Source: Brayden Bridgeman / AM 1310 The Light
The Reverend Jay Augustine of St. Joseph’s AME in Durham said while some may miss the traditional service and physical fellowship inside the church, he wants to keep people safe.
He wrote an open letter addressing the situation:
“I write this open letter, as a religious leader and former law professor, sharing my sincere concern for how the church’s longstanding racial and socioeconomic divisions have once again manifest within partisan politics. These racial and socioeconomic divisions have created false narratives that embolden certain conservative and majority white, evangelical faith groups to publicly support positions adversely affecting minority communities. Accordingly, considering the empirical data revealed during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and the disproportionately adverse effect the pandemic has had on the African American community, I write to: (1) debunk the politicization of well-reasoned, governmental shelter-in-place orders; and (2) urge members of populations that are disproportionately vulnerable to refrain from mass, in-person gatherings, including worship experiences, at the current time.”
Source: In His Image Photography / In His Image Photography
