April 21, 2003
Smith: Family needs a future, not a funeral
___WACO--The American family could have a future rather than a funeral if God's possibilities override sociology's probabilities, a California pastor declared.
___J. Alfred Smith, pastor of Allen Temple Baptist Church in Oakland, Calif., made this assertion during a keynote address at the Hand in Hand Conference for church social workers at Baylor University.
___Smith, who serves an inner-city African-American congregation, said reports of the demise of African-American families are accurate. But it's not just African-American families that are dysfunctional, he added.
___"This is a microcosm of what family life is like in America, irregardless of race or class."
___However, "the sociological analysis is not the last word," he declared. "I believe the word of God brings good news."
___But many young adults especially aren't listening to the word of God, Smith reported. "The rappers are the preachers our young people listen to.
___"If there are fractured families around us in America today, it's because we are growing up a generation of pagans who do not know Christ is the Master."
___Polytheism is not dead, he said, citing a list of other gods modern people worship, including wisdom, alcohol, nature, possessions, sexual pleasure.
___Sometimes these evils combine to create a more vicious cycle of violence, he declared, criticizing the war in Iraq as an attempt to teach that violent behavior is the way to solve problems.
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