Church makes me sick: How Black Christians are stalling Black liberation
Respectability politics. We engage in them continually. So often, I see and hear pastors and church leaders spend an exorbitant amount of time extolling the virtues of presenting ourselves as respectful, especially to the white gaze. Stop telling young Black men: “If you’d pull your pants up, people (read: white people) would respect you.” This attitude is fully incongruent with reality. Dressing well has never and will never keep white supremacy from snuffing out the lives of Black folks. These politics are also heavily laid on the bodies of Black girl and women, often blaming them for the abuses that they experience living in the Black patriarchy system that the church so passionately upholds.
Children. We do not treat them well. “Children should be seen and not heard” is a prevalent sentiment in Black churches. They are not seen as free agents who have their own thoughts and desires. This is best exemplified in how we expect children to sit quietly during boring church services and never question any aspect of what they are being taught. This notion is the epitome of oppression. This is indoctrination, and many Black people invested in Black liberation are refusing to allow their children to be subjugated to such.
Faith. We tie Black folks’ liberation to it. The idea that our freedom is rooted in “more faith in God” is dangerous. This message removes responsibility from oppressors and instead tells the oppressed, “It is your fault that you are in chains. Just pray harder and believe more. Then, you will be free.” That message is flat out dangerous and will not being liberation to caged people.
Abuse. We do not take a hard enough stance against physical, emotional, or sexual abuse. The scripture that says, “All things work together for the good of them who love the Lord” is often used to help victims “understand” their abuse. The underbelly of that concept tells victims to see their molestation/rape/trauma as a blessing. Furthermore, we shun counseling and therapy as something for the faithless or weak-minded. Here again, we are pushing people away because they refuse believe that their trauma is somehow a blessing on their lives.
Mental illness. We either ignore it or try to pray it away. The church has quite literally made Black people sick, or at least aided in their sickness. Shunning counseling and therapy is not only a gaslighting tool, but it also keeps people in need away from helpful resources and forces them to rely solely on the church for their “healing.”
By black youth project