A Black Defense of Freedom of Conscience and Amy Coney Barretthttps://110c6a4e-4c9f-4c15-bc98-ca4791e6331d.filesusr.com/ugd/f15948_3af035a920684c4bb4232e897988d1be.pdfFellow Americans,
Every individual has the right to follow their conscience, a right that is a founding principle of this nation, protected by the First Amendment. As bishops, pastors, other clergy and intellectuals from the various Pentecostal-Charismatic and Full Gospel denominations we write to appeal to the sense of justice of every American, and to the American tradition of individual freedom. Our society benefits in immeasurable ways from service of people of faith, Republican and Democrat, in particular as they care for the needy. The right to serve through a variety of avenues, especially through public service, must never be hindered by discrimination on the basis of religious belief.
As Christians, when we see others being abused and mistreated, we must speak out in defense of their rights. We must defend the rights of our fellow Christians, of people of other faiths and of those who hold no faith. Today we stand with, and speak in defense of, Judge Amy Coney Barrett. As black Christians we will not stand by in silence as our sister in the faith is persecuted for the “political crime†of her beliefs.
We do not know whether she will be nominated for a seat on the Supreme Court of the United States, for which she is by all reports under consideration. But we do know that attacks on her Christian beliefs and her membership in a charismatic Christian community reflect rank religious bigotry that has no legitimate place in our political debates or public life. We condemn these vile attacks—which began three years ago during the process of her confirmation for the judicial post she currently holds. As the descendants of slaves we are particularly sensitive to acts of discrimination and we demand an end to this reprehensible conduct.
There is some very interesting - to me, at least - historical background to this. Several of the signatories are with
The Seymour Institute for Black Church and Policy Studies. This is a reference to William J. Seymour, the preacher who started the Azusa Street Revival in 1906. Azusa Street is regarded as the birthplace of the Pentecostal movement. One of the criticism, at the time, of Azusa Street was that it was racially mixed, including Seymour who was black. One of the sad social failings of the Pentecostal movement is that it did not stay true to that heritage.
There was acrimony in the dividing, and in recent decades there has been some repenting and beginnings of healing. Several of the signatories of this letter are leaders in the Church of God in Christ denomination, a traditionally-black Pentecostal denomination.
People of Praise is a group that grew out of the 1960s and 1970s Catholic Charismatic Renewal. My eloquence is not equal to saying this well, but beyond the immediate issue of Judge Amy Coney Barrett's nomination this letter bridges several chasms. "Our sister in the faith" says a lot in five simple words.
