Silence is not an option: The painful task of the black preacher in the United Methodist Church
These are most interesting times in which to sojourn as an African American preacher. The preacher of black congregations in the United Methodist Church especially, has what can be an isolating and daunting job.
She must first speak to a church that sits in a nation that is becoming more hostile to African American people. There is a rising comfort level of voicing hate and cruelty toward African American people in the town square, school cafeterias, football teams, grocery stores and town hall meetings. People of color are being openly despised and abused every day. The pastor must comfort and empower those to whom she has been sent to remember that they too are made in God’s image.
The preacher of the black United Methodist Church must also address a denomination that has arguably lost its connection and worst yet, developed a disinterest in the black experience within the nation, community and the church. It is heartbreaking to see a dwindling African American constituency that is less than five percent of its global membership slip into disconnect from a denomination that originally attracted black people to its ecclesiastical shores because of its powerful revival movements, social justice mandates and its abhorrence to the institution of slavery. The early Methodist movement always included black people and utilized them as preachers, educators and leaders; the likes of whom include Bishop Robert E. Jones, Mary McCloud Bethune, Frederick Douglas and Harry Hoosier.
Even, we, the United Methodist Church has through the years been sprinkled with the residue of white supremacy and in time has become overwhelmed with his dominance in biblical interpretation, policy and practice. While African Americans have achieved much, if you want to call it that, the vast majority of strong African American witness, power and message is beginning to slip from the United Methodist grasp thus living into the threat of little if not any United Methodist influence and voice in the black communities of this land. What a travesty that would be!
One problem is, that the prophetic voice is often seen as a rabble rousing troublemaker and to protect denominational influence among wealthy outlets it is highly frowned upon for the black preacher to make too much noise about racial justice, inequality and prophetic angles of challenge.
When the black preacher, or any preacher for that matter, is bound to keeping peace among the flock at the expense of watering down the liberation theology of the entire gospel, that preacher has become irrelevant, safe and useless as one who stands in the wilderness demanding repentance as the Kingdom of God is at hand. Our denominational culture must not protect oppressive elements for fear of being abandoned by angry but hearty givers.
This United Methodism, has become too comfortable with its politically correct norms and too timid with its mandate to preach love where there is hatred, peace where there is war and sow seeds of unity where there is division. Saint Francis, gives us this outline beautifully in his well rehearsed prayer.
I know that even I am haunted by how some of my white colleagues, folks that I dearly love, will perceive my pleas, prophetic calls and outrage with status quo as a voice of division, hatred and assualt. Yet, I can not abandon the journey of an entire people, my own people for that matter, for the sake of inclusion in certain circles.
The black preacher is critical for the survival of the United Methodist Church. When the black preacher raises consciousness of harm from white supremacy, racist practices and policies, and the affects of a mean spirited white back lash that is dominating our national platform that does not mean that he is being divisive and hateful. Quite frankly, it’s just the opposite. To preach in skin, clothed in color, is to not be able to afford the luxury of being quiet,careful or dismissive of the real problems that continue to plague our national story.
So, to the colleagues that have unfriended me on social media, to the institution groupings that find me too much of a nuisance,to the white counterpart who has lost, or never had sensitivity to the struggle that has been ours since 1619 I invite you to re-imagine, a word we like to use, re-imagine what it would be to be real advocates of justice and peace.
If not, we will lose the heritage of a people who depend on this church to remember its cause, to fight for its voice and to stand with them in defense of its right to be equal in this democratic project known as the United States.
I urge you not to allow other battles of equality to be the impetus of avoidance and distraction from the African American struggle and reality that we while we have come a long way, we have not yet overcome and the road we trod is still stony.
I need to also say to my white colleagues who are torn by the disease of racist thought, behavior and practice; be you conservative or liberal, centrist, progressive or traditionalist; to you who are troubled by this location of privilege and conviction; in the event, you think you are being attacked and hated, I and so many others of the gospel preaching endeavor will remind you, that you are not beyond redemption and love. Fear not and stand firm this day that love must win and take thou the authority to preach this love without hesitancy! If you don’t have it, preach it, till you get it!
And as John Wesley quotes Jehu, from 2 Kings, in his sermon, “A Catholic Spirit”, “Is your heart right,as my heart is with your heart? If it is, give me your hand.”
Come on, I’m waiting…give me, give us your hand……
B. Kevin Smalls 