{"id":548,"date":"2008-12-02T15:01:50","date_gmt":"2008-12-02T15:01:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/stevenwaldman\/2008\/12\/the-african-american-church-th.html"},"modified":"2008-12-02T15:01:50","modified_gmt":"2008-12-02T15:01:50","slug":"the-african-american-church-th","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/stevenwaldman\/2008\/12\/the-african-american-church-th.html","title":{"rendered":"The African American Church & the Scandal of Unprotected Sex (Guest Post by Rev. Susan K. Smith)"},"content":{"rendered":"

A guest post by Rev. Susan K. Smith<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

\nI heard a statistic on Monday that sobered me.
\nI was listening to NPR (National Public Radio). It was AIDS Awareness Day, and the reporter said that in Washington, D.C., over 90 percent of all newly-reported AIDS cases are African American women.
\nWhoa.
\nThey did some interviews with young women, many to most of whom were not willing to have protected sex. “If you tell a guy you want him to use a condom, he won’t have sex with you,” one young woman said. “He’ll just go find someone else.”
\nSo, because you don’t want him to “go find someone else,” you put your own life and health in jeopardy?
\n“Sex doesn’t feel as good if you have to use a condom,” another young woman said.
\nSo, again, you risk your life and health for a moment’s pleasure?
\nAnd, since we’re talking, doesn’t it depend on the condom used? Isn’t it worth the time for you, as a woman, to do some research and find out which condom you like best?
\nOh, some will say, how can you talk about the “s” word in church?
\nAnd I say, where else but in church?
\nGod gave us sex. God gave us sex to have a good time and to procreate. He did not give us sex to be reckless. Why doesn’t anybody get that?
\nAnd why are African American churches so afraid to talk about sex, especially in this day and age when way too many heterosexual women are becoming infected and dying? Let’s not be phony here. People in the black church do have sex, and have it frequently.
\nThat being the case and all, why can’t pastors do the teaching we need to do in order to save lives?
\nWhat would be the harm in having a workshop where you talk about the best condoms to use? We have workshops on everything else…from women’s issues to finances. Isn’t sex as much a part of life as those issues?
\nWe as the Black Church have got to stop practicing denial – i.e., that one who believes in The Christ does not do sex, and should not do sex.
\nCut me a break.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

A guest post by Rev. Susan K. Smith<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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