Bible study urged to honor nine killed at Charleston church: 'God has something more to say'
CHARLESTON, S.C.– National faith leaders are calling on the country to join in a year-long Bible study honoring the nine churchgoers killed at the historic Mother Emanuel AME Church.
The effort marked the seventh anniversary Friday of the 2015 mass shooting when a white man gunned down Black churchgoers attending a Bible study. It was part of a weekend of commemoration events, including a Bible study program and Sunday sermons.
The push comes weeks after another racial attack in Buffalo, New York, where a white man killed 10 Black shoppers in a grocery store.
“I think God has something more to say,’’ said the Rev. Dr. James A Forbes, Jr., senior minister emeritus at the Riverside Church in New York City and a co-convener of the effort. “And from what is happening in the news, it’s clear that God needs to say something.”
Families, faith leaders and others gathered Friday evening for a Bible study on Mark 4:1-20, the lesson churchgoers were studying the night they were killed on June 17.
The program entitled, “Parable of the Sower/Soul: A New Path to Healing and Reconciliation,” kicked off the initiative urging faith leaders from all denomination to teach throughout the year about the parables and preach about it Sunday. The program featured Biblical scholars and South Carolina Republican Sen. Tim Scott and Democratic Rep. James Clyburn. Both served as honorary co-chairs.
ALABAMA CHURCH SHOOTING: Man hailed as hero after subduing gunman in Alabama church shooting that killed 3 people
The goal is "helping to change people so that we can be less vitriolic …We’re no longer civil with each other” said Rev. Dr. Clarence G. Newsome, he chairperson and former president of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center. It's intended to “persuade people to reclaim a moral center especially for a nation that said it was created under God.’’
Earlier in the day, faith leaders and family members held a press conference and called on Congress to address the rise of racial attacks by adopting anti-hate and anti-gun violence legislation.
“The scourge of violence and hatred and bigotry knows no bounds,’’ Bishop Michael B. Curry said.
The Rev. Sharon Risher, whose mother, Ethel Lee Lance, was among those killed, said legislation might help.
“If we have changes in our laws, if one family, one person doesn’t have to go through what we’ve gone through’’ it will matter, said Risher, who also lost two cousins and a childhood friend that night. “Until you can reach these politicians' hearts, they’re going to vote the way they vote. I pray that their family members don’t ever get killed like my mother got killed.’’
GUNS AND HATE: My mom was killed in the Mother Emanuel church shooting. We must disarm racism and hate.
Risher expects Congress will take small steps toward passing legislation in the wake of the racial attack in Buffalo.
“We’re going to take that little bit and we’re going to keep going because bit by bit maybe eventually we will have the kind of common-sense gun laws that will save lives,’’ she said.
After the shooting at Emanuel, Clyburn proposed legislation, known as the “Charleston loophole,’’ that would extend the background check review to 10 days. The House has passed it, but it stalled in the Senate.
“For some reason, the things in this country we used to push back against we don’t seem to be willing to do that anymore,’’ Clyburn said after Friday’s program. “We’re going through a pretty bad place in the country.”
DEATH PENALTY? DOJ urged to make expedited death penalty decision for Buffalo shooting suspect
In a separate commemoration effort Friday, more than 1,300 faith leaders signed a petition urging Congress to condemn white Christian nationalism.
Earlier in the week, the National Urban League and the Anti-Defamation League said they would partner to collect more data, share information about threats and host discussions.
“All of the communities that are being victimized by these racist hate crimes…should gather and band together,” said Marc Morial, president of the National Urban League, which has also called on the White House to host a summit on hate crimes.
At Emanuel, Blondelle Gadsden, who lost her sister, Myra Thompson, welcomed the call for a national Bible study. She said it could spur discussions about racial attacks.
“We haven’t touched on the surface of why this kind of thing keeps happening,’’ Gadsden said. “We have to have more conversations and these conversations have to be across racial lines, across religious lines.’’
Meanwhile, she said, commemorations to honor her sister and other church members are important. “I want to make sure their lives will always be remembered,’’ she said.
Follow Deborah Berry on Twitter: dberrygannett
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Faith leaders urge Bible study to honor 9 killed at Charleston church
