Sharpton urges black churches not to be swayed by antigay religious right

A prominent black civil rights activist criticized the Christian right for focusing too much political discussion on abortion and same-sex marriage, adding that black churches should turn their attention to social justice issues such as equal access to education and fighting poverty. ''We have been inundated in the faith community with bedroom sexual morality issues and not dealing with the broader moral issues of poverty, of injustice, and of health care,'' the Reverend Al Sharpton told reporters Tuesday.

The Reverend Jeffrey Johnson, whose Eastern Star Church hosted a two-day meeting attended by Sharpton, said the issues at stake in next week's election go beyond personal morality. ''Why are half of our Afro-American boys not graduating from high school? Why is there 1.1 million more people in poverty over the past few years while we're talking about the better economy, and 11% of African-Americans are unemployed?'' Johnson said.

Conservative Christian leaders said the problems Sharpton and Johnson cited are symptomatic of more fundamental ills. ''You've got to go beyond that and address the root causes, which is the breakdown of family and morality,'' said Tony Perkins, president of the Washington, D.C.-based Family Research Council. Stable homes for children will lead to better education, higher social attainment, and lower incarceration rates, Perkins said.