T.D. Jakes: Not All Black Churches Embraced Martin Luther King

Black history cannot be taught without acknowledging the role of the Black church in the fight for civil rights. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., though the most prominent, was only one of many church leaders who spearheaded the fight to racial equality in America. Renowned author and Bishop T.D. Jakes discussed his role in the modern movement for social justice.

Jakes said the first thing to acknowledging the church’s role in the Civil Rights Movement is to refrain from the phrase “the church.” Jakes said the church is not a monolith and was never a monolith even back when all our church buildings and attire looked the same. Condensing all churches down to one pillar assumes every faith leader and their congregation participated in the fight.

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“Not all churches were as fluent with the Civil Rights Movement as we would like to think. Not all churches embraced Dr. King. Not all churches would even allow him in their pulpit around then,” said Bishop Jakes.

A former Dr. King aide, Tyrone Brooks, previously told The Root, King was regarded as a “radical preacher” in the 60s by other faith leaders because he used his voice to both preach the Gospel and incite a national reckoning for justice. On the other hand, the church being regarded as a monolith also discredits the unique way each congregational body takes part in the fight.

“I’m happy to report there are many churches that are fighting all different fronts. Some are fighting to acquire positions like Raphael Warnock, going into politics to fix and change policies. Other churches are involved in activism and leading marches. There are many paths to take - all doctors are not the same or lawyers are not the same. All churches are not the same. But I think all churches have a responsibility. There’s room for a lot of ways to add value to the community. There’s not just one model,” said Bishop Jakes.

He said he aims for The Potter’s House Church to exemplify the ways a church can provide solutions to various crises and disparities existing in the Black community. One of the first issues he tackled upon arriving to Dallas was homelessness. Jakes told The Root the story of how he threw a party for the homeless people at the Dallas Convention Center. He also hosted a job fair, provided clothes and showers, fed them and even helped them get transportation.

Churches now reflect those from decades ago, using their acts of service as a form of activism considering the goal is to provide resources that have been kept from Black people due to racism. Bishop Jakes leads over 300 employees who cater to the needs of the community across categories including disaster relief, mental health counseling and, of course, building on the acres of the land he’s acquired to promote Black homeownership.

However, with modern-day activism, the public won’t acknowledge the work you’re doing until it’s been published in the media.

“What I realized was I didn’t show it on TV. People only believe what they see and we’ve been doing the work but we haven’t been telling the story. We’ve been doing the work for the past 26 years in Dallas. This is not new to us. But we have not always done the best job of telling the story so all they do is see me preach,” said Bishop Jakes.

Jakes uses his platform and ministry to fight social justice on the front of unity by connecting influencers and community leaders who beat the odds with the people who need encouragement to do the same.

“We’ll never get there pointing fingers at each other. We’ll only get there in a collaborative cohesive partnership because it takes a village to raise a community,” he said.

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