Black Church Leaders Begin to Tackle AIDS

c. 2005 Religion News Service (UNDATED) Black clergy in America have long been on the front lines of important causes affecting their community. But the church’s role in the increasing crisis of AIDS in black America remains an unresolved issue. Over the last decade, the rate of new HIV infections among whites has held steady […]

c. 2005 Religion News Service

(UNDATED) Black clergy in America have long been on the front lines of important causes affecting their community. But the church’s role in the increasing crisis of AIDS in black America remains an unresolved issue.

Over the last decade, the rate of new HIV infections among whites has held steady while the rate has doubled for blacks. Though they constitute just 12 percent of the population, blacks make up 40 percent of Americans living with the virus, and account for 50 percent of new infections, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control.


The issue is a delicate one for African-American clergy.

Addressing AIDS means broaching sensitive topics like drug use, homosexuality and out-of-wedlock sex. There are ministers who see AIDS as a punishment for sinful behavior, who choose not to use their pulpits to talk about the prevention and treatment of the disease. Yet some ministers are beginning to take a stand, preaching tolerance, creating AIDS ministries and even opening up their churches for HIV testing.

The Rev. Eugene Rivers, who heads the National Ten Point Leadership Foundation in Boston, calls the church’s response in America “less than proactive.” While he applauds the work American ministers have done to help those afflicted by AIDS in Africa, he said the church needs to be challenged more on the way it deals with the epidemic here. “The black church,” he said, “has failed to address the AIDS issue.”

The Rev. Carlton Veazey, founder of the Black Church Initiative, an organization operated by the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice in Washington, said discussing AIDS is difficult because sexuality has always been a taboo subject in the church, especially among older, more conservative preachers.

Veazey said the old guard of black clergy can be lacking in compassion for AIDS sufferers because of literal interpretations of parts of the Bible. In the Book of Leviticus in the Old Testament, for example, God is depicted as vengeful. These clergy see AIDS as a form of divine punishment, he said. This can lead parishioners to avoid the church for advice and counseling about their HIV status.

“There are more ministers than I would like to see that are still preaching that kind of theology,” said Veazey.

Dr. Theresa Mack has felt that reluctance to speak about the virus in her own church. As an HIV specialist in New York’s Harlem and an African-American woman of faith, Mack attended the Black Church Week of Prayer last spring, when churches across the country addressed the issue of HIV/AIDS through special services and worship.

Mack planned a service around HIV/AIDS for the Week of Prayer and approached the ministers of her church.


“When we said we wanted it announced (to the congregation), they looked at us as if we were nuts,” she recalled.

At the Week of Prayer’s culminating event, at another church with more than 1,000 in attendance, Mack enjoyed rousing gospel music and poignant testimonies from AIDS sufferers. Though inspiring, there was one thing Mack found missing from the night: tough talk about HIV prevention and treatment.

“If we did testing right there in the church settings,” she said, “we wouldn’t have the problem we have now.”

Slowly but surely, however, black churches are beginning to speak out about the virus that is cutting a deadly swath through their communities.

“I do believe there has been a fundamental shift,” said Dr. Robert Fullilove, who together with his wife, Dr. Mindy Fullilove, has authored more than 100 studies in medical journals on AIDS and minority health.

“Churches are increasing their involvement, as more and more high-profile black ministers openly preach not just about AIDS and sexuality but also about homosexuality. Other ministers who would otherwise be homophobic are saying, `Maybe we should do this.”’


(OPTIONAL TRIM FOLLOWS)

What’s more, said Fullilove, some criticism of the black church is misguided.

While black leaders are perceived as not responding directly to AIDS, he said, other pressing issues have so far taken precedence. Black clergy have long been saddled with addressing other crises, such as disparities in education, welfare benefits, the incarceration of black men, housing shortages and unemployment.

When Pernessa Seele began the New York-based Balm in Gilead, which organizes the Week of Prayer event, she met resistance from black clergy.

“Sixteen years ago,” she said, “churches wouldn’t do anything.”

Now her organization helps churches across the country develop awareness campaigns and AIDS ministries. The mere existence of Balm in Gilead and its work is a testament to the progress black churches have made, she said.

But churches act according to the beliefs of their presiding ministers, not national organizations. Because of this, affecting real change may require action at the grass-roots level by people like Michael Saunders.

Saunders is a 39-year-old black man from Brooklyn. Over the past 10 years, he lost his two brothers and a sister-in-law to AIDS. He contracted the virus 20 years ago during his first sexual encounter with an older man living a double life on the “down low.” The man kept his homosexual affairs secret while living with his girlfriend and two children.

Saunders attends church twice a week, even though his preacher calls homosexuality a sin. He said he can’t talk openly about being gay or having HIV. He’s grown used to it all, though. “As long as you don’t talk, look, think or feel gay, then it’s fine,” he said.


In the two years since Saunders told his minister his HIV status, the preacher has never spoken to the congregation about the AIDS epidemic. Soon, Saunders plans to talk to him about discussing the issue with the congregation.

“I know I’m not the only HIV-positive man who attends this church,” he said, “and I’m not the only gay man to attend this church, either. This is something that’s just really important to talk about.”

MO/PH END RNS

Editors: To obtain a file photo of the Rev. Eugene Rivers for this story, go to the RNS Web site at https://religionnews.com. On the lower right, click on “photos,” then search by subject (Eugene Rivers). Click “exact phrase” for best results.

Suitable as an advance for Dec. 1 World AIDS Day.

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