UNITED STATES
Huffington Post
Sophia A. Nelson
As Fix My Life OWN Reality TV Star & Life Coach Iyanla Vanzant likes to say, “You must call a thing a thing” in order to get healed from that thing.
For years we have rightly dissected, discussed, and demanded change within the Catholic Church relative to the cover-up of sex scandals involving priests, homosexuality, and the molestation of boys. It is time that the black community, and America’s larger faith community start doing the same with respect to the black church. It is time we held senior clergy, church ministry leaders, and the gospel artists who make millions annually from their faithful following to a standard: God’s standard. The black church can no longer continue to be the sacred cow of religion, that we are not allowed to scrutinize, question, and challenge when the behavior of its leaders does not mesh with the doctrine it is founded upon.
The last few weeks have not been the best for black preachers, and gospel recording artists. Yet another “sex scandal” has emerged on the Internet, featuring a young black male gospel star (Kevin Terry) engaged in well, let’s just say a very graphic sexual act. Worse, just last week Preacher’s of LA star Pastor/Singer Deitrick Haddon was “exposed” on the Internet when photos of his genitals emerged via an ex-girlfriend who decided to share the star’s private texted images sent to her while they were dating.
“Sex Scandals” are nothing new, especially not in the black church. Atlanta Mega Church Super Star Bishop Eddie Long faced a myriad of lawsuits and allegations in the past few years that he had coerced and “groomed” young teen boys and young men under his stewardship to have sex with him. Using his powerful position as their “shepherd” to keep them silent, and subject to his advances for years. Of course, Long denied the allegations, but he settled the lawsuits out of court reportedly for millions of the churches money (churches have to carry liability insurance like most corporations do). And despite the public uproar, and disturbing nature of the allegations his “flock” stayed pretty much in place, supported him, lauded him, and some claimed he was the victim of a “smear” campaign.
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