Wednesday, July 01, 2015

Eating cake as black churches burn


Mount Zion AME Church in Greeleyville, South Carolina --- burned by Ku Klux Klansmen in 1995 --- went up in flames again overnight. It's the seventh black church to burn in the South since nine Bible study participants were shot and killed by racist Dylann Roof at Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston on June 17. 

Arson is suspected in some cases, not in others. And we won't know exactly what happened in Greeleyville for some time.

Meanwhile across the South and elsewhere, county clerks are coming around --- more slowly in some states than others --- and issuing licenses to same-sex couples as marriage equality becomes reality and recedes as an issue for the majority.

Many Christians at the conservative end of the spectrum had invested hugely both personally and denominationally in preventing marriage equality from happening, 

So what to do now?

Carrying the cross of Jesus into battle against those who would force Christian florists, caterers, photographers and bakers to serve same-sex couples is one option.

Lifting high the cross and carrying it into battle against racism is another.

Having had some experience with the church over the years, I'm putting my money on flowers, sandwiches, expensive snapshots and cake.

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