Rhetoric Race and Religion
I invited people who attended church this past Sunday (after the #CharlestonShooting) to submit a reflection discussing and describing their feelings if the pastor/preacher for the day DID NOT ADDRESS the massacre of the Emanuel/Charleston Nine or if there were no mentions of it in the liturgy.
On yesterday, I went to church expecting my pastor to at least mention the tragic event that happened in the church in Charleston, SC. Even if he didn’t talk much about it, I thought there would be a prayer for the victims and their families. After all, this tragedy did occur inside a place of worship, much like the building we sat in ourselves. Being that I grew up in a small town 50 miles from Charleston, and my entire family still resides in the Lowcountry area, I was disappointed and almost in disbelief that such a devastating and heartbreaking event went ignored throughout the entire 2 hour and 15 minute service. My church is located right outside of Washington, DC. Our congregation is mixed; the pastor is White, but the congregants are predominantly African followed by Hispanic/Latino. White Americans and Black Americans actually make up the minority of the church. In my mind, I thought this would have been an opportunity to acknowledge the church’s diversity yet remind people we are all a part of the same Body of Christ. I definitely felt it was an opportunity lost and an occasion where I almost felt ashamed to be a member of this church. To be completely honest, there was also a little anger mixed in as well.
On the Sunday following the massacre of nine black persons at Mother Emanuel AME Church, I left a worship experience feeling stunned and disappointed. During the special Father’s Day morning service a guest pastor called some young boys/men “sissies” in his sermon delivery. He stated if “all they see is women shout they gonna emulate what they see.” Little boys would stop “switching” if they see “real brothers that ain’t got no sugar in their tank” praising God in churches. Of the many ways the preacher could have addressed the current events with a message of hope and justice, his misogynistic and homophobic rhetoric garnered applause from a majority of the congregants in attendance. Rather than prophetically speak about systemic racism and bigotry at the root of the tragedy in Charleston, SC, the guest pastor chose to shout the congregants with regards to personal attacks against them. Fortunately, the pastor of the church set aside time after the sermon to pray for peace and healing with the congregation in relationship to Mother Emanuel. He said each of the names of the nine victims.
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