Lisa Ramsey was at Bible study one Tuesday night and, afterward, saw emergency lights as she went to her car.
Lisa Ramsey was at Bible study one Tuesday night and, afterward, saw emergency lights as she went to her car.
“I was in the parking lot thinking, ‘I hope nobody died tonight.’” But someone did, two blocks from St. Sabina Church in Auburn-Gresham.
“That young man died while we were in Bible study,” Ramsey said. “And I said, ‘You know what? That is unacceptable. What can I do to make a difference?’”
Ramsey, now a member of St. Sabina’s Steering Committee Against Gun Violence, is just one example of how members of predominantly African-American congregations – known collectively as the Black church – are not only committed to their faith through praise and community involvement but also through social and political activism.
According to a study from the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, 61 percent of Blacks say houses of worship should express their views on social and political matters, while 36 percent say churches should avoid these topics.
St. Sabina and its pastor, the Rev. Dr. Michael Pfleger, have long been involved in social and political issues in Chicago. Since becoming the church’s pastor in 1981, Pfleger has led a relentless campaign against racism, drugs, alcohol and gun violence not only in its neighborhood but throughout the city of Chicago.
Pfleger said that he believes a person can’t truly be a follower of Christ unless he or she is an activist.
“People say, ‘Well, why do you do what you do?’ My question,” Pfleger said, “is, ‘Why aren’t you doing it?’ I think that you cannot follow Christ without being an activist.”
One example of a church becoming involved in the community was the “Do You Care?” anti-gun violence rally in Garfield Park last Wednesday. St. Sabina, 1210 W. 78th Place, was one of the sponsors of the event that called for stricter gun laws and an end to the killings of Chicago’s youth.
Chicago resident Cleora M. Murff, who lost her daughter, Vanity, to gun violence last year, said the church’s support “shows they’re concerned.”
“It is pertinent that the churches, and next-door neighbors, get involved,” Murff said. “It’s going to take us all collectively to get something done.”
Although most Blacks say they support the Black church expressing its views on social and political issues, according to the Pew Forum’s study, support among the general population is not as strong. More than half of the general public, 52 percent, believe the church should stay out of politics, while only 45 percent say churches should get involved in those issues.
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