Comments on: Team Obama: recruiting a white pastor=bad idea

by: Doctor Science, Artiste of Chestnut-Rice Stuffing

Fri, 26 Oct 2007 18:15:36 +0100

Slactivist is currently doing a series about the Gay-hatin’ Gospel and where it comes from. I’d be interested in knowing whether Pam (or other PoC) think black religious homophobia is substantially different than white. I have assumed that black homophobia has an extra-large component of “I may be low on the totem pole but at least I’m better than *them*” to it (is there a short way of saying that?), but that’s my assumption. And I don’t know if there’s a big difference between black men & women in their attitudes.

The book being discussed at Slacktivist’s is the latest from the Barna Group, “unChristian” (unlinked to avoid Moderation Limbo). The Barna researchers found a huge generation gap in attitudes toward gay among the (presumably mostly white) evangelicals they studied. Basically, most young Christians know someone who’s at least a bit out, and that’s really tipping them over the line to accepting gay rights, marriage equality, etc.

Do you-all think most young blacks know someone who’s out, yet? Is it going to take something more than time to get there?

by: Chet

Fri, 26 Oct 2007 18:09:40 +0100

On the other hand, Genarlow Wilson is out, finally, so that’s a plus.

by: Anonymous

Fri, 26 Oct 2007 17:53:23 +0100

I think it is strange that more vehemence is thrown at this pastor that at the religious bigots he is trying to convert. I also think it is ironic that blacks would discriminate based on something as arbitrary as sexual orientation, given their own history of arbitrary subjugation.

Lastly, I think the idea that only members of one’s race can convince you to not be a bigot is not just untrue but irresponsible.

by: Julian Elson

Fri, 26 Oct 2007 17:46:52 +0100

Obscurifer — I think it’s this:

http://www.pamshouseblend.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=3418

by: obscurifer

Fri, 26 Oct 2007 15:23:21 +0100

There’s a link on the word “decloseted” in the third paragraph. I’m interested in reading what’s behind it, but it points to a “page not found”. Does anyone know where it should go?

by: kevin

Fri, 26 Oct 2007 15:19:44 +0100

…am i really the only person who doesn’t think this is a scandal? this whole thing? the “scandal” over it seems to be just an outgrowth of the ~two year election cycle~

…i mean, really. this kind of shit… this whole “cover all bases all the time while being all things to all people”… it just exhausts and overstretches our candidates. the thing about having a “big tent” is that you’re going to have dissenting opinions. yes, we’d all like to change the attitudes of religious black folk… but they’re not gonna change overnight and barry hussein’s choice of minister isn’t going to be the catalyst. do we ~really~ have to throw these kinds of stumbling blocks in front of our candidates? christ, it ain’t like he’s (race-pandering) hillary.

by: Pam Spaulding

Fri, 26 Oct 2007 12:54:23 +0100

those who want an excuse would use regionalism or gender as their excuse.

The could have also selected the Rev. Reggie Longcrier, who’s from my state, NC, right next door. He’s the pastor who asked the question about marriage equality of John Edwards at the YouTube debate.

by: nabil

Fri, 26 Oct 2007 12:20:15 +0100

Incompetence is a generous interpretation. It also could be that they just added this fellow to placate white gay folks, and don’t care what happens to Black queers.

by: Helen H

Fri, 26 Oct 2007 11:39:14 +0100

Of those you listed, 2 are in CA and 1 in Boston, 4 are women. Those who want an excuse would use regionalism or gender as their excuse. The one in Boston has a post partially titled “Obama, Vote-Whore….”

As you noted, though, they don’t seem to have looked deeply or far.

by: Hector B.

Fri, 26 Oct 2007 10:32:14 +0100

Glad that Sen. Hillary Clinton hasn’t taken that route. Hopefully, she won’t take that route.

Hillary already recruited support from homophobic AME pastor Harold Mayberry of Oakland.

From the San Francisco Chronicle March 14, 2004:

Like most religious opponents of same-sex marriage, the Rev. Harold Mayberry, pastor of the First African Methodist Church in Oakland, has preached against homosexuality to his congregation of 2,800.

However, he does not think a federal amendment is necessary. The scriptures direct people how to lead a moral life, he said.

“I’m comfortable in what I believe in,” Mayberry said. “I’m not rejecting people. As God loves, we love. I don’t reject thieves, I reject thievery.'’

From http://www.hillaryclinton.com/news/release/view/?id=2857
On Friday, August, 10, Senator Hillary Clinton stopped by the African American Art and Culture Complex for a meeting with Bay Area African-American ministers and community leaders.

“Senator Clinton has an excellent concept about how she plans to address issues surrounding crime and education. She described how she has partnered with leaders in New York to create a charter school specifically for African American men and notes that the Allen Cathedral AME Church charter school in Jamaica Queens, New York could be used as a model of how to help educate African American young men. Her mentioning of the school shows that she’s aware of outstanding successful examples of education in this country. The way she addressed the need for the federal government to partner with inner cities suggests that she’s not just focusing on international issues but that she’s concerned with domestic ones - particularly crime and violence in our communities. I want a president who knows how to strike a balance between addressing international and domestic challenges facing this country,” said Reverend Dr. Harold R. Mayberry, Senior Pastor of First African Methodist Episcopal Church and Chairperson of Network for Interfaith Action.