Time to Speak: How Black Pastors Can Respond to the HIV/AIDS Pandemic

A Time to Speak, organized around the themes found in Ecclesiastes 3, addresses and dismantles some of the arguments rooted in a less than thorough analysis of the Bible that have been used to prevent many black pastors and worshippers in black churches from getting involved with people who are either infected with or affected by HIV/AIDS.

McMickle asserts it is time for black pastors and their worshippers to recognize that HIV/AIDS is no longer a disease that is isolated and limited to gay, white males. It has become the leading cause of death among black women ages 25-34. Additionally, it is spreading among black teens who experiment at earlier and earlier ages with behaviors that put them at risk. Further, senior citizens are contracting the disease at an alarming rate when they become sexually active with new partners following the death of a long-term spouse or after a divorce.

McMickle implores black pastors and their worshippers to include ministry programs like the one begun in 1999 by his church, Antioch Baptist Church, that are designed to combat the spread of HIV/AIDS in the black community. These ministries can include testing, prevention education, and spiritual guidance and support. McMickle insists that a biblically based argument must be set forth that provides both the motivation and the methodology for the black church's involvement. He endeavors to provide that motivation and offers suggestions on methodologies that have already been implemented in locations across the country.

About the Author:
Marvin A. McMickle is pastor of Antioch Baptist Church in Cleveland, Ohio