African American Clergy Engaging In Pastoral Care And Counseling And Affirmative Counseling With Sexual Minorities

Abstract

This qualitative research study will look at how African American Pastors and clergy members offer effective Pastoral Care and Counseling and Affirmative Counseling regardless of their theological understanding of homosexuality and same-sex marriage, in the context of Biblical interpretation, morality, and civil rights. In the African American community, clergy members are frequently viewed as the binding agent that holds all things together, including influencing family stability and areas of social concern. These clergy members have been tasked with counseling parishioners who are dealing with some of the most complex questions and patterns of thought, including political issues of social, racial, and economic equality. African American clergy members tend to preach scriptural texts from a literal point of view especially regarding sexual morality and have traditionally been strongly opposed to same sex marriage (Robertson, & Avent, 2016). These same ethnic minorities were accused of perpetrating the same discrimination that has held down their own disadvantaged racial communities. (Brown, 2007). However, for many of these clergy members, the debate has not always been about civil and/or legal rights, instead the argument against same-sex marriage had more to do with Biblical interpretation and moral standings (Barnes, 2013; Waweru, 2009).

Keywords: African American, clergy, Pastor, The Black Church, marriage, same-sex marriage, Pastoral Care and Counseling, Affirmative Counseling/Therapy, interracial marriage, homosexual, homosexuality, homophobic, heterosexual, heteronormative, heterosexist, gender, pastoral care, race, religion, theology, Biblical interpretation, morality, civil rights, race relations.