Black Community News News and Commentary for Christians
A minister recently produced an article dealing with MLK’s Letter from Birmingham Jail. The minister, Reverend Clenard H. Childress, produced his commentary entitled, “The Church in America Has Forgotten,” and quoted King in the piece:
“…If I lived in a communist country today where certain principles dear to the Christian faith are suppressed, I believe I would openly advocate disobeying these anti-religious laws…”
This line captures Dr. King’s belief in civil disobedience against the government when necessary. So what is the controversy? Black PR News decided not to accept Reverend Childress’ commentary after all. What made it unacceptable to them? Black PR News stated:
This column is a sermon with your personal doctrinal beliefs, and we have received many complaints in the past about distributing such material.
Reverend Childress took issue with the Black PR News Response and said:
This obviously exposes a deliberate agenda to silence opposing minority voices who have opposing views to abortion and homosexuality.
He added:
Their reasons are absurd. I make it my business to be respectful and empirical. This article holds true to those principles. Commentary always reflects the ‘belief system’ of the commenter.
Dr. Childress clearly believes homosexuality and abortion are sin and that MLK’s Christian ethics would have lead MLK to oppose these things. Black PR News refuses to include the commentary. What do you think?
BCN editor’s note: This article first appeared at Western Journalism.
