New Denomination Starting - CFBM

[Jerome]

Westminster Seminary grad Jomo Kenyatta Johnson starting the Church For Black Men:

phillytrib.com/religion/church-for-black-men-seeks-to-break-new-ground/article_81d862b6-f053-52a0-a3c7-b312f1e0d1dd.html

Johnson formerly pastored the Open Air Church in Philadelphia from 2010 to 2014...he graduated from Westminster Seminary....Johnson stressed that the denomination is not a Black Lives Matter effort

made up of house churches, the denomination aims to reach Black men at the point where traditional churches have left off....he wants Black men...."to realize how valuable they are to God, that they don’t have to conform to American Christianity."

Aside from hosting the services in homes, the main differences between the Black men’s church and others are that it will not be tax exempt and it will not take up a collection. “We want to detach the greed that is often associated with American Christianity,” said Johnson.

Black men and their families are welcomed to join the church, which will base its teachings on the Bible.

 

[HankD]

Westminster Seminary grad Jomo Kenyatta Johnson starting the Church For Black Men:

phillytrib.com/religion/church-for-black-men-seeks-to-break-new-ground/article_81d862b6-f053-52a0-a3c7-b312f1e0d1dd.html

Black men ONLY.

What if one has mixed heritage? Is a DNA map required? What % of genome makes a person "black" and acceptable for membership?

HankD

 

[Adonia]

Aren't there enough denominations out there already?

 

[Wesley Briggman]

So much for racial integration. In the Body of Christ, there are no divisions based on dna, etc.

Col 3:8-11 KJV - 8 But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. 9 Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; 10 And have put on the new [man], which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him: 11 Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond [nor] free: but Christ [is] all, and in all.

 

[supersoldier71]

To be clear: I'm a Black man and I'm not in favor of this.

However, let us also be clear that it seems that Sunday, in some places, is the most segregated day of the week.

My wife and I live in an Army town with two universities, one an HBCU, and our church is very diverse. Our leadership, less so, but even that is changing.

I understand--or think I understand--what Pastor Johnson is trying to accomplish, but I feel that that course of action places too much value on administrative constructs and too little value on executing the Great Commission and trusting God to do what He said He will do.

 

[thatbrian]

Black men ONLY.

What if one has mixed heritage? Is a DNA map required? What % of genome makes a person "black" and acceptable for membership?

HankD

Obama can't join.

 

[thatbrian]

To be clear: I'm a Black man and I'm not in favor of this.

However, let us also be clear that it seems that Sunday, in some places, is the most segregated day of the week.

My wife and I live in an Army town with two universities, one an HBCU, and our church is very diverse. Our leadership, less so, but even that is changing.

I understand--or think I understand--what Pastor Johnson is trying to accomplish, but I feel that that course of action places too much value on administrative constructs and too little value on executing the Great Commission and trusting God to do what He said He will do.

I don't have much of an issue with this; although, I'm still mulling it over.

Men in general, but black men in particular, have been made to feel very unwelcome in most churches, as most churches have been feminized. Maleness is not only not encouraged, it's frowned upon. That means, in many cases, we can't just incorporate men into existing churches with limp-wristed male leaders and we certainly can't bring them into female-led congregations, so we might have to do a "men only" or a "black men only" church, for a time, just to build some strong, godly, men who can then lead, as they ought, in diverse churches.

 

[Rob_BW]

The man has a conviction to reach that group, and is giving it his best efforts.

As far as integration in the church, I would characterize this effort as more of a missionary activity, right?

On a side note, I know the music in the northeast in particular carries undertones of Nation of Islam, Five-Percent Nation, Nation of Gods and Earths "belief." I wonder how much of this the good pastor has to battle.

 

[supersoldier71]

I don't have much of an issue with this; although, I'm still mulling it over.

Men in general, but black men in particular, have been made to feel very unwelcome in most churches, as most churches have been feminized. Maleness is not only not encouraged, it's frowned upon. That means, in many cases, we can't just incorporate men into existing churches with limp-wristed male leaders and we certainly can't bring them into female-led congregations, so we might have to do a "men only" or a "black men only" church, for a time, just to build some strong, godly, men who can then lead, as they ought, in diverse churches.

I don't disagree with any of those points. Well, maybe the "men" only church .

Many years ago, I read a book called "No More Christian Nice Guy"--I forget the the author, and since I was a newly minted believer with very weak theology, I can't recall if all of his theology was sound or not, but he did make some valid and interesting points. One: the effeminate "hippy Jesus" that many have been fed that is dangerous for several reasons. First, it is COMPLETELY counter-biblical. Second, it creates a version of the savior that is not capable of dealing with the messy realities of fallen people living in a fallen world.

The biblical Jesus, son of Joseph, the carpenter from Nazareth, was clearly, and in every way, more "manly" than any other man ever. And he was certainly unafraid of associating with tax collectors and prostitutes--not exactly polite company--and he had no compunction about condemning religious hypocrisy, particularly among religious leaders. And, in fact, there weren't many "gentlemen" among Twelve.

No! With reverence, Christ Jesus walked all over Israel with no permanent residence, surrounding Himself with social misfits.

Would we welcome those sorts of seekers into our company or our congregations? Or do they need a church just for them because they don't fit into our established concepts of what a Baptist church should look like.

Clearly, I hope it's the former!

 

[Jerome]

I don't have much of an issue with this; although, I'm still mulling it over.

Men in general, but black men in particular, have been made to feel very unwelcome in most churches, as most churches have been feminized

Maleness is not only not encouraged, it's frowned upon....we might have to do a "men only" or a "black men only" church, for a time, just to build some strong, godly, men who can then lead, as they ought, in diverse churches.

tennessean.com/story/news/religion/2017/12/29/black-lives-matter-activist-start-nashville-church-black-men/989754001/

"'African-American men are the least reached for the gospel,' Johnson said....Church is often geared toward women....A 2009 Pew Research Center survey shows that African-American men are far more likely than women to be unaffiliated with religion."

"Johnson is trying to change that. He wants to create safe spaces for black men to be 'unapologetically black' and focus on their spirituality. While not exclusively, the house churches will primarily serve black men, Johnson said....'I see the Church For Black Men as a place that we can kind of sit down and talk as men and address spiritual issues as well as community issues, social issues...Hopefully, we can fill a void...Catch the guys that are falling through the cracks.'"

Blacks, Italians, Mexicans...don't flock to the PCA....Have you been to a PCA service? I have. It's a WASPy 75 minutes that almost no one but a blue-blood would feel comfortable in.

washingtoninformer.com/church-for-black-men-coming-to-d-c/

"Johnson spent four years in the predominantly White PCA....'I’m one of few African-Americans who graduated from Westminster Seminary,' he said. 'That kind of thrust me into this upper-class, White conservative Christian bubble...interacting with Caucasians in a ecclesiastical sense.' A few years ago, the PCA hired Johnson to start a Black church in Savannah, Georgia, but he ran into a few problems."

"'I was hired by White Presbyterians to start a Black church,' he said. “As I began to form relationships with this white church, I realized they didn’t really want a Black church, they wanted, if I could use the terminology, a White Black church. They wanted upper-class blacks without socioeconomic issues,” Johnson said....“they didn’t want Blacks with problems. They wanted the Herman Cain, Ben Carson types.”

 

[supersoldier71]

tennessean.com/story/news/religion/2017/12/29/black-lives-matter-activist-start-nashville-church-black-men/989754001/

"'African-American men are the least reached for the gospel,' Johnson said....Church is often geared toward women....A 2009 Pew Research Center survey shows that African-American men are far more likely than women to be unaffiliated with religion."

"Johnson is trying to change that. He wants to create safe spaces for black men to be 'unapologetically black' and focus on their spirituality. While not exclusively, the house churches will primarily serve black men, Johnson said....'I see the Church For Black Men as a place that we can kind of sit down and talk as men and address spiritual issues as well as community issues, social issues...Hopefully, we can fill a void...Catch the guys that are falling through the cracks.'"



washingtoninformer.com/church-for-black-men-coming-to-d-c/

"Johnson spent four years in the predominantly White PCA....'I’m one of few African-Americans who graduated from Westminster Seminary,' he said. 'That kind of thrust me into this upper-class, White conservative Christian bubble...interacting with Caucasians in a ecclesiastical sense.' A few years ago, the PCA hired Johnson to start a Black church in Savannah, Georgia, but he ran into a few problems."

"'I was hired by White Presbyterians to start a Black church,' he said. “As I began to form relationships with this white church, I realized they didn’t really want a Black church, they wanted, if I could use the terminology, a White Black church. They wanted upper-class blacks without socioeconomic issues,” Johnson said....“they didn’t want Blacks with problems. They wanted the Herman Cain, Ben Carson types.”

Much of the disconnect is related to SES. Regardless of ethnicity most people are more at ease, more comfortable associating with people of about the same socioeconomic standing as they.

As I think about it, this pastor has put more sweat, blood and thought into the issue than have I, and so if he is led by the Spirit to reach the unreached, God bless!


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