I posted this on my blog, and then thought it might make for some good discussion here.
The Washington Post's story, "
No Place for Me" presents a disheartening look at why the black church is losing touch with men (from the perspective of a black, God-loving man). Sadly, the points he makes could apply to all churches, and the lack of men in worship is not something limited to the black community.
His troubles with the church are mainly materialism and lack of connection with the community.
The church's finger seems farthest from the pulse of those black men who seem to be most lost and drifting in a destructive sea of fatalism and pathology, with no immediate sign of the shore or of search and rescue crews. Without the church, most of those men are doomed. But it seems clear to me that the church does not -- will not -- seek us black men out, or perhaps even mourn our disappearance from the pews.
Instead, it seems to have turned inward. It seems to exist for the perpetuation of itself -- for the erecting of grandiose temples of brick and mortar and for the care of pastors and the salaried administrative staff. ...
I wonder why, despite billions of dollars taken from collection plates -- much of it from the poor -- in my own denomination, I see few homes for the elderly, few recreation centers, little to no church-financed housing development and few viable church-operated businesses that might employ members or generate some tangible measure of return on years of investment. I scratch my head at the multimillion-dollar edifice a local church recently erected and wonder if that is the most responsible stewardship for a church in a community filled with poor families. ...
But even in an age of preacher as celebrity, it is not the evolution of a Bling Bling Gospel that most disheartens me. It is the loss of the church's heart and soul: the mission to seek and to save lost souls through the power of the Gospel and a risen savior. As the homicide toll in black neighborhoods has swelled, I've wondered why churches or pastors have seldom taken a stand or ventured beyond the doors of their sanctuaries to bring healing and hope to the community -- whether to stem the tide of violence and drugs, or to help cure poverty and homelessness or any number of issues that envelop ailing black communities.
I agree with his criticism of churches that are more focused on inward things than in reaching out to to a lost world, but my question to the phorum is: Do you see this disconnect with men and the church (any level - not just the african american church)? Why (or why not)? Curious, because I haven't seen that disconnect growing up. My Dad, uncles, brothers, etc. all attend church. But I wonder if the issues raised by the author reach farther than the black church.
RedcoatJones [][
