Theologian

@ Troy, Have you read Juwanza Kunjufu's book: Why Black Men Don't Go to Church? Also the lastest book by bell hooks entitled: Rock My Soul: Black People and Self-Esteem is a very good book that could be consulted in this dialogue. @ Mel, I have found in my experience that "some" women prefer the thug-man over the "nice" man. This attraction for the thug-man usually begins at about age twelve or thirteen and lasts until around age thirty to thirty-five. Usually during the mid-thirties the light bulb comes on, and now she is ready for the "nice" guy, you know, the one that was totally ignored in high school, the smart one, the one that focused more on his academics than his "mack." The problem is that she doesn't know how to interact/communicate with the "nice" guy because all of her experience has been with the thug-man, the man with the street edge, the man with the street swagger, the man who is exciting sexually (perceived idea), but is ineffective when it comes to intellectual stimulation. There is no connection with an educated, together brother. The solution? She will, more than likely go back to what she knows best, that is, the thug-man. This type of sister can be found from all walks of life, including the "successful" ones. Therefore, most guys will just succumb to the "eye-candy," because they just get tired of the ridiculous drama and games. The majority of the Black "nice" guys will be snapped up, in all likely-hood, by White sisters, even though, rarely, a Black sister will attract one. Ironically, even the "nice" Black sister is attracted to the thug-man. What I have presented is something to think about, and ponder.

@ Mel Hopkins, your comments on the "I AM" is debatable. I have heard this argument before, but from a strictly Biblical perspective, I see no concrete substantiation for your reasoning. But I don't want to get into a back-and-forth debate on this because, based on past experience, a consensus will not be reached. I also noticed a sprinkling of Feminist ideology in your comments. We need to talk.

Newbie, You have raised some very imnportant points, and I would like to address them. I agree with you that the church, that is, the Black church has been on the decline for years. The reason for this is that the Black leadership has failed to change with the times. Think about it, most African-American preachers spend more time whooping and hollering, splashing sweat, and throwing hankerchiefs, rather than taking the time to address and deal with the many critical social justice issues that's plaguing our community. This type of "preacher" was acceptable for many years. But in this day and age, the Hip-Hop generation is not attracted to the magnetic pull of this type of worn out form of preaching delivery. The present generation is searching for something with substance, something that appeals to the intellect and not to the emotions only. Dr. King was right when he said, "We place more emphasis on muscleism rather than on spiritualism. We have more religion in our hands and feet than we have in our hearts and souls." What the Black church is in dire need of is leadership, both male and female, who have taken the time to educate themselves in the classroom at the level of obtaining, at a minimum, a Master's level degree from an accredited theological Seminary. It is not surprising to see ministers pastoring churches with only a high school education, if that. Maybe that was acceptable "back in the day," but today that is unacceptable. I say this because if I wanted to become an attorney, I would have to be accepted into and graduate from a bonifide Law School and pass the Bar Exam. If I aspired to become a Doctor, I would be required to attend and graduate from Medical School and after that, complete a medical residency before I could practice medicine. On the contrary, to reach the highest echelon in the Black church, all that one needs to do is to have is a good whoop, and if he/she can sing, all the better. What I have described here is a huge part of the decline of the Black church. Sadly, some of our people still appear to be attracted to the Skittles color suit wearing, 'gator shoes wearing, fake pinky diamond ring wearing, whooping and hollering style of preacher. It's all a case of supply and demand. Once the demand ceases for this type of preacher, the supply will literally dry up. As far as multicultural faiths is concerned, I find no fault in that. I believe that the church should be, ideally, multicultural. This provides the best environment for Christians to dialogue with each other, especially when it comes to social justice issues and concerns. I am somewhat concerned as to why you included Islam on your list. Islam is one of the three main Religions of the world, and they should be included in social justice dialogues, but if done from a Christian perspective, problems may arise. Plus, Islam is viewed so negatively these days, especially from fundamentalist Christians, that a civil dialogue with them is going to be volatile. But if different Religions and denominations can come together on common ground, then it may be possible to reach a consensus on solving the problems that's killing our beloved community. But since the lives of African-Americans are "so different," then those differences need to come together at the table and talk with each other. This must begin at the grassroots level, and not with the leadership, per se. I say this because when you have a top-dowm mentality when it comes to social justice issues, problems persist, because a group of Black preachers together in the same room is a huge mass of egotism and jockeying for position. I believe that the conversation must start from the bottom-up. Only when those people who are marginalized, oppressed, and socially invisible in our society are given a voice, they will never be heard. I am a product of the Civil Rights Movement, and I remember the time when the women of the Movement (Miss. Ella Baker, Mrs. Fannie Lou Hamer, Mrs. Septima Clark, ect.) did not have a voice. They were the main organizers of the Movement in those days. But the Black preachers sure did have a voice! The problem is that the church hour is the most segregated hour in America. Christians favor being around their own group (clique). Once we move from an exclusive mindset to an inclusive mindset, things will begin to move forward. Until then, we will remain in this rut.

As a Christian minister, I would like to add a different take on this issue. After reading all of the comments, I immediately noticed that God, along with the specific mandates that He has set forth concerning families in the Bible, was not mentioned. In my view, the breakdown of the family structure is not only due to the psychological chains of slavery, 100 years of legalized segregation, an ever widening economic gap between Blacks & Whites, the introduction of "crack" into the Black community, the elimination of the prefix neighbor from the word neighborhood, the glorification of the "nigger," the proliferation of Black motherhood at the alarming ages of 12-16 years old, the low enrollment rate of Black males in college, and the lack of positive Black role models, but the Black church itself has turned a deaf ear to these critical issues that has affected the Black community as well as the foundational structure of the Black family. More emphasis is placed on preaching the false message of the prosperity gospel, than the preaching of a Christology that emphasizes social justice issues that affect the African-American community. Believe it or not, the Black church is filled with dysfunctional families, many of which are headed by women. I, myself, am a product of a fatherless household, but the tremendous strength and tenacity of my Mother was amazing, It is no surprise that African-Americans make up 12% of the population in the United States, and at the same time African-Americans make up 79% of the prison population. Most of that prison population is made up of Black males who are fathers and grandfathers who became caught up in the "system." We are presently living in a world dominated by White supremacy and White domination (See the book: White Like Me, by Tim Wise, also on YouTube). Therefore, the struggle to succeed as Black people remains an uphill climb. Many have reached the pinnacle of the mountain, but many more still find themselves marginalized at the foot of the mountain, bling-bling and all. Until the Black community gets back to God and begins to build what Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., called the "beloved community," we will continue to have conversations like this.