No Social Justice, No Spiritual Peace -- Black Preachers Take a Stand

If Rev. Al Sharpton - described by some as a political gadfly - has it his way, there will be a nationwide swarm of gadflies bugging the African American community to an unprecedented level of positive action.

Perhaps last week's National Conference and Revival for Social Justice in the Black Church, held for two days at Friendship-West Baptist Church, could have been considered a "National Gadfly Convention." At least one result from the conference is that local chapters of both the National Action Network and the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition are being formed.

Sharpton, founder and president of the National Action Network, led a corps of nationally and locally prominent speakers to inject a revived sense of social activism into the Black community through the Black church, in which a significant part has lost its main focus, according to Sharpton.

"We have many preachers but very few ministers," Sharpton said directly during the conferenceís opening address.

"They make people feel good but donít have people doing better. People that are in shackles don't need people to anoint their shackles. Many of us treat church like a Sunday jackpot, hoping you get some material blessing from God, like some wheel in Las Vegas."

Not giving specific names, Sharpton and several of the other 100 ministers representing 20 states at the event criticized in general today's Black mega-churches for emphasizing prosperity for their congregations, but leaving out practical agendas like helping its fellow man and uplifting the African-American community as a whole.

"We must offer an alternative to faith thatís not prosperity grounded but grounded in the cross of Jesus Christ," said Richardson, who will help form a communications network of up to 10,000 churches nationwide in pushing social action agendas.

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