Abstract
This qualitative research explores the disconnect that exists between the African American lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community and the Black Church. Specifically, we focus on the subtle unification efforts made by Black Mega Churches, in particular The Potter's House church, while highlighting the perpetuated invisibility of this population within these congregations. This research is a result of contextual analysis of Potter's House sermons, interviews with the pastor of The Potter's House, and Potter's House programs that target its African American LGBT congregation members. In addition, comparisons are made between the Potter's House and gay-affirming churches with primarily African American members.
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Notes
Throughout this text, we use the term Black to refer to people of African Diaspora, and to such populations that reside within the United States. In other cases, we use the term African American to refer to a subgroup within the larger Black community. Furthermore, we capitalize the term Black to distinguish this racial category and related identity from the color. Similarly, we capitalize the word White when referring to race.
Refer to the “Local” and “About Us” section of the website: http://www.thepottershouse.org/Local/About-Us.aspx.
Fish’s (2008) description of “men who have sex with men” (MSM) models our descriptive choice for using the concept “same gender loving.”
The phrase “or those of all sexual orientations” includes transgender individuals.
This article featured the following Mega Churches: (1) Word of Faith International Christian Center; (2) The New Light Christian Center Church; (3) Jericho City of Praise Church; (4) Apostolic Church of God; (5) Christ Universal Temple; (6) Crenshaw Christian Center; (7) Faithful Center Bible Church; (8) First AME Church; (9) Greater Allen Cathedral of New York; (10) Greater St. Stephen Ministries; (11) New Birth Missionary Baptist Church; (12) The Potter’s House; (13) Trinity United Church of Christ; (14) West Angeles Church of God in Christ; (15) Windsor Village United Methodist Church; and (16) World Changers Church International.
For Young-Gi (2000), a “charismatic Mega Church” includes both “Pentecostal and Charismatic Mega Churches” (p. 102), and bridges the theological, “which includes doctrinal lines, such as Spirit baptism” and “ecclesiastical” canons, “which concerns denominational affiliation” (p. 102). Furthermore, another feature of these religious institutions is their focus on “experiential spirituality,” or an embracement of “Spirit baptism,” as well as their “openness about the gifts of the Holy Spirit, emphasis on prayer, on exuberant worship, on evangelism, and on religious experience” (p. 103).
The following three electronic articles were utilized in this analysis: African American LGBT People Saying It Loud, African American Community, and Black Gay and Christian: The Importance of the Church in LGBT Communities of Color.
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Chaney, C., Patrick, L. The Invisibility of LGBT Individuals in Black Mega Churches: Political and Social Implications. J Afr Am St 15, 199–217 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12111-010-9153-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12111-010-9153-y