Word 4 The Soul Radio w Min. Gerald Palmer, MSW  

Show Notes

• Archived Blog Post

  Date / Time: 7/20/2009 4:57 PM UTC

  Addressing Religious Based Heterosexism in The Black Church
  

  Heterosexism is an ideological system that denies, denigrates, and stigmatizes any non-heterosexual form of behavior, identity, relationship, or community. Heterosexism is reflected by personal assumptions that everyone in the world is, or should be, heterosexual.
  
  The term black church or African American church refers to predominantly African-American Christian churches that minister to predominantly black congregations in the United States. While some black churches, such as African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Churches, belong to predominantly black denominations, many black churches are part of predominantly white denominations, such as the United Church of Christ (which developed from the Congregational Church of New England.)[1]
  
  The first black congregations and churches were formed before 1800 by free blacks - for example, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Petersburg, Virginia; and Savannah, Georgia.[2] An industrial city which had attracted workers, Petersburg had the largest concentration of free blacks in the South by 1860.[3]
  
  Historically, after Emancipation blacks established separate congregations and church facilities to create their own communities and worship in their own culturally distinct ways. They had already created a unique and empowering form of Christianity that creolized African spiritual traditions. It was a Christian tradition that continued to develop during the late 19th century and since then. Within the black churches, they built strong community organizations and held positions of spiritual and political leadership. In addition, African American churches have long been the centers of communities, serving as schools in the early years after the Civil War, taking up social welfare functions, such as providing for the indigent, and going on to establish schools, orphanages and prison ministries.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_church
  
  
  Please check out a short clip from a project I am working on called "Intervention Techniques for Heterosexual Social Workers In Addressing Religious Based Heterosexism In The Black Church".
  
  This project is for my Integration Seminar class at UMKC School of Social Work where I will graduate with my Masters of Social Work on May 8th, 2009 (if the Lord seems fit).
  
  My classmate and I are finishing up a multi-media presentation/program that will provide Social Workers with information and tools to begin advocating for those in the African American LGBT community.
  
  I will tell you more as we get closer to presenting our findings but until then please enjoy the short video (promo). And yes the video will be much longer and balanced.
  
  Peace and Blessings
  
  Minister Gerald Palmer
  
  • Tags:
  • homosexuality
  • homophobia
  • heterosexizm
  • african american
  • ex-gay
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