The Black Church, as we've known it or imagined it, is dead. Of course, many African Americans still go to church. According to the PEW Research Center's Forum on Religion and Public Life, 87 percent of African Americans identify with a religious group and 79 percent say that religion is very important in their lives. But the idea of this venerable institution as central to black life and as a repository for the social and moral conscience of the nation has all but disappeared.

It would be extremely naive to believe that the ongoing battles in our communities are solely the result of dysfunctional families, lack of quality schools, systemic racial injustices, and low-paying jobs. These are all factors that contribute to a variety of societal issues, but we as a people have neglected to hold the church responsible for the role it plays, or fails to play, in Black society.