I must say that the responses have been most thought provoaking.
one one two- I applaud your willingness to admit that the only way the church can be more appealing to black men is if more black men went back to church. One thing that I think black men miss, especially those of us who are are truly sincere in our spiritual growth, is that the church is a social institution with a divine mandate. This means that
we are the church!!! The church will only be a reflection of those who choose to be in the church. With all of the valid complaints against it, the church will only get better if those of us who are sincere are willing to put work in to ensure that church remain true to its devine mandate, to be the "salt of the earth" so to speak, forever representing the conscience of Christ to an unconscience world.
Eclipse- you are correct to note the problematic "name it claim it" theology being expoused by Rev. Colemon. I think the issue was addressed pretty well earlier in the first panel, when people like Bishop Noel Jones, Rev. Dr. Jeremiah Wright, and Dr. James Cone stressed the need for a thinking church to awaken in the 21st century. They stressed a need for the black church to adapt a more socially liberating hermeneutic in its theology. Also, Dr. Cone talked about the church needing to be more critical of what it called success, and to be more people centered and less self centered. Rev. Colemon's rant in the 2nd panel seemed almost assinine in light of the pleas in the first panel for people to demand more out of our pastors intellectually. I think she did more to discredit herself than anything with that rant about prosperity.
The exchange about Condi Rice and Colin Powell to me was the highlight of the 2nd panel. Especially when the pastor from Detroit stands up and says "What is wrong with you!!!!!" to Rev Pearson. I think he had a valid point, it is not enough to be numbered in the power structure when you are not representative of the best interests of our people. Cornel West notes in his book
Prophesy Deliverance that we need to be weary of our "political mainstreamness", seeing as though the "stream" is owned by people who have as their normative value white supremacy. Condi Rice and Colin Powell are in good with Bush not because they are calling for an overhaul of the American political system, but because they are "acceptable" and proove that "acceptable" black folks can "make it" in this society (kinda what Rev. Pearson was saying). This is problematic because these "acceptable" folks don't seem to be responsive to the needs of the masses of "unacceptable" black folks. So what should the church be saying about this? I think the answer is in the statement "What is wrong with you???!!!!"
Blackwatch!!!!!!