Black Lives Matter Member to Start New Denomination to Address Black Issues

A Black Lives Matter activist and Christian minister is starting a new denomination with the purpose of spreading the gospel in a way that addresses “Black suffering,” reports the Christian Post. Jomo Kenyatta Johnson is a minister from Savannah, Georgia. He has a bachelor’s degree in biblical studies from Beacon University and a Master of Divinity from Westminster Seminary in Philadelphia. Johnson’s denomination will be called Church for Black Men. Some of the unique tenets of the denomination include: the denomination will never collect tithes and offerings, to avoid perceptions of greed. It will not be a tax-exempt organization, so that the church can endorse or speak out against political candidates. The church will “unapologetically address issues of Black suffering,” which Johnson says haven’t been “properly translated in corporate church culture.” Johnson said despite his previous work with Black Lives Matter, the church would not be directly affiliated with BLM, and he would be stepping away from BLM to focus on the Church for Black Men. Johnson said he wants to take the lessons he’s learned as a minister and a Black Lives Matter activist to combine them as the concept for the Church for Black Men. “Most evangelical churches won’t speak on political issues because they are tax exempt or will cause division,” Johnson said. “Churches that don’t speak on Black suffering will not attract Black men that want to address Black suffering We want to address Black suffering so we can point to the truth on how the suffering can be alleviated.” He plans to officially start the denomination in February.