North Carolina Anti-Gay Marriage Amendment: Rev. Earl Johnson, Black Pastor, Treads Carefully

By Yonat Shimron
Religion News Service

RALEIGH, N.C. (RNS) With only a few days remaining before North Carolinians vote on a state constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage, the Rev. Earl C. Johnson took five minutes on Sunday (April 30) to give congregants 10 reasons to vote against the measure.

It was his only concerted effort to wade into a subject considered taboo in most African-American churches: homosexuality. Not wanting to risk his job as senior pastor of Martin Street Baptist Church, or upset his many older congregants, Johnson figured the best approach was to stick to the facts.

The state already forbids gay marriage, he told church members. The state's top Democrats, including the governor, oppose the measure. The constitutional amendment might strip unmarried heterosexual women of domestic violence protections.

None of the points he outlined touched on the central issue: how the church might respond to gays and lesbians.

"It's a traditional church," said Johnson. "When you get to be a certain age you don't budge on your point of view. It would take years of chipping away at it to change it."

Most black churches consider homosexuality a sin, and have resisted any attempt to reinterpret biblical passages condemning it. But some pastors are finding ways to skirt -- for now -- the theological issue, and support equal treatment of gays and lesbians as a legislative concern.

While attitudes toward homosexuality have softened among many religious groups, black Protestants remain among the most resistant. A recent analysis by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life shows that just 33 percent of African-American churchgoers support same-sex marriage, a position that has barely moved since 2001 when 30 percent supported it. Support for gay marriage among white evangelical Christians has remained flat as well.

In North Carolina, where blacks make up 21 percent of the population (nearly double the 12 percent nationwide), the amendment has solid support among many African-Americans. If it passes, North Carolina will become the 32nd state to block gay unions via a constitutional amendment. The state's residents go to the polls May 8.

Leading the opposition in the black community is the Rev. William Barber, head of the state chapter of the NAACP. Barber has argued the amendment will codify discrimination in the state's constitution.

Some of the state's black pastors have heeded his call. "I do not look forward to being part of an effort to polarize people who make different choices," said the Rev. David Forbes, pastor emeritus at Raleigh's Christian Faith Baptist Church.

Forbes is not a proponent of gay marriage, but sees the issue as a political one. "This has social justice implications," he said.

That delicate dance around same-sex marriage was on display recently in Maryland.

There, the pastor of the 8,000-member Mount Ennon Baptist Church just outside Washington came out in support of a bill legalizing same-sex marriage. The Rev. Delman Coates said his personal beliefs about same-sex marriage were irrelevant. What was important was that all the state's citizens deserved equal rights, he said.

"It's helpful for clergy to see the difference between theological questions and legislative issues," said Josef Sorett, assistant professor of religion and African-American studies at Columbia University. "It can perhaps help to prevent the knee-jerk activism in support of the measure."

As for Johnson, his 700-member congregation took Sunday's 10-point commentary in stride.

Adrienne Silvey said she had decided to vote against the amendment before her pastor spoke up. "People of faith should not support any legislation that takes rights away from different people," she said.

Others, however, weren't convinced.

"What I would have loved is to hear the opposite side," said Mary Goode.

For Johnson, who said he won't repeat his recommendations on Sunday, two days before the vote, the first step has been taken.

"If we don't start saying something now -- and taking small steps toward recognizing people's civil rights -- then we'll be in trouble when we're in need," he said. "What's the gay community going to say?'You turned your back on us.'"

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Comments

[max brava]

01:58 PM on 05/09/2012

We must never forget these words of Coretta Scott King:

"For many years now, I have been an outspoken supporter of civil and human rights for gay and lesbian people. Gays and lesbians stood up for civil rights in Montgomery, Selma, in Albany, Ga. and St. Augustine, Fla., and many other campaigns of the Civil Rights Movement. Many of these courageous men and women were fighting for my freedom at a time when they could find few voices for their own, and I salute their contributions. We have a lot more work to do in our common struggle against bigotry and discrimination. I say 'common struggle' because I believe very strongly that all forms of bigotry and discrimination are equally wrong and should be opposed by right-thinking Americans everywhere. Freedom from discrimination based on sexual orientation is surely a fundamental human right in any great democracy, as much as freedom from racial, religious, gender, or ethnic discrimination."

[Rdmptn]

10:21 PM on 05/14/2012

Thank-you.

[Rdmptn]

10:22 PM on 05/14/2012

I'm your second fan.

[calan87]

03:01 PM on 05/07/2012

how can such a human rights amendment against minorities be held up for vote by the people where the minority cannot possibly be heard. This would be like putting pro racial segregation laws up for vote people and expecting it to be fair. While I believe in equal rights for all relationships, if this issue actually needs to be questioned, it would be much better represented by legislatures, with the final sign off by the governor.

[Clevelandinwi]

05:27 AM on 05/07/2012

At least he said 'something'.

[Child Of God 2]

08:33 AM on 05/06/2012

Gay's and Homosexuality has been around for centuries it's not a 20th or 21st century issue. Marriage by definition according to Websters Dictionary is and I quote "(1) : the state of being united to a person of the opposite sex as husband or wife in a consensual and contractual relationship recognized by law (2) : the state of being united to a person of the same sex in a relationship like that of a traditional marriage". I have a sister who is Gay and has two children. Both at the top of their class and very well adjusted and loving. Parents today are afraid of Gay Marriages because they do not know how to approach their children about the issue. Contrary to your beliefs it is not God's Law. The only Law God laid down was the Ten Commandments, all other opinions are written by man. If God created us in his image then he will love all creatures regardless of their sexual orientation. I'm quite sure that if Jesus was here today he would not shun those who are Gay. Only those with distorted ideologies make it a practice to judge and shun those not like them. Remember "Judge Thy Neighbor As You Shall Be Judged". Please stop trying to force your ideologies down the rest of the world throat and try the Love Thy Neighbor approach. The world would be a better place for all.

[Jujubeen]

11:39 PM on 05/05/2012

What is paramount and scariest of all is this fact, by legalizing gay marriage you are telling our children that marriage is not necessary. In many Scandanavian nations they have an abysmal marriage rate, gay marriage is legal there. Europe in general has declining moral standards, legalized gay marriage and a low marriage rate. We see the trend thats why we're against gay marriage.

[Rdmptn]

10:24 PM on 05/14/2012

What does diminishing marriage rates have to do with gay marriage?

[Jujubeen]

11:38 PM on 05/05/2012

The problem is they want to adopt children as well. All studies show the best place for a child to be raised is in a house with a mom and a dad. The dad can teach a son how to be man while providing a loving male figure in a young girl's life. The mother can provide the boy with the love and nurture that all boys need from a mother. And a woman can teach her daughter what it means to be a woman and how to deal with the issues that women face. No gay men who adopt a girl know what it is like to be a girl how can they provide the womanly knowledge and advice this girl needs when she enters adolescence.? Every girl should have a mother or some sort of mother figure in her life as well as a boy. No gay man can provide that. No boy is ever going to learn what it means to be a man from two women. Just look at what happens to boys in single homes of minority women. They have a tremendous amount of problems at a young age even if their mother is doing well because they have no father to teach them how to be men. In the end do all these boys turn out to be criminals, not all but many of them do. Do all of these boys turn out to have emotional/behavioral problems not all but many do.

[Hufferoni]

01:07 PM on 05/07/2012

This comment is ignorant of so many facts, and racist as well. I'm guessing the writer knows zero gay men and women, and probably zero minorities. I wonder if the writer knows who is president ???

[crazylogical]

12:46 AM on 05/08/2012

"There's no doubt whatsoever from the research that children with two lesbian parents are growing up to be just as well-adjusted and successful" as children with a male and a female parent," Stacey told LiveScience.
http://www.livescience.com/17913-advantages-gay-parents.html

"About 67 studies have been conducted by the American Psychological Association, focusing on children of gay parents. Each of these studies proved that children do the same no matter which environment they grow up in. The American Medical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics agree with these findings."
http://www.bloggernews.net/17669

You are absolutely, positively, making things up to support your discrimination. If you were to look at the facts (from the American Medical Association, American Psychological Association, and the American Academy of Pediatrics), you would find that children of homosexuals grow up to be just as educated, well, adjusted, and happy as children of heterosexuals.

I suggest you read Zach Wahl's book "My Two Moms: Lessons of Love, Strength, and What Makes a Family." Having been raised by a lesbian couple, he certainly has more credibility on the topic than you.

[Jujubeen]

01:07 AM on 05/08/2012

A child is meant to be raised by a mother and a father. Anyone who says a mother and a father is not necessary is either naive or just a liar. Experimenting with alternative lifestyles with young children is downright irresponsible and shameful. I don't care if they want civil unions I don't care if they want their partnerships legalized but that gives them no right to play social experiments with our children. We know what works a committed mother and father raising a child. Its time for society to reaffirm that bond and strengthen it not tear it down.

[Jujubeen]

01:10 AM on 05/08/2012

Another thing. Adopting children is not a right. It is meant to be exclusive and discriminatory. Its time for people to stop acting like they have a right to adopt a child. You don't have a right but if your allowed to then your fortunate but it is nobody's right to adopt a child. This flawed thinking needs to stop.

[foxy225]

06:38 PM on 05/04/2012

Does the black community not remember that for centuries slavery was OK
because it was "in the Bible"

[Inis Magrath]

10:45 AM on 05/04/2012

--- "Most black churches consider homosexuality a sin, ... But some pastors ... support equal treatment of gays and lesbians as a legislative concern."

Of course this is the right thing to do. replace the word "homosexuality" with any other thing your religion considers a sin, and see how much sense this makes from a social justice perspective.

For example, "Most black churches consider denial of God a sin, ... But some pastors ... support equal treatment of atheists as a legislative concern."

OR:

For example, "Most black churches consider adultery a sin, ... But some pastors ... support equal treatment of divorced people as a legislative concern."

The key here is "a legislative concern." Once you say the country's LAWS must reflect one religion's beliefs, then you are on your way to living under a Christian Taliban government.

[Jeremiah Baker]

01:58 AM on 05/05/2012

Exactly, that's why we have separation of church and state.

That way the government can't tell churches what they should preach. And no single religion can tell everyone else (i.e. not part of that religion) how they should live their lives.

[Hufferoni]

10:38 AM on 05/04/2012

How can this 'Christian' pastor ignore the central teaching of Jesus? "LOVE THY NEIGHBOR". He is obviously not a Christian, rather, he is a Biblican, one who worships the book and not the Messiah. Biblicans use the Bible to find excuses for their prejudices. If Jesus was happy with the book, the Old Testament ... why did he bother to preach? And if pastors can not recognize that the teachings of Jesus are different from and directly oppose much of the Old Testament's lessons ... why do they call themselves Christians, and not Biblicans? Think real hard now ... would Jesus turn his back on gay marriages? Did Jesus take the side of the Establishment? Who did Jesus stand up for over and over and over?

[Rdmptn]

10:40 PM on 05/14/2012

Very well said, Hufferoni! I'm saving this for the next time I get into an argument with my Christian family.

[Hufferoni]

10:27 AM on 05/04/2012

Once again, we have so called Christians completely ignoring the teachings of Jesus. And if they ignore the one they call the Christ, then how can they be Christians, and what exactly are they? People who worship the Bible, but not Jesus the Christ, are Biblicans. Learn this word and use it, for the majority of so called Christians are quite simply Biblicans. A Biblican finds support in the Bible for his own prejudices. A Biblican puts the Bible before Jesus. A Biblican ignores the number one teaching of Jesus, to "love thy neighbor as thyself." Biblicans need to own up to what they are ... or at least take another look at what Jesus asks us all to be: forgiving, loving, accepting, welcoming ALL into the kingdom of grace. Please, the next time your hear a Biblican denouncing gays or whomever ... speak up and ask that Biblican why they are ignoring the central teaching of Jesus ?????