The Real Problem of Eddie Long and the Black Church
In fact, members who are best at accepting claims without one shred of proof are actually admired and lionized for having “strong faith.” Of course, galvanizing a people armed with this intellectual kill-switch can come in handy when the enemy one is fighting is a group of segregationist politicians or Klansmen who want to rob the people of their vote and bomb their children and churches. If leaders tell them they can overcome tyranny and villainy despite overwhelming odds, chances are good they will believe and press on. And if pastors want to marshal members of their flock to go and vote for a particular candidate (say, for instance, a skinny black man from Chicago with a “funny” name), then church members will likely think that if the man of “god” says vote for him, then they must swarm to the polls and blissfully pull that lever. Having blindly faithful people at one’s disposal is indeed a powerful weapon, but that weapon, unfortunately, can be wielded equally for good and bad.
And hence the reason for the Eddie Longs of the black church diaspora–believing in things without evidence allows men like Long to literally create reality for flock members who operate in an environment whose very structure insists that members do not require rationality in order to accept certain explanations, conditions, or behaviors. Believe without evidence is the mantra, followed by other scriptures that exalt the pastor or bishop to nigh Pharaoh-like status. And because obviously everyone in a church will not follow as blindly as others, the modern Pharaoh’s have a small, adjusted fall-back plan that allows them to continue to deceive flock members while they roll to the bank in their Mercedes Maybach—and that plan is simply to require these “skeptics” to believe with very little evidence.
When we watch the tape of New Birth church members giving Long a standing ovation after he basically has told them NOTHING of consequence concerning the facts of whether he has been sexually preying upon young men in his ministry, we see an illustration of those who believe without evidence and those who believe with a thimble’s amount of evidence.
Such unwavering devotion sparked by a default setting of “turn off brain when entering the sanctuary” allows a host of flawed thinking—thinking that permits a pastor to live a wildly extravagant lifestyle while members of the flock suffer economically, all the while tithing to escape the clutches of the devil and hell (and that these two are a fictional character and a fictional place greatly underscores what can be accomplished when one builds an institution that relishes and rewards faith over reason).
An institution that is the buttress and bulwark for black people’s freedom which operates with this faith-based structure can NEVER free or uplift a people consistently or progressively. Victories will be replaced with betrayals and sabotage by charismatic figures who are longing (pun intended) to exploit African Americans who require nor desire evidence for their beliefs. Real freedom, justice, and progress require people who think and evaluate reality with data and logic that points to solutions for our problems. Reason-based institutions have a much higher chance in preventing its chairperson or president from earning such an inflated salary that would allow said leader to “drip with diamonds” (or to fly young boys to New Zealand on a sexual whim).
Until we strip the black church of its status as the #1 institution in charge of salvaging Black America from the vestiges of chattel slavery and Jim Crow, we are guaranteed to churn out more Eddie Longs. Instead of investing $420 billion (since 1980) into black churches via tithes and offerings, we could be investing in black credit unions and banks, stabilizing historically black colleges and universities, reclaiming black neighborhoods, building black hospitals and clinics, or launching new black businesses. These types of investments are the strategies that will actually “save” black people and provide them true “salvation” that can be measured and experienced here on earth.
Simply saying “let’s pray on it” while the tithing basket is being passed around hasn’t worked so far, and only those willing to shut off their brains as many churches tell them to do are lulled into thinking that it ever will.
Category: Guest Posts, Society and Culture, The Black Church
Wish I had seen this when it was first published.
Well said how many black folks surrender all reason to faith when it comes to their religious/spiritual beliefs. Also too, how we have warped our history to credit an institution with shaping the course of American history during the modern civil rights era when the truth is only a small number of clergy supported MLK and his efforts and methods which were taught to him by Bayard Rustin, a black gay, a Quaker, pacifist, and follower of Mahatma Ghandi. King believed in a moral obligation uniquely held by African Americans to bring forth “a radical revolution of values” none of which has anything to do with a church but everything to do with a faith in human capacity to do good by all.
I’m an atheist who believes that reason, logic, and common sense are not enemies of faith. Faith requires belief that individuals have an obligation to think critically, uphold justice, and act with compassion. None of these things seem present in mega churches and their leaders. Who in their right mind would demand members of their congregation go hungry so that they can own a jet?
Shame on those who condemned those young men who spoke out against Long. They have given up logic, reason, and compassion which to me is Hell.
He will. Power corrupts and it’s not anyone who can be a pastor. Read the wisdom of Proverbs. His booty needs to be kicked out of any Christ beliving church. I don’t know about their ‘religion’ but the interest of the body of a Christian church is the gospels, to promote what Christ did when he was on earth, not making the pastor rich. Even more important to especially not let any pastor promote immorality.
Great post Deborrah! Thanks for this thought-provoking article. Unfortunately most of our people will continue to give their money and intellectual freedom away to the church. If for no other reason than that’s what they’ve been doing their whole life and people are scared of change. Our people have been indoctrinated for so long to believe in everything the black church and its leaders dictate that we cannot imagine living life any other way. It’s pathetic, really.
Deborrah, you have most certainly hit the nail on the head again. I would take it a couple of steps further and include ALL organized religions. George Carlin had a wonderful funny skit called Religion is bullshit- you can look it up on youtube. There is also a black feminist that put out some very interesting videos on youtube, her name is blackgodessnetwork. She really breaks it down- patriarcal religion( which is most organized religions )is harmful to black women, children and the community at whole.
Thank all of you for opening my eyes !!!!
You Heathen! You are OBVIOUSLY not a saved/sanctified/blessed/Godly person/one of the chosen for opting to continue to THINK and use that God given brain and the reasoning apparatus for the betterment of your ethnic group.
It drives me absolutely crazy that the BC didn’t choose to model our communities on the Jewish model. You want to exclude us? Okay, no problem. We will support our own businesses, champion strong education and higher learning, use our house of worship as a true storehouse of the community to care for those unable to care for themselves and 150 years later,we run a sizeable portion of the countries we reside in.
The BC? We take pride in handing over cash we don’t have to subsidize the “Lifestyles of the Rich and Religious” with Bentleys, Gulfstreams, and $2000.00 dollar suits with the ‘gators to match. Last time I checked, Jesus didn’t ask folks for money, and God CERTAINLY doesn’t need a checking account.
Your $420 billion comment took my breath away. Where has the wealth of our community gone? To Arabs, Koreans, Africans and any one else who has come to the black communities and started gas stations, hair supply store, braid shops and take our money with a minimal attempt to disguise the contempt they have for African Americans. We have had the financial means to resolve many of the problems in the BC if only we could get past the colorism, self hatred, and general self loathing we heap upon one another. Alas, a fool and his enormous sums of money are indeed soon parted.
Sisterlocgirl: “Alas, a fool and his enormous sums of money are indeed soon parted.”
Hahahahaha! And Eddie Long is about to be parted with his, I hope a huge chunk!