KANSAS CITY, Mo., July 20, 2001 (PRIMEZONE) -- Reparations for slavery strikes a raw nerve in the American psyche. But that has not stopped two mainline Protestant faith groups from becoming the first denominations in history to confront the contentious issue head on.
"I am convinced this is one of the best things I've done for my soul in a long time," said the Rev. Ann Marie Coleman, a United Church of Christ minister from Chicago, in support of reparations.
The Rev. Leon Harter, a Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) minister from Champaign, Ill., takes a different view. "I do not believe that present-day African Americans are entitled to reparations. In spite of the horrible mistreatment of their enslaved ancestors, they are better off today than those whose ancestors remained in Africa."
The issue, so sharply framed, was at the center of debate on a proposed action being considered at a joint convention of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and the United Church of Christ, being held here at the Kansas City Civil Center.
Financial reparations may indeed have been in the minds of many of the 5,000 delegates and visitors from the two churches; however, that is not what the adopted resolution proposes. "Concerning Reparations for Slavery" is more concerned about an apology than a payout.
"We call upon the United States government to issue a national apology for participating in and supporting the kidnapping, exporting and enslaving of people of African descent," reads the text of the resolution. Sponsors of the proposal recognize the hard work to be that is to be done among local churches in regard to educating members about the issues dealing with reparations for slavery.
This is the first time any major church group has addressed reparations. Participants agree it is the start of what promises to be a long and sometimes torturous debate, but that justice will be done in the end.
The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) was born on the American frontier in the early 1800s. It has 834,000 members and 3,700 local churches.
The United Church of Christ is a union of the Congregational Christian Churches and the Evangelical and Reformed Church. It has 1.4 million members in 6,000 churches.
General Assembly and General Synod are the denominations' highest deliberative bodies. They speak to the churches, not for them.
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