Perhaps the uglier side of politics is always close to the surface. President Obama and his Republican rival, Mitt Romney, have said for months that the 2012 election will be about the economy. But on Thursday, it became — at least for a brief moment — about the always touchy issues of race and religion. The continuing economic struggles in the country will almost certainly dominate the debate in the next six months. The unemployment rate remains above 8 percent,... Read more

I wrote yesterday about religion-based bigotry versus the world of facts and I’m going to touch on that subject again today. It is important that we question the GOP closely on this issue since it’s one so important to them that they insist we all abide by it as well, regardless of our own religions beliefs (or lack thereof). Look at this headline from Right Wing Watch as an example of the recent rhetoric: James Dobson takes to WorldNetDaily to... Read more

In the United States, where blacks bear a disproportionate burden of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, black religious institutions could help turn the tide. In a new study in PLoS ONE based on dozens of interviews and focus groups with 38 of Philadelphia’s most influential black clergy, physicians and public health researchers find that traditional barriers to preaching about HIV prevention could give way to faith-friendly messages about getting tested and staying on treatment. The public health community has long struggled with... Read more

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32545640 Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy Read more

by Rashad GroveRhetoric Race and Religion Contributor Carter G. Woodson in his seminal text The Mis-Education of the Negro saggiously describes the inability of educational models to properly educate Black Americans by saying, “They can’t accept the old ideas, and they don’t understand the new.” Written almost eighty years ago, this phraseology can also be seen as a prognostication that accurately depicts the Republican political strategy. The New York Times has reported the proposed “Super-Pac” strategy by Republican strategist Fred... Read more

Rev. Rashad D. Grove is licensed and ordained minister. He currently serves as an associate Pastor at New Life in Christ Fellowship in Coatesville, PA which is right outside of Philadelphia. He is a graduate of Geneva College and is currently a graduate student the State University of New York at Empire State College at Empire State College. He plans to enroll at Union Theological Seminary of New York City this fall to pursue a Masters of Divinity degree. You... Read more

By Rahiel Tesfamariam While Barack Obama was still hot on the campaign trail in his first bid for presidency, many Democrats began to fear that his history of church attendance at Trinity United Church of Christ under the pastoral leadership of Rev. Jeremiah. Wright would cost him the election. Four years later, as the NY Times reports that a Republican “super PAC” has plans to unleash an intense advertising campaign intended to resurrect the controversy, it’s important to reflect on... Read more

Homosexuality was never a big issue in my family as a child – one way or the other. Maybe ’cause like in most African American families such issues were simply not discussed. (Does the silence make it a big issue?) Despite having LGBTQ family members, which made it a relevant and needed conversation, we never talked about it. However, I do recall hearing close family members utter disparaging comments about gay men whom we saw in public (i.e., grocery store,... Read more

by Weldon McWilliams, IVRhetoric Race and Religion ContributorFrom: Weldon Works I have consciously kept quiet in regards to President Obama’s position on Same-Sex marriage. I have been asked by a few people what my position is and with some I have shared, with some I have not, but after much prayer, and reflection, I feel compelled to share now. Whether or not you agree with Pres. Obama and his position on this issue, I think one would have to admit... Read more

African-American Christian spirituality ― especially in relation to the Holy Spirit ― cannot be understood without understanding the phenomenon of “spirit possession” that was predominant in native African religion before the slave trade brought blacks to North America, a leading scholar said here recently. “Christians have not discounted the reality of spirits but theologically evaluated them as evil or, at best, impediments to full conversion…” said the Rev. James Noel, speaking at the annual T.V. Moore Lectures sponsored by San... Read more