Is the Term Pulpit Pimp Racist? I am growing concerned that many of those who are being called pulpit pimps by Internet Heresy Hunters, and their comrades are disproportionally those of minority status. The term pimp brings back those images of the seventies, where the big brim hats and stack heels were the order of the day. Why wouldn’t the preachers that these heresy hunters target be called, charlatans, greedy, hucksters, reprobate, infidels, or any of 100 other terms that they could be called?-(Note: I think you should be praying for these individuals instead of calling them names)-I have read many of these individuals’ posts which are more fiction than fact, and most of these individuals websites mirror the local gossip columns that many of the world frequent. How many times has one ever heard Billy Graham, Charles Stanley, Rick Warren, Bill Hybels, or David Jeremiah being called a pulpit pimp, yet is every Black Preacher that wears a nice suit and speaks with confidence is a pulpit pimp? This is racist at the core!
Is it alright to call any African American Preacher that attains a measure of success a pulpit pimp? Is this rational? Is this racist? Is calling a black preacher a pimp signifying to others that these individuals specialize in the selling of women’s bodies? Is this how mainstream America sees most black men as pimps and our women as____? Are we not debunking these stereotypes? How can we use these terms and be proud of them? Many of these sites are operated by African Americans who seem to abhor anything that resembles black success. Are they experiencing Self Hatred? I am cognizant that there are many African American Preachers who are exhibiting less than stellar behavior across our land, yet I don’t think the term pulpit pimp would apply to these individuals. Pimp is a vile term to call a preacher by, maybe those who operate these websites that calls primarily black preachers “Pulpit Pimps”, will examine themselves and their love for their own race!
Respectfully Submitted,
Pastor Stephen F. Smith
