the topic of HIV/AIDS is hardly ever spoken about.
I don't attend a black church so I can't respond. The rationale given by my old roomie is that her church doesn't want to get into sinful stuff which I personally found hilarious and I hope her own individual church, a mega-church at that, has a better explanation for its apparent refusal to discuss topics that impact its members.
Being the radical atheist that I am, I wonder: Why on Earth would AIDS be a topic for church??? Maybe I'm prejudiced, but isn't church always the last place on Earth to discuss anything remotely connected to human sexual behavior? AIDS is something your parents are supposed to tell you about when they're explaining the whole sex thing and that condoms have a second important function besides guarding against unwanted pregnancy. And if your parents are idiots and don't tell you about these things your school should have done so before you hit highschool. This kind of education can't take place in churches because most religious nutcases seem to pretend that sex is something to only happen between married people. I'm sorry, but it's very simple not to get pregnant and/or a venereal disease. People need sexual enlightenment and enlightenment is the enemy of the church. I'm sorry, but I do not understand how in the 21st century people not only still believe there's a guy in the sky, but actually believe church doctrines that throughout the course of history have done nothing but confuse and divide people.