'Cross' shows Jesus as
being a black man
LOS ANGELES -- It's a familiar image for millions
of Christians: Jesus Christ, with a crown of thorns, hanging from the cross.
What color is he? In a controversial new film opening Friday, he is black.
"Color of the Cross" tells a traditional story,
focusing on the last 48 hours of his life as told in the Gospels. In this
version, though, race contributes to his persecution.
It is the first representation in the history of
American cinema of Jesus as a black man.
"It's very important because (the film) is going
to provide an image of Jesus for African-Americans that is no longer under the
control of whites," says Stephenson Humphries-Brooks, an associate professor of
religious studies at New York's Hamilton College and author of "Cinematic
Savior: Hollywood's Making of the American Christ."
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African-American Celebs Tell Bible Stories
Denzel Washington, Samuel
L. Jackson, Cuba Gooding Jr. and
Faith Evans are among the stunning list of African-American stars joining
forces to get biblical for a new 70-hour audio cassette package.
The celebrities rallied behind Washington, who was the first to
sign on to the project when he heard pal and casting director Robi Reed's plans
to retell the Holy Scriptures.
Jackson plays God in the upcoming religious release, while Angela
Bassett voices Esther, Blair Underwood portrays Jesus and Gooding Jr. brings
Judas to life.
The first part of the fully-dramatised and scored 70-hour epic,
"Inspired By... The Bible Experience," was released earlier this month and
features Washington and his wife Pauletta recounting the Song Of Solomon from
The New Testament.
Younger blacks absorb a wariness of marriage
· (Boston
Globe) As African-American
teenagers in a Mission Hill conference room talk about their opinions of
marriage , their comments reveal a dreary view of the institution.
``I'm not looking forward to
marriage," says Nakeeda Burns , a 17-year-old resident of Revere and daughter of
a single mother, ``and I don't think we [people in general] should be married,
because I see how other marriages ended up in my family and on television. It's
always a disaster."
Even the married couples these
teens know don't seem particularly happy.
More....
African American Church Leaders Prepare
to 'Break the Silence'
By
Jennifer Riley
Christian Post Reporter
African American clergy and church leaders will
gather next month to ‘‘break the silence’’ about the dismal statistics affecting
African American families
The National Council of Churches (NCC) USA and Progressive National Baptist
Convention Women’s Department have partnered to sponsor “African American
Congregations: Breaking the Silence for the Good of All Families,” on Aug. 7 in
Cincinnati. The ecumenical leadership conference will focus on the role of
African American congregations in promoting strong families and healthy
marriages.
Participants will address the issues that undermine African American families,
particularly low-income households, which keep them from entering into and
maintaining healthy families and strong marriages.
One issue of particular concern is the divorce rate among African Americans.
Recent statistics show that African Americans are more likely to divorce than
any other racial or ethical group in the U.S. and are more likely to come from
single parent homes. In addition, African Americans have higher rates of health
problems than other groups.
"The African American Church has always played an important role in improving
the lives of African Americans. It is appropriate and significant that we begin
to deal with the breakdown of the family in the church," said the Rev. Brenda
Girton-Mitchell, associate general secretary for justice and advocacy at the NCC,
in a statement released by the group. "This conference will equip African
American church leaders and congregations to strengthen Black families and the
community as a whole," she said.
The conference will include training for clergy and Christian leaders to help
them address family issues in ways not taught in Sunday school or seminary. The
conference will also focus on the development of tools and messaging around
support for low income families.
Conference speakers include NCC president Michael Livingston; “Divorce Court”
Judge Mablean Ephriam; and president of Philadelphia’s Palmer Theological
Seminary and the Rev. Dr. Wallace Charles Smith, pastor of the historic Shiloh
Baptist Church in Washington, D.C.
Report says Bible
knowledge enhances literacy
The Bible Literacy Project
released a report on June 1 at Baylor University. The report said that not
knowing about the Bible, which is arguably the most influential text in all of
Western culture, impedes a students ability to understand classic and
contemporary literature. “What every good teacher tries to do is teach students
how to interpret things on their own,” said Dan Halcomb, English and journalism
teacher at Reno High School. “Nothing should be left out of that discourse, and
that includes the Bible.”
William Faulkner's "Absalom, Absalom!," Herman
Melville's "Moby Dick," and Toni Morrison's "Song of Solomon" are literary works
included on the syllabi for many English courses for which professors say
knowledge of the Bible is valuable.
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2006 Interregional African
American Catholic Evangelization Conference
'Gettin' on the Good
Foot, Runnin' to the Kingdom'
ATLANTA-- The Interregional African American
Catholic Evangelization Conference (IAACEC) will be held in Atlanta, GA, August
4 - 6, 2006, at the Atlanta Hilton Hotel, located at 55 Courtland Street, NE, in
downtown.
The theme of the conference is "Gettin' on the
Good Foot, Runnin' to the Kingdom." The theme capitalizes on the spirit of
Isaiah, the prophet, as he calls the people in exile, who have been given
permission to leave Persia by King Cyrus, to return to Jerusalem and work and
wait for the promises of God to be fulfilled.
This annual conference is designed to equip and
empower all who attend especially our youth and young adults and those who work
with them to be truly "Sons and Daughters of Light." To accomplish this task,
the conference is offering the best resources and experiences in faith that our
heritage can afford.
Attendees will be exposed to presentations
relating to evangelization, catechesis, spirituality, relationships, youth
ministry, and critical health issues. In addition, to prepare effectively for
the National Black Catholic Congress in 2007, there will be a Youth Summit and a
Young Adult roundtable of select youth and young adults to create a national
agenda for outreach with Black Catholic youth and young adults.
More than 1,000 people are expected to
participate from various cities in the Southeast and Southwest region, including
New Orleans, LA; Houston, TX; Charleston, S.C.; Charlotte and Raleigh, NC;
Jacksonville, FL; Memphis and Nashville, TN; Birmingham and Mobile, AL;
Louisville, KY and Atlanta, GA.
Early registration is $125.00 until July 14, 2006
and late / on-site registration is $150.00. To register go to the OBCM web site
at http://www.obcmatl.org and click on the
IAACEC icon.
The IAACEC is sponsored in part by the Dioceses
of Raleigh, Toledo, Memphis, Lexington, Charleston, Cleveland,
Galveston-Houston; the Archdioceses of Louisville, Cincinnati and Atlanta, the
National Association of Black Catholic Administrators (NABCA), Knights of Peter
Claver, Inc., and the National Black Catholic Congress (NBCC).
For more information or to volunteer, contact the
Local Conference Coordinator, Charles O. Prejean, Sr., at (404) 888-7848 or via
e-mail at cprejean@archatl.com or the
Regional Conference Coordinator, Annette Turner, at (502) 636-0296 ext. 245. or
via e-mail at aturner@archlou.org.
Black churches preach
finance
Black churches continue the tradition of looking beyond Sunday
morning services and address their parishioners' financial needs.
BY DARRAN SIMON Miami Herald
More than 20 years ago, an Indiana snowstorm shut
down Rossetta Santokie's takeout restaurant, a local joint with only one chair
and table, famous for deep-fried green tomatoes and her specialty: shrimp-fried
chicken.
After raising 10 kids, burying a husband,
marrying another, Santokie, now a Tamarac resident, wants to start two new
businesses in Broward County. One would sell car-wash products. The other would
teach the Bible through rap music and the blues.
''I have an entrepreneurial spirit,'' said
Santokie, 61, who is attending a business seminar at Mount Bethel Baptist Church
in Fort Lauderdale. ``It's in my bones.''
Historically, black churches have always done
more than minister to and marry its members. Sanctuaries spawned community
leaders. Movements sprang up in churches in the segregated South, and pulpits
became platforms.
Today, black churches continue to preach more
than just the gospel. Leaders of churches on the corners of even the most
distressed communities are teaching people how to start businesses, purchase
homes and repair credit.
''The church absolutely has to be involved in
economic empowerment,'' said the Rev. Rosalind Osgood, CEO of Mount Olive
Development Corp., the missionary arm of New Mount Olive Baptist Church in Fort
Lauderdale. ``We see it to be part of our faith.''
One of its programs, ''Homeless to Homeowners,''
works with Bank of America and the Coalition To End Homelessness to help its 100
members improve their credit.
Black churches were once the first and last
resort to address social and economic needs, said R. Drew Smith,
scholar-in-residence at the Leadership Center at Morehouse College in Atlanta.
That has changed today, but the focus on economic
empowerment has been constant, said Smith, director of the Public Influences of
African-American Churches Project.
''We are probably seeing now a larger number of
African-American churches who emphasize economic empowerment as the new front of
social development,'' said Smith, a Baptist clergyman.
Santokie's late husband, Charles McGrone, ran the
restaurant with her in Gary, Ind. It closed after a year.
BUSINESS TROUBLES
Now, Santokie has had trouble with her business
plan. One of the ventures with new husband, Winston, is performing her Christian
rap and Christian blues songs such as Adam Had the Blues and The
Creation at churches and events.
''I use the same beat that the rappers use, a
sound that they are familiar with, and that grabs them,'' she said. ``I am a
rapper, straight up.''
Leaders at Broward churches that provide credit
counseling and other services have recently added more resources.
New Life Worship Center Ministries International
in Hollywood started quarterly financial seminars this year after noticing some
parishioners struggled to pay bills.
MANAGE FINANCES
''When people don't know how to manage their
finances, they are destroyed,'' said Bishop Darrylle Hood, who founded the
5-year-old church with his wife Angela, a pastor.
Mount Bethel, which has a business development
corporation that has helped more than 1,000 people buy homes, started the
eight-week business seminar this summer.
''We have always been a citadel of hope,'' the
Rev. C.E. Glover, the church's pastor, said. ``It's been the black church that
kept black people from committing suicide before we knew anything about going to
psychologists and psychiatrists.''
Last year, Mount Hermon AME Church in Fort
Lauderdale started a development corporation. The nonprofit, which is in its
infancy, is looking into helping with affordable housing, said the Rev. John F.
White, the church's pastor.
They have planned a workshop on Aug. 20 on
tapping into the real estate boom.
''Jesus said I came to save that which was
lost,'' White said. ``He didn't say your souls only.''
