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Page 8 The Skanner July 5, 2017 News Amid Caution, Black Church Groups Join Effort to Bring Attention to Global Attacks on Christians No major Black-led church has been part of the discussion about persecution of Christians overseas until recently, when Rev. Anthony Evans, of the National Black Church Initiative, which claims 34,000 Black and Latino churches as its constituency announced its decision to join the effort. National Black Church Initiative, which claims 34,000 Black and Latino churches as its constitu- ency announced its deci- The leadership of the denominations are well educated as to the issue of persecution, but they have never made this an issue. That’s a problem in the greater Black and White reli- gious communities in general sion to join the effort. Evans explained the ideological split as something historically “ it y toda ! • L i ke u s on F ebo un y • ac m nts TheSkannerNews o k • learn • co • greater Black and White religious communities in general.” He places part of the blame on how the war on terror has shaped the conversation. Most recently, the Mid- dle Eastern nation of Qa- tar has been a particular focus of rights organi- zations, both for accusa- tions of state-sponsored terrorism and lack of tolerance for the practice of Christianity. Yet the focus on terror, and the strategic importance of Qatar to the US military After the church shooting in Charleston, it became clear that Christians are a target common among church groups “The leadership of the denominations are well educated as to the issue of persecu- tion, but they have nev- er made this an issue. That’s a problem in the in y o u r c o m m denomination has been part of the discussion until recently, when Rev. Anthony Evans, of the eve thodox, and Roman Cath- olic churches; blowing up monasteries and the tombs of prophets; dese- lo c a l n e w s • “ crating cemeteries,” said Kerry. But while a significant coalition of faith and political leaders have rallied to the cause, the vast majority of those most vocal about the is- sue have been members of the Christian right, or the conservative wings of denominations other- wise considered liberal. That has led to skepti- cism among some that efforts to protect Chris- tian refugees and Chris- tians in Muslim states are tied to conservative political calls for travel bans based on religion, selective deportation of immigrants and broader policies considered to be anti-Muslim. No major Black-led nt • A According to Pew Re- search, more than 75% of the world’s population lives in areas with “se- vere religious restric- tion.” Simply because of the size and scope of the Christian church, many of those restrictions are likely to be against Chris- tians. In 2016, then Secretary of State John Kerry de- clared killings by ISIS in Mosul as acts of aggres- sion specifically based on religion, saying in an official speech, “We know that in areas un- der its control, [ISIS has made a systematic effort to destroy the cultural heritage of ancient com- munities—destroying Armenian, Syrian Or- me By Urban News (Religion Staff) n array of multi- cultural organi- zations fighting against what they describe as “Christian persecution” around the world is finding it diffi- cult to win broad public support for the issue. That is especially true in the Black church, where politics, policy, and the perceived agendas of those sending the mes- sage, have dampened the ability of Black advocates to sell the issue as a ma- jor concern to both lead- ers and the community at large. What there seems to be no question about is the reality of the problem. Organizations such as Human Rights Watch and Open Doors USA have identified more than 25 countries where treatment of Christians could be described as “persecution” in a full range of actions from ha- rassment and aggressive intolerance to genocide, including Nigeria, Syria, and Egypt, among oth- ers. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE URBAN NEWS SERVICE National Black Church Initiative hopes to move issue of persecution to the Black community at large has clouded issues of re- ligion. “A terrorist act may happen and the focus becomes the event. That often overshadows the fact that an attack may be against Christians, because they are Chris- tians. It makes it hard to shape the narrative be- cause sometimes the gov- ernment has a separate agenda, “Evans said. Most recently, the fo- cus of the problem shares the stage with similar at- tacks against ethnic and religious communities outside the Christian faith, and across a broad spectrum of circum- stances. The National Black Church Initiative hopes to move the issue of per- secution beyond church leadership to parish- ioners and the Black community at large by connecting incidents of violence against Chris- tians abroad to similar incidents closer to home. Evans said, “We don’t necessarily have to look across continents. After the church shooting in Charleston, it became clear that Christians are a target. That is a power- ful modern example. The shooter hated the Chris- tian church. And what is one the most venera- ble and vocal symbols of Christianity in America? The Black church.” But he acknowledges that bringing new coali- tions together will not be an easy task, given a wide range other priorities. “It’s about education and outreach. It begins with personal testimonies, which are powerful in the faith. Right now it’s not an issue at the top of the food chain, then again I have not been a part of it before,” said Ev- ans. Make The Skanner part of your daily routine Enjoy an in-depth read on your desktop. Grab a headline on your mobile device. Page through the print edition online.
