“My People Are Destroyed for Lack of Knowledge.” Hosea 4:6
Yvette A. Flunder, MA, Dmin
Faith centers – churches, temples, and mosques – remain the largest social, informational, spiritual, and educational non-governmental institutions in African American communities, and have enormous influence on the social norms. They are the primary vein to the heart of the African American community. Many faith centers see their role as the harbinger of justice and healing; this is the history of the African American faith community, the birthplace of the civil rights movement and for hundreds of years, the key venue for health, political, and community education. However, because of the stigma and denial surrounding HIV disease, the African American faith community has not been in the forefront in addressing the epidemic.
The Public Media Center Report on the Impact of Homophobia and Other Social Biases on AIDS compares the response to the AIDS pandemic to that of the cholera epidemic.¹ A minister wrote of the divine function of cholera to “promote the cause of righteousness…and to drain off the filth and scum which contaminate and defile human society.” Statements far worse have been heard from ministers and church members regarding people with HIV, invoking a god of vengeance in the form of the epidemic.
Faith communities are also divided on who should receive compassion in the epidemic and who would not: while gay men make up the largest number of African Americans with HIV and are actively involved in many faith communities, they are the objects of the greatest disdain. But AIDS is a justice issue, and churches and their congregants have an obligation to address it – just as they have abolition, the right to vote for women, and South African apartheid.
The Role of Pastors
Despite the reluctance of some African American religious institutions to address HIV, there are many African American church leaders willing to take on this challenge. To address the specific needs of the African American community and develop HIV prevention materials that are sensitive to the church environment, the California Department of Health Services, Office of AIDS joined with African American church leaders around the state to create an HIV church outreach program. A major component of the program has been the development of Healing Begins Here: A Pastors Guidebook for HIV/AIDS Ministry through the Church.² The guidebook was designed to help Christian churches, whatever their denomination, address the epidemic by equipping faith leaders with HIV-related information and scriptural tools, as well as practical suggestions, guidance and resources for developing AIDS ministries. Among the issues the guidebook covers are: theological themes, moral correctness, and humanizing the epidemic.
Theological Themes. Many religious leaders find it extremely difficult to preach and teach AIDS compassion and prevention messages that are affirming, uplifting, and non-punitive. The guidebook includes sermons and sermon notes that “script” pastors in HIV-related themes, including self-love and self-esteem, responsible sexual behavior, the need to be tested and to know one’s status, compassion and tolerance, and the celebration of diversity.
To focus on the
theological perspective of HIV/AIDS, Reverend Norman Johnson of
Moral Correctness. Faith leaders often do not address the issue of AIDS for fear of being labeled gay-friendly or drug-friendly. This kind of stereotyping can have a dramatic and negative economic, denominational and political effect on a leader and his or her future in a church organization. Since the majority of people in faith communities are fearful of the “other” – those who do not reflect the status quo of their particular community – it is crucial to redefine what is morally correct. The guidebook quotes some of the most respected preachers and religious leaders in the African American community to address these fears.
Bishop Kenneth C. Ulmer of Faithful Central Bible Church in Inglewood, California focused on the Biblical reference “A Man with Leprosy,” Mark 1:40-41 to address moral correctness and compassion. Bishop Ulmer suggests that if we understand Jesus’ attitude about leprosy, the AIDS of His day, then we will know how we ought to respond to it. He encourages pastors to let the position and posture of Jesus be their position and posture as they deal with the issues of AIDS. The church should be a place where people whose lives have been touched by AIDS can come, find compassion, hear the word of God and receive prayer.
Humanizing the Epidemic. It is important to personalize HIV, so that the disease can be identified with real people having real experiences. Because politics and fear overwhelm compassion, particularly in large organizations, ”the way” of the majority becomes the master narrative applied to everyone. Every other way of living is dismissed as a “lifestyle” of lesser value. When religious leaders are challenged by real and familiar people, they are more likely to respond with compassion and justice. The guidebook uses true testimonies and stories of people with HIV to dispel the myth that only “others” are infected, emphasizing the fact that our communities, our churches, our families, and our children have HIV.
The valuable
contributions of testimonies to the guidebook from Arlene, Ava Gardner-Shipp
and Reverend Elder Claude Bowen of
In conclusion, African American churches and church leaders possess the potential to educate church members to help prevent the spread of HIV disease and provide models of compassion for people affected by HIV/AIDS. Through individual and collective efforts, churches can turn the tide on an epidemic that is devastating our communities.
References
1. The Impact of Homophobia and Other Social
Biases on AIDS – A Special Report by
2. Healing Begins Here: A Pastors Guidebook for HIV/AIDS Ministry through the Church completes text available online: www.arkofrefuge.org or www.marcconline.org.
Authors
Reverend Yvette A. Flunder, MA, DMin is the Executive Director of Ark of Refuge in San Francisco and Co-Chair of the National African American Church Caucus on AIDS.