A Reliable
Voice in the
Community
Volume 6
Issue 21
August 5 - 11, 2009
Advertisement
|
A Reliable Volume 6 |
Advertisement |
|||||
Call for faith-based photos, stories |
Breaking News |
|
Silent clergy
Although Smart's position may yet hold serious sway in today's church, the concern of this writing is the strange, almost eerie silence of the clergy in responding to the mounting crises within our communities. As a pastor of nearly 25 years, a minister for 32 years, I am deeply concerned about the glaring absence of responsible clergy during one of the most challenging times within the life of our city, state, country and world. Since returning to the Bay Area three years ago, I have heard the constant query of concerned community leadership asking, "Where is the clergy?" I have had to humbly sit through meeting after meeting and listen to concerned citizens and leaders anguish over the question, "Where are the preachers?" They were not asking about where was our church, or where was any preacher. They were anguishing over the strange absence and silence of the African American preacher - a once constant voice and presence in the struggle for justice, equality and liberation for African American people. Where are the preachers? As the flatlands of Richmond sink into a cesspool of violence, crime and economic despair, the leadership of the clergy is noticeably absent and their voices are appallingly silent. As the communities where our people live, work and worship have come under the dark siege of senseless violence, rising foreclosures and neighborhood blight, the clergy voice seems to have been isolated to the sanctuary. Oh, yes, we show up to our churches and perform our priestly and pastoral duties, but when the community is being viciously mugged with persistent black-on-black crime, where are the clergy? We have seemingly no capacity for what Dr. J. Alfred Smith Sr. calls the ministry of the Jericho road. We are content with "having" church without really "being" the church. Certainly there is the "chosen" one or two who seem to have a knack for camera shots and news sound-bites, but the clergy who hold responsibility for the masses of the people are neither heard from nor seen. We may even have moments of reactionary assembly, where we march or convene in protest or support, but a consistent presence of prophetic leadership is eerily lacking. Unfortunately, some of us have been seduced by adoring masses on Sunday but have no impacting ministry throughout the others days of the week. Where are the preachers when strategies are needed to redeem our community from the clutches of growing despair? My father, the late Rev. Orenzia Bernstine, served the dispossessed and disenfranchised people of Richmond for more than 40 years. As a young preacher, I recall witnessing my father collaborating with other pastors to provide leadership in both church and city. They crossed denominational lines and political distinctions to give this city what it needed - a voice from those who were being largely ignored. I witnessed where nothing of significance was ever attempted without including the voices of those who daily ministered to a significant percentage of the Richmond population. They did not have the academic privileges of many of us, and they were not intimidated by civic powers or community thugs. They viewed themselves as necessary voices of reason, reconciliation and redemption. Presently, there is not a significant clergy organization worthy of the city's time or attention. There is no collaboration of clergy that commands and demands the respect of community or civic government. The clergy in Richmond have seemingly abdicated the responsibility of community leadership and by doing so have abandoned the people to figure it out for themselves, while allowing predators of every stripe to wreak havoc within our communities. I know my tenure here as a pastor has been short, but I have deep roots in the city of Richmond, and my longtime love for this city compels me to give voice to this constant concern. Where are the clergy? We have not only an obligation and responsibility to respond to the mounting crises within our community but we also have a wonderful opportunity to provide relevant leadership. We can be a voice in Richmond and we can assist one another in making our city a real place of pride and purpose. We can be agents of change for the betterment of the community where our people live, work and worship. We can proudly step forth and provide an answer for the query, "Where are the clergy?" Let the witness be that we are here - loving, leading and living out our call and convictions in the city we love, Richmond, Calif. The Rev. Alvin C. Bernstine is a fourth generation Baptist preacher, an Oakland native and pastor of Bethlehem Missionary Baptist Church in Richmond.
|
Advertisement
|
|
| Copyright © 2009 The Globe Newspaper Group, LLC - All Rights Reserved. |
Years ago, as a graduate student of Vanderbilt Divinity School, I read an intriguing book by James Smart, The Silence of the Bible in the Church. Smart's contention was that the Bible, the book of the church, was not the primary voice shaping the life of the church. The church had strangely heeded other voices, such as the voices of its history, culture and tradition, to give shape to its life and ministry. 