Preamble and thesis – the Church is moving away from African Americans
The church has always been an important focal point for the African American community in every part of the United States but perhaps nowhere more than in New York where the cultural variances of the population are rather intense in many ways. African Americans have a lot to do with spirituality and singing is an important part of their cultural makeup so this intrinsically means that they need a forum to promote their singing characteristics and techniques.
However the church in New York is suffering from an intrinsic lack of interest and apathy which have seen its numbers decline considerably in recent years. This is due to the church being perhaps less of a fulcrum for change than it used to be thus creating a situation where members of the more liberal community tend to be excluded. African Americans come from a section of the community which may tend to feel excluded when faced with certain issues such as large families and job security and here the church may seem to have abandoned them of late.
However the church will always remain an important part of African American life for various reasons. Most of all the church brings about a sense of community and companionship in this respect as it brings together communities which are perhaps sometimes estranged from mainstream society. This means that they can come together in churches and other places to discuss issues and to move forward on topics which seem to be holding them back to establish themselves in society. Although African Americans tend to be more open about their general situation, they seem to find compassion and empathy in churches were they can move forward on certain aspects.
Spirituality:
The church remains important for other aspects too with the African American community but most of all there is the spiritual aspect. This is always a strong part of the constitution of any society in the United States and the church remains important in this regard. However notwithstanding all this, the church’s influence in New York has declined considerably and is now really at rock bottom. The main issue here appears to be the fact that the child abuse scandals which rocked the church in the apst years have taken a considerable toll on attendances and suchlike. Although African American communities remain fiercely supportive of their local church, others have drifted by the wayside and this obviously means that the situation is a dire one at least for the Church itself which cannot seem to come to terms with the problems that it is facing.
Apathy:
Spiritual apathy remains an important issue in this respect as life continues to be one which poses a large number of challenges for the African American community. This also means that life in general may seem to be hard and without much opportunity for the downtrodden and the unfortunate who are consistently faced with a struggle in life and where this is the case, the church does not seem to be helping much.
The African American community also has several troubles of its own when it comes to ascertaining its status in the community. Racism which is still rife and rampant in the United States certainly affects all that is going on here but principally the situation means that the church can act as a guiding point and fulcrum to assemble knowledge and information about what the problems of the community are. Although this may not always seem to be successful in the long run, the church continues to play an important role in this respect with the African American community consistently on the ball and in the news. There have been several pastors and church figures who have courageously stuck their neck out to defend African Americans from the problems that they face in the daily grind of their lives but others have remained aloof with the consequence that nothing can really be further from the peace and quiet which these communities crave. The church continues to be an important focal point for society to amalgamate but it is also another issue where life cannot always be the same and certain problems have to be overcome.
Another moot point which perhaps is often dismissed is the fact that African Americans turn to their church with consistently more vigour when faced with troubling situations. This may mean that the church comes out far stronger in situations of unhappiness and neglect as well as social problems which tend to take over society if not properly handled. The church remains an instrinsic force for good in this respect and continues to be the fulcrum and focal point of issues when these occur. Perhaps this is why African Americans remain so close to their church without any need for appearing too cushy or too intrinsically caught in the social web of today’s day and age.
Embracement of technology is indeed an issue which also cannot be overlooked in today’s day and age. Principally one is faced with a moral issue in this respect as life cannot always be described as something which can be programmed or portrayed. The Church seems to be reluctant to embrace technology in this respect and this has made it seem rather backward when confronted with certain issues where technology is important especially to increase its congregation. Perhaps in New York the situation is slightly better and there is more of an acceptance of technology in this respect however with African Americans obviously having less means to acquire new technology, these may feel short changed when faced with such issues. The way the message is imparted is also important in this respect as it shows that the community can continue to interact and feel much better when technology is part and parcel of its whole makeup.
The Church as a force for good:
Historically the church has always been a force for good and this is certainly the case in New York which is the mother of all the large cities. The African American community has always interacted excellently with the Church and this appears to continue to be the case in many respects and in many outlets. Perhaps there have been problems in the past and some issues remain unresolved but on balance it is the Church which remains the greatest force for good with respect to African American society and this should remain so even in today’s day and age when materialism remains rife and rampant and the distractions are great.
Works Cited:
The Abyssinian Baptist Church; A Legacy of Activism; The New York Times; Retrieved from: http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2012/02/02/opinion/02BLACKCHURCH-3.html?scp=2&sq=abysinian%20baptist%20church&st=cse
