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16 Yes, Jesus Loves Me
- Rutgers University Press
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327 16 Yes, Jesus Loves Me The Liberating Power of Spiritual Acceptance for Black Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Christians TONY IA M. R AW LS Jesus loves me! This I know, For the Bible tells me so. Little ones to Him belong; They are weak, but He is strong. Yes, Jesus loves me! Yes, Jesus loves me! Yes, Jesus loves me! The Bible tells me so. Many Black children learn the song “Jesus Loves Me” at a young age, and it continues to shape their experiences into adulthood.1 When all else fails, they know, if no one else does, God, through Jesus, loves them. This sense of acceptance by God and the church is critical as a stabilizing force in the life of many and a source of inspiration for others. For Black gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (referred to hence as LGBT) people, homophobia in many Black churches challenges this overarching belief in God’s unconditional love for all (Ward, 2005). Homophobic forces, combined with the politically motivated, antigay rhetoric of the Christian religious right, have led to the spiritual, religious, cultural , and social alienation of many Black LGBT people of faith. This alienation has resulted in physical, spiritual, and moral damage that robs believers of their community and faith, and robs the community of potentially strong contributors and members. A case study of Unity Fellowship Church (UFC) Charlotte and in-depth interviews with five of its members explores the transformative personal, spiritual , and social power that comes with affirming Black Christian environments, particularly those that make their members aware that God and the church love and accept them just as they are. The interviews also shed light on the journey some LGBT people take to find spiritual acceptance. It is also intended 328 TONYIA M. RAWLS to be a resource for those interested in not only welcoming but also empowering and mobilizing the spiritually disinherited in ways that inspire social and religious activism. The Unity Fellowship Church Movement Black worship typically occurs in the context of Black churches, which may be understood as both places of worship and as multidimensional institutions. Lincoln and Mamiya (1990) describe its secular and sacred role in the Black community. Spirituality has been used to confront life-threatening events and physical illness as well as emotional and psychological stresses (Miller, 2005). In the late 1970s, the HIV/AIDS epidemic disproportionately impacted the Black community. Up to that point, AIDS was believed to be a White gay male disease. All of a sudden, Black gay men began getting sick and dying from simple colds that led to pneumonia. The Black Church was particularly affected because some of the men who became infected were musicians, choir directors , singers, ushers, clergy, and leaders in high-profile positions who were “outed” by the disease. By and large, Black churches fell silent and chose to ignore HIV/AIDS. The UFC Movement was born out of this concern as the founder, Archbishop Carl Bean, opened a door that said, “God Is Love and Love Is for Everyone,” including LGBT people of faith. Unlike prison time for murder, the various levels of loss brought on by active addictions or other things perceived to be displeasing to God, many churches felt that AIDS was God’s punishment for homosexual behavior and decided to “stay out of God’s way” in terms of this disease. The church struggled with finding an appropriate response to what they felt was God’s justifiable judgment on the sinners who chose to live this lifestyle. Although church-projected homophobia drives some Black gay men from the Black Church, other Black gay men, for various reasons, remain in traditional Black churches that are unabashedly homophobic and endure the oppression.2 Unity Fellowship churches offer safe spaces. Archbishop Bean’s response to the un-Christian behavior he witnessed at other churches was to begin praying with those who were infected and affected. He would not just pray from afar; he would physically touch them, a simple act that felt stronger than the most powerful medicine. He then became one of the few clergy persons who would perform funeral services without using the occasion to condemn, proselytize, or attempt to “deliver” folk from the spirit of homosexuality . He also recognized life partners and thus affirmed the sacredness of LGBT families. Another significant act was providing support to the family of those infected. Many of them were forced to live...