The Northwest enterprise. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1931-1952, 1931-12-10
Negro Churches Need to be Reformed
By Carter c. Woodson President of the Association for
the Study of Negro Life and History

Those who are now advocating a
general cleaning up of the churches
and their unification for the good of
the people are now being denounced
as ignoramuses expressing halfbaked
! opinions. The fact is, however, that
| the church politicians thus boldly
defending the exploitation, graft, and
RIGHTEOUSNESS of their circles have
resorted to abuse to divert the at
tention of the people to personalities
and strife Do not let them do it.
What are the facts in the case and
from what sources do thew come :?
| The statistics now being brought be-
fore the people come from the Unit
ed States Bureau of Census. The
facts as to the exploitation may be
inferred from statistics of the Gov
eminent, but this is unnecessary
when ministers and parishioners
serving under bishops openly charge
them with this crime and register
such complaints at their conferences.
| have been in conferences where
bishops were temporarily embar-
raised with charges of misappropria-
ton of funds: but of course, they
were whitewashed by their co-work-
ers in the questionable cause of
bleeding the multitude. Yet their
Bible says that bishop should not
be given to filthy lucre.
This is further attested by the fact
that bishop easily becomes we'll
off, and when he dies the funeral
exercises, according to the laity. end
with a scramble for the succession.
The bishops holdings are sometimes
numerous, and the laity now COM
plain that although they die rich
they do not leave anything to the
church from which they extracted
their money. Now if these state
ments are not true, the ministers
and laymen serving under the bish-
ops are falsifiers. The matter Of
ownership of property is determined
by court records which actually show
that in many cases a bishop dies
well-off. Evidently. then, the bish-
ops devote too much of their time
to making money. But the Bible
says ''Ye cannot serve God and
-mammon."
The matter of public graft through
political parties in which both minis
tiers and their bishops indulge may
be traced through official records.
For example, go to the State Capitol
in Harrisburg, Pa, and see how
many Negro ministers were on the
payroll of the two major parties at
recent elections in that State. Ex-
anime other records giving campaign
expenditures. Go to Chicago and
thprp yOu spp tho official repprd of
bishop under grand jury indict-
ment for graft man who died
looking into the very door of the
penitentiary, and yet his co-workers
commended his soul to God and
urged that his praises be sung for
evermore, Ameni
The general charge of licentious-
ness is made by the constituents of
both ministers and their bishops.
According to the record of one of
the conferences a bishop has been
charged several times with the allie
nation of the affection of mems
wives, but the conference white
washes him every time. If the
charges are not true. those who re-
peatedly prefer them should be pro-
secuted for perjury, and you would
naturally expect an innocent man to
do this without fear and trembling.
If these accusations are true. this
bishop should be unfroeked. for the
Bible from which he breaches says
that "a bishop must be blameless
the husband of one wife"
The official court records of one
State. moreover, show that tempo