In 2009, the Reverend Dr. Leslie D. Callahan was called to be the 5th and first female pastor of the historic 119-year-old St. Paul’s Baptist Church in Philadelphia. Callahan, who was once faculty at the University of Pennsylvania, leads her congregation with a focus on advocacy and community activism and a womanist slant.

by Crystal St. Marie Lewis

I’m certain you’ve heard the news by now. Nine Black people were murdered last night at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal (AME) church in Charleston, South Carolina. The gunman, a White man, reportedly attended Bible study and prayed with his victims before launching into a tirade about how Black people are “taking over the country” and “raping white women.” He opened fire on the congregants, killing most of those in attendance, including the Rev. Senator Clementa Pinckney.

by Leah C.K. Lewis

The domestic terrorism unleashed at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church (Mother Emanuel) last night in Charleston, South Carolina, “the Holy City,” starkly displays the hypocrisy of U.S. Christianity. According to the Pew Research Center, 70.6% of U.S. citizens identify as Christian. If in fact, nearly two-thirds of the people of this country who purport to be disciples of Jesus Christ, the Messiah, stood for LOVE there is no way in hell that the murder and oppression of African Americans would be anywhere near acceptable and well-tolerated.

by Anna Gibson

by Nyah Levone Molineaux


One of the amazing aspects about being Black is the diversity of our community—including the diversity of religious beliefs and spiritual practices. This was highlighted in C. Imani Williams' essay, “Beyond Christianity: Yes, Non-Religious Blacks Find Spiritual Connection Too,” published on For Harriet earlier this year. The article is a brilliant introduction into the religious diversity of the Black community—in particular, those such as myself who are do not follow or participate in the Abrahamic faiths (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam).

by Candace Simpson


I attended a conference in February that gathered pastors, seminarians, professors, and lay people. The yearly conference is meant to provide resources for people of faith as we seek to make sense of the task of social justice.

by Tracey Michae’l


"Yes, baby. Man might be the head of the Body but us women are the neck. Without us, the head wouldn't know which way he is going."

by  C. Imani Williams


We all need a source of strength and hope to make it through life.

Almost all organized religions center around a belief in a Higher Power, something greater than oneself. This belief provides followers with a community they can turn to when in need of support and fellowship. It also provides them with guidance for dealing with life’s challenges and obstacles. Many Black folks in the U.S. follow some denomination of Christianity. They may also identify as Muslim, following the lessons put forth in the Quran. There are also Black Jews, even if not as widely recognized.

by Kareema El-Amin


I am a single, saved, 40-something woman who is waiting until marriage to have sex. And yes, I think about having sex at least a hundred times throughout the day.

by Kinsey Clarke

The recent video of Andrew Caldwell, a “cured” gay man being spiritually delivered during an altar call at a Church of God in Christ convention has sparked a conversation about whether or not being gay is something a person can be “saved” from. For those who are unaware, the term “being saved” means that a believer in Christ confesses of their sins and believes that Jesus is their Lord and Savior. In addition to this, the believer renounces things that are usually deemed sinful by the church and—having undergone this change—the believer begins their life anew, doing their best to avoid their previously sinful behavior.

by Makeda Vaughn

As a pastor’s daughter and granddaughter, I have always eavesdropped on conversations about church mess that I wasn’t supposed to hear. As an adult, this has extended to news about prominent public Christian figures. Lately, there have been a growing number of scandalous stories on black religious leaders and gospel artists. It seems that black church leaders are just letting it all hang out. (Literally.)

by Bee Quammie

It was a Sunday morning and I was seated on a hard wooden pew in a stuffy church, wedged between my boyfriend and his mother. It was my first time at their church. And the last time I had attended any church, I had been a child.

I shouldn't have to wonder how quickly my parents would cut me off financially if I decided to come out of the closet, but I often do.  So goes the plight of being queer, Christian, and in the closet.

by Olivia Smarr

When I was five years old, I joined the new Youth Liturgical Dance Ministry at my church. In the dance ministry we explored how to use our bodies to serve the Lord and minister to the congregation. However, there were some rules involved. Most of the movements we did solely involved arms, hands, or legs—no torso or hip movements because they could be perceived as sexual. We were also restricted in our appearance. Our ministry garments were loose and oversized so that no figure could be discerned underneath. We wore pants under the skirts and dresses that we danced in and a full unitard under all of that. The only parts of our bodies exposed were our heads, hands, and feet. These guidelines were all intended to prevent our bodies from distracting from the message of the Gospel we were supposed to be sharing.

by Rev. Dominique Atchison

A few years back I made the hard choice to leave the majority African American church and denomination where I was raised. I left because I felt we were choosing misogyny and homophobia over the Spirit of the Living God. For the sake of my sanity, I left and joined another church and denomination. It was a majority white church and affiliated with a majority white denomination. That is where I was eventually ordained and that is where I still hold my membership.

Every Sunday, millions of young women sit down to a church service and hear sermons that are intended to uplift their faith in The Lord.

What happens, then, when the messages they hear fail to encourage their spirit and lead them to believe that the often-toxic traditions are for their own good? For many, the idea that one can embrace both feminism and Christianity is an absurdity. Some people believe that the two are unable to coexist, and the name itself prompts confusion and a myriad of other reactions. However, I firmly believe that the church needs feminism.

by Pastor Leslie D. Callahan

I had been hearing rumblings for a couple weeks, but Thursday morning I awoke to a full-throttle meltdown among some members of the community with which I most closely identify, that is, Black Christians. Thursday night the new series by Boondocks creator Aaron McGruder premiered on AdultSwim, the Cartoon Network evening lineup of adult-themed cartoon comedy. It’s called Black Jesus, and in the trailer the title character is depicted as a neighborhood brother dressed in church-play biblical garb with no place to lay his head and apparently getting little to no respect despite the fact that he is, as he himself notes, “your Lord and Savior.” It has the potential to be very funny, that is, if you don’t see it as blasphemous.

Birth control: it was a subject in my house that I knew would cause me strife if I ever dared to ask for a prescription. A trip to the gynecologist? That was out of the question as well.

Black women are said to be the most religious group in America. What happens, then, when the oppressive and constraining practices of the black church push us away during childhood?

For eighteen years of my life, my family would wake up every Sunday at 6:00 am and head to our mega church in Southfield, Michigan. Like a lot of small black children, I attended the children's service while my parents attended the service in the main sanctuary. I was interested in the one thing children are excited to do whenever they're around their peers: I wanted to make friends. The obvious step to take was to join the Children's Choir.

(CNN) -- A Sudanese woman sentenced to die for refusing to renounce her Christianity has given birth to a girl in prison, her lawyers said Tuesday.

Meriam Yehya Ibrahim, 27, delivered her baby Monday at a women's prison in Khartoum, but her husband was not allowed to be present for the birth, sources told CNN. They asked not to be named for safety reasons.

Ibrahim was convicted of apostasy, or the renunciation of faith, about two weeks ago while she was eight months pregnant.