Where does the Black-White gap in support for marriage rights come from?
The Washington Post details the last-ditch efforts by Black Christian leaders in Prince George's County, Maryland to stop the state from legalizing homogamous marriage.
The county, just outside Washington, D.C., is "the nation's most affluent and best-educated majority-black jurisdiction, [and] home to some of the largest and most influential churches in the nation." That makes it ground zero for Black Christian opposition to homogamous marriage rights.
One church official, Paul Wells from the New Revival Center of Renewal ("A ministry to the homeless and formerly incarcerated"), is quoted as saying:
I welcome those who are homosexual into the church the same way I welcome liars and fornicators. But the expectation is that the word of God will change them once they get in. . . . God gave us free will and so you are either against God's word or for God's word. There is no in-between.
African-American religion is overwhelmingly sectarian Protestant and denominational ties play a strong role in producing black-white differences in support for same-sex marriage. While fewer than 30 percent of white Americans identify with conservative Protestant denominations, over 63 percent of African Americans affiliate with Baptist or other sectarian groups. About half the difference between whites and African Americans in their support for same-sex marriage is explained by differences in religious affiliation, while high rates of religious participation among African Americans accounts for the remainder of the gap.
Baltimore's black lawmakers have generally been more likely to support the same-sex marriage bill. Four African American senators there voted for the bill, and several of its delegates are among the House co-sponsors. Some of the African American lawmakers who support the legislation have cast it as part of the civil rights movement.
Still, as the experiences in both California and Washington, D.C., suggest, the most important change agents for black voters -- gay or straight, religious or secular, urban or suburban -- are black voters themselves. Stick to the sidelines, as in California in 2008, and risk being demonized by a disappointed white LGBT leadership. But claim the mantle that is rightfully yours, as in Washington, D.C., and lead the struggle for a more equitable nation for every citizen.
Cross posted from the Family Inequality blog.
"I welcome those who are homosexual into the church the same way I welcome liars and fornicators."
Ah yes, there's that "Christ-like" "love" we've become so used to. What a hater. I'm surprised he didn't throw in the "beastialists" and the "child-molesters" and the "murderers" and the "thieves".
Charity - the greates of these - is totally absent in such 'thinking'. This pastor does it "to the least of these" and will reap his just reward. He'll be very hot, methinks.