Sexuality in the Church
A veteran documentary filmmaker, D. Channisin Berry has created a film that touches on a topic very much considered taboo in the black community–Sexuality in the Church
Berry’s latest venture, “The Church House: Sexuality in the Black Church”, will soon debut at Rutgers-Newark, explores a myriad of issues within African-American spirituality, ranging from its views on homosexuality to adultery by church elders.
“I had many people come to me and talk about what was going on in the black church – not only just homosexuality but sexuality and sex period,” he said in a Thursday interview. “The use and abuse of power from the pulpit to the pew. It’s nothing new, but it’s just something that nobody wants to talk about.”
Many questions in the documentary tackles both the church’s views on homosexuality and pedophilia, pastors and other authority figures using their positions to pursue female members of their congregation, and the lack of women in leadership positions throughout the church.
“Women have been relegated to the floor and not the pulpit. How is it that 53 to 72 percent of the congregation are women, and yet they have no say-so in the church’s business?” he said. “Are you telling me that God doesn’t speak through women too?”
Berry said he has received some resistance from church leaders around the country fearful about his film’s impact on the church, but said that any criticism has been far outweighed by supporters.
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