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Fellowship The Black Church and the Strength to Forgive WASHINGTON – For many outside the Black community, they had never seen any- thing like it. Though suffering and deep in pain from the loss of loved ones at the hands of Dylann Roof at Emanuel A.M.E. Church in Charleston, S.C., they reflected the finest reflection of Christian values. A daughter Ethel Lance, 70, one of the nine killed at Bible study, struggled to find the right words. “I will never be able to hold her again. But I forgive you and have mercy on your soul,” she said, her voice trembling with emotion. “It hurts me, it hurts a lot of people, but God forgives you and I forgive you.” Speaking for her family, a sister of Rev. DePayne Middleton-Doctor, 49, had a sim- ilar message. “We have no room for hate,” she said soft- ly. “We have to forgive. I pray God on your soul. And I also thank God that I won’t be around when your judgment day comes with Jazelle Hunt NNPA Washington Correspondent Tenn. and a scholar on the Black Christian church. “And that ultimately, though people will tragically experience what we saw hap- pen at Mother Emanuel, ultimately love will prevail and hope will prevail.” Rev. Susan K. Smith of Columbus, Ohio says that Scripture shows that it’s reasonable to feel and wrestle with difficult emotions, instead of jumping straight to forgiveness. “If you don’t deal with your real, strong feelings, it’s almost impossible to get to a ‘It hurts me, it hurts a lot of people, but God forgives you and I forgive you’ him.” One by one, they took turns, sharing their grief, but not any rancor. How could they be so forgiving? In order to understand the answer to that question, experts on religion say, you have to understand the role the church plays in Black America and how the nation’s most religious group – African Americans – take the teachings of Jesus literally. “To understand the Black Christian tradi- tion and faith that has nurtured Black peo- ple for centuries is to know that they live by a deep, resilient faith that God is on the side of justice, God is on the side of love,” explained Rev. Forrest Harris, president of American Baptist College in Nashville, place where you can forgive,” she said. Smith points to Psalm 13, saying, “The Psalmist, who expresses his pain…then at the end of the Psalm there’s a ‘but, I will praise you anyway.’ This is vital, because what we have with God is a relationship, and in relationships there are always times when you don’t get it.” Rev. Amos Brown, pastor of the Third Baptist Church of San Francisco and NAACP national board member, said Blacks should not bear the brunt of suffer- ing – or forgiveness – in the U.S. “I do not feel in my spirit that Blacks should have to be the sacrificial lambs all the time,” he explained. “The pain is so great and it’s insulting that America has still Page 10 July 8, 2015 The Portland and Seattle Skanner not confessed to its wrong and its evil. And step up security,” he says. “Our [A.M.E.] tradition starts with the that evil is racism.” Relatives of the nine slain in Charleston concept of social justice. The disparate refused to be overcome by the evil of rac- treatment of people is not to be quietly tol- erated. That we forgive doesn’t mean we ism. “In this particular context, we’re all deep- forget, it just means we release the hold that ly moved by the family offering up forgive- bitterness and hatred has on us.” The A.M.E. church is indeed grounded ness, and I want to honor that supernatural manifestation of grace,” said Pastor Michael in resistance. Free Blacks in Philadelphia McBride, leader of The Way Christian Cen- founded the denomination in the late 1700s ter in Berkeley, Calif., and director of the when White Methodist Episcopalians re- PICO Network Live Free Campaign, which fused to pray along side them and used force to interrupt their worship. The Black parish- uses faith to fight mass-criminalization. “The process of forgiveness first has to ac- ioners began their own church and success- knowledge the offense…the gravity of the fully sued for the right to be an independent offense…the pain that’s been caused. Then congregation. This is not the first time a White suprema- it requires an analysis made in very clear terms the kinds of grievances that have been cist had targeted a Black church. According to one study, there were more done, so as to not allow those grievances to than 300 racially-motivated church bomb- continue to be perpetrated.” According to a 2009 Pew Research Cen- ings or burnings in the 1960s, and an addi- ter report, nearly 80 percent of Black people tional 200 between 1989 and 1996. In 2008, say religion is very important in their lives, two White men were convicted of burning with 53 percent attending church every down a COGIC church in Springfield, Mass. week (compared to 39 percent of the overall in reaction to President Barack Obama’s election. population). Pastor Newton and others maintain that Church is especially important to Black women who are unrivaled in their dedica- emulating Christ’s example of love does not tion to their faith (84 percent say they are) conflict with seeking justice and true recon- and attend church each week (nearly 60 per- ciliation. “This sounds trite, but the first thing is cent do). Pastor Jonathan Newton, executive min- prayer. We believe that prayer changes ister at Metropolitan A.M.E. Church in things, but also prayer brings calm, reason- Washington, D.C., points out that the lesson able, rational thinking.” “[Then] we deal with it, and not try to of forgiveness is not only God’s way, but also served Black Christians well during the suppress…we talk about the anger, the hurt. Civil Rights Movement by lending moral Our faith is what makes us strong through using political actions and our educations … weight to the cause. On the other hand, Pastor Newton ex- in our strides to social justice.” plains that forgiveness is not necessarily passive. Like Mother Emanuel, Metropolitan A.M.E. was Pastoral Anniversary Celebration founded in the early 1800s at New Hope Baptist Church and has a storied legacy New Hope Baptist within the course of Black Church will celebrate the history. On Friday, hundreds 2nd Pastoral Anniversa- gathered to pray for its sister ry of Senior Pastor, J. church in Charleston – later, Walter Hills, II. Sunday, the church received a bomb July 12th at 3:00 PM. threat in return. The previ- The event will include ous day, a few other A.M.E. a guest appeance from churches in South Carolina Rev. Johnnie Goldsmith were threatened as well. of Anderson, SC. New “[After the shooting] one Hope is located at 3725 of our A.M.E. bishops sent N. Gantenbein, Portand. around to the churches a For more information, Pastor J. Walter Hills, II litany to explain that the contact (503) 281.0163 church doors will remain or newhopepdx@com- open; we will continue to do cast.net. what God calls us to do. But while we forgive, we still
