Christian leaders have often written about homosexuality negatively. Throughout most of Christian history, most theologians and rulings have viewed homosexual behavior as sinful and immoral, especially in African-American churches. Some orthodox interpretations of Christian morality have led the vast majority of church-attending African Americans to view homosexuality as a sin and therefore same-sex marriages as wrong. Black liberation theology, especially in the context of the black political church, has led a minority of African Americans to include homosexuals and allow their churches to serve as a political resource for those receptive to lesbian and gay rights (Shaw). However, over the past century some African-American religious groups and Christian churches have embraced a wide variety of beliefs and practices toward homosexuals, including the creation of some "open and accepting" congregations that actively support queer members. The Abyssinian Baptist Church is one such institution. Comparing the preaching of early 20th century pastor Adam Clayton Powell Jr, with current pastor Rev. Dr. Calvin O. Butts III, there is clear evidence showing the church's evolving position on homosexuality in the Baptist church Abyssinian. 2004 was a historic day for two reasons: Same-sex marriage became legal for the first time in the US state of Massachusetts after the legislature took no action in the 180-day period granted by the state Supreme Court and it was the 50th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education. The concomitance of these two events raises the question of whether the African American civil rights movement was in any way equivalent to the homosexual civil rights movement. Some commentators were enthusiastic about the progress the United States had made toward equality. According to Andrea