from The Herald-Sun
Panel Tackles 'Faith in Public Space'
By Cliff Bellamy
DURHAM -- How can Christians who consider themselves politically progressive make their case in a religion that includes people of varying views? Can Facebook and other social network tools help them spread the message? How can the church's message be revamped to reach those disillusioned with the church?
The questions were part of a wide-ranging discussion on "The Role of Faith in Public Space," held Sunday at Watts Street Baptist Church. The discussion commemorated the eighth anniversary of Compassion Ministries of Durham. The Rev. Carl W. Kenney, pastor of Compassion Ministries, and a local columnist, moderated the discussion and question-and-answer session afterward.
One common thread in the discussion was that progressives often are reluctant to voice their views -- on the role of women in the church, the treatment of gays and other issues -- in the context of the church. "Those of us who identify ourselves as progressive are in some ways captive to our middle-class ethics," said panelist Chanequa Walker-Barnes, who teaches at the Shaw University Divinity School. That ethic dictates that you should not cause conflict or make others uncomfortable. Progressive Christians must become "comfortable with being uncomfortable," she said.
Mark Anthony Neal, panelist and professor of Black Popular Culture at Duke University, referring to the views put forth in so-called mega churches, said he could not accept any view that dehumanizes another person, "and that's what homophobia does." He said that the "elite black ministers" need to be challenged on their views toward sexuality and the treatment of gays.
Tim Tyson, author of "Blood Done Sign My Name" and research scholar at Duke's Center for Documentary Studies, said in his research he had learned about the very progressive side of his family that he never knew about. "We have to be bold," Tyson said of progressives, because "our adversaries are well organized."
He praised the North Carolina NAACP and its president, the Rev. William Barber, for leading the opposition to school re-segregation, particularly in Wake County, as an example of prophetic action in the world. "That has been one of the very exciting things to me," he said. (Tyson was among those arrested for trespassing for allegedly disrupting a meeting of the Wake school board over the issue of school district lines.)
The African-American church became the safe haven, particularly during the time leading up to the Civil Rights Act, where black progressives could discuss their views, said Neal. "There is no place where black progressive thought" can be discussed "except the black church," Neal said.
He said that "spiritual progressives need to rebrand themselves" and embrace some of the tools of technology. "The reality is that social media gives us access to people we did not have 20 years ago," he said.
At the end of the discussion, Kenney offered his thoughts on the difficulty of being Christian but having progressive political views. "One of the sad realities is that when people ask me what I do, I'm more comfortable with saying I'm a writer," Kenney said. He referred to the Florida pastor who recently wanted to publicly burn the Quran, and said it is hard to be connected to an institution that might tolerate that kind of action.
Panel Tackles 'Faith in Public Space'
By Cliff Bellamy
DURHAM -- How can Christians who consider themselves politically progressive make their case in a religion that includes people of varying views? Can Facebook and other social network tools help them spread the message? How can the church's message be revamped to reach those disillusioned with the church?
The questions were part of a wide-ranging discussion on "The Role of Faith in Public Space," held Sunday at Watts Street Baptist Church. The discussion commemorated the eighth anniversary of Compassion Ministries of Durham. The Rev. Carl W. Kenney, pastor of Compassion Ministries, and a local columnist, moderated the discussion and question-and-answer session afterward.
One common thread in the discussion was that progressives often are reluctant to voice their views -- on the role of women in the church, the treatment of gays and other issues -- in the context of the church. "Those of us who identify ourselves as progressive are in some ways captive to our middle-class ethics," said panelist Chanequa Walker-Barnes, who teaches at the Shaw University Divinity School. That ethic dictates that you should not cause conflict or make others uncomfortable. Progressive Christians must become "comfortable with being uncomfortable," she said.
Mark Anthony Neal, panelist and professor of Black Popular Culture at Duke University, referring to the views put forth in so-called mega churches, said he could not accept any view that dehumanizes another person, "and that's what homophobia does." He said that the "elite black ministers" need to be challenged on their views toward sexuality and the treatment of gays.
Tim Tyson, author of "Blood Done Sign My Name" and research scholar at Duke's Center for Documentary Studies, said in his research he had learned about the very progressive side of his family that he never knew about. "We have to be bold," Tyson said of progressives, because "our adversaries are well organized."
He praised the North Carolina NAACP and its president, the Rev. William Barber, for leading the opposition to school re-segregation, particularly in Wake County, as an example of prophetic action in the world. "That has been one of the very exciting things to me," he said. (Tyson was among those arrested for trespassing for allegedly disrupting a meeting of the Wake school board over the issue of school district lines.)
The African-American church became the safe haven, particularly during the time leading up to the Civil Rights Act, where black progressives could discuss their views, said Neal. "There is no place where black progressive thought" can be discussed "except the black church," Neal said.
He said that "spiritual progressives need to rebrand themselves" and embrace some of the tools of technology. "The reality is that social media gives us access to people we did not have 20 years ago," he said.
At the end of the discussion, Kenney offered his thoughts on the difficulty of being Christian but having progressive political views. "One of the sad realities is that when people ask me what I do, I'm more comfortable with saying I'm a writer," Kenney said. He referred to the Florida pastor who recently wanted to publicly burn the Quran, and said it is hard to be connected to an institution that might tolerate that kind of action.
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