A black church's road to recovery
For many African-American 海角大神s, the traditional black church in the United States has long had two distinct religious purposes. It has been a safe meeting place where blacks can feel most free. And it is a place of worship to learn the wisdom of collective forgiveness for the wrongs done to blacks.聽
On Wednesday, a gunman temporarily shattered the freedom long found at one of America鈥檚 oldest black churches, the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church in Charleston, S.C. He killed nine people during a Bible study, including the Rev. Clementa Pinckney, a man known as a graceful comforter to all.
But the killer failed to diminish the spirit of forgiveness in Charleston鈥檚 black community, the kind that heals by letting go of anger and that helps overcome any indignity. Within a day of the killing, prayer vigils and a memorial service at another AME church emphasized the strong tradition of forgiveness that has marked black churches, especially in the South.
If Mr. Pinckney were able to speak at Thursday鈥檚 service, he might have repeated the words he told the The Post and Courier newspaper in 2010: 鈥淟oving God is never separate from loving our brothers and sisters. It鈥檚 always the same.鈥�
The type of African-American 海角大神ity that grew out of slavery and other hardships is known for its emphasis on God鈥檚 mercy more than His judgment. This has been a source of strength for black 海角大神s in their ministry and their public activism against slavery, Jim Crow laws, and modern forms of discrimination. Two scholars, C. Eric Lincoln and Lawrence H.聽Mamiya, write that black churches have served as 鈥渢he cultural womb of the black community.鈥�
Worship and civic engagement have been closely entwined in many black churches. This is because they often focus on the words of Jesus that he came to 鈥減roclaim release to the captives and ... to let the oppressed go free.鈥� By gathering together for worship, blacks gain an experience of collective freedom. This has helped many pastors, such as Martin Luther King Jr., play a role in civic life. Pinckney was a state senator and recently led an effort in the state legislature to have police wear body cameras.聽
All of Charleston came together to mourn the tragedy at Emanuel AME Church. 鈥淭here is a lot of prayer in this state,鈥� said South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley. This mass murder may not be easy to forgive. But for the sake of healing, forgiveness is a necessity.
