At the turn of the century throughout to the nineteen thirties and 40's, Afro-Americans relocated from southern plantations to urban ghetto's of northern cities. There they found a temporal paradise in which many strove to success through education, factory jobs, organized community and church affiliations.

Set completely free from the bonds that gripped and restrained them to the controlled activities overseen by their white taskmasters, blacks were released to pursue almost whatever they wanted, within reason. Black leaders rose up to speak for the masses: politically, economically, and religiously, in the face of much opposition.

Many benefited from the fight for social freedom although many fell to the traps set for the newly emancipated Negro. Drugs, alcohol, and prostitution plagued many black neighborhoods as a deterrence to the fight for success and to overcome oppression. If the political representatives could not reach the masses, or if the militant movements did nothing for their dignity, church leaders shouted the words of the bible into the faces of drug pushers, dealers, and attics in hopes of freeing them from ghetto hell.

One most famous phrase shouted by hell-fire and damnation preachers of the 30's and 40's was, "drinking, smoking, and cussing." Nearly every sermon began or ended in this phrase. It became so popular that anyone found with a bottle, butt, or cuss word coming in or going out of their mouth in the sight of a preacher or even a church member, automatically felt the guilt and condemnation of hell beneath their feet.

Unto this day, the phrase still sends chills through the souls of many people when coming from the mouth of any preacher. Though this tactic delivered many from the bonds of ghetto destruction, there are other sins of the flesh and spirit being committed by Christians that were not, and are still not being addressed by church leaders. Fried Chicken, Cadillac's, and Lipstick are a few that will be discussed from here on.

How can fried chicken be a sin? The chicken itself is not the sin but the way it is prepared and the effects of its consumption by millions of people. Greasy foods are the topic. They cause heart failure and high blood pressure that leads to all sorts of sicknesses and high doctor bills much like cigarettes do.

Other high risk, greasy foods like pizza, bacon, salty foods, fat/lard-cooked foods, and especially fast foods, that are soaked and cooked in grease and who knows what else. The southern diet consumed by "Afro-Americans" such as ham-hocks, collard greens cooked in pork, all fried foods, and high amounts of butter, which leads to outrageous levels of cholesterol, all contribute to sicknesses and diseases that "defiles" the temple of God.

Defiling the temple is the scripture preachers and many Christians use to warn against the use of alcohol, cigarettes and other substances. Yet, they never address the fatty and greasy foods they consume each day that does the same to destroy the body. Hypocrites you might say, or maybe just a tradition brought from the ghetto.

Preachers talk constantly about how God wants his people to be prosperous by using the scripture from 3 John 2 which reads: "Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in good health, even as thy soul prospereth." They quote the prosperous part but never cease to neglect the good health part. That is because many preachers care not about the health of the saints but only about being prosperous. This leads us to the Cadillac aspect of this article.

Material things are dangerous if one's heart is set on them and not the godly things of the bible. Covetousness is the sin being committed here. Many preachers are stereotyped into the role of driving big cars and having nice things as an example to the congregation. The biggest myth being spread by church people is that "the congregation wants their leaders to be prosperous". That is only a myth and has nothing to do with the word or will of God. It is lived up to in the black (and white) community to the tee.

It is a shame that church people, and their leaders, cannot live according to the humbleness of the word of God but live up to the standards and myths of the world. Prosperity is a portion of God's will but not to the point of covetousness. Preachers teach that God wants his people to own property. How is that justifiable when the people were selling their property in the book of Acts? How can that be justified?

Drinking is not necessarily a sin. The apostle's suggested wine as a healer in the New Testament and it was always traditional to have wine during supper and feast in those days. Nevertheless, because there was lots of drinking and boozing in the 20's 30's, and 40's due to prohibition and the depression, preachers have related drinking to sin and damnation. This is not reasonable thinking to a man of God.

Wine can be used in modesty but not drunkenness. Yet, if a Christian is seen coming out of a liquor store, they will surly hear the situation from the pulpit the next Sunday. Cocaine is a dangerous thing, and a substance that will kill the soul and the body and should be condemned, even strong drink need not be consumed by even the average person, but there are things that are not considered illegal in the world that is just as destructive to the flesh, and preachers need to address these behaviors.

Lipstick promotes vanity. Where are the warnings against vanity? Even though alcohol, fatty foods, and tobacco is addictive and causes harm to the body, vanity cause harm to the soul. Yet, it is practiced commonly among women and men. Make-up, hairstyles, earrings and jewelry are all considered vain and meaningless to the advancement of the gospel of Christ.

Nevertheless, in today's churches, every Sunday is a fashion show. The scent of perfume and cologne can be sniffed throughout any church congregation. Lipstick, hair spray, bobs, weaves, relaxers, fades, cuts, trims, tattoos, and many other vain displays of self-centeredness is just as destructive to a Christian as drinking, smoking, and cussing. Yet, preachers do not approach these issues. They do not address them because they partake in them.

As a defender of the people of God against all false preachers, teachers, and prophets, I, brother C.R. Hamilton, want to add these to the sin-list. Fried Chicken, Cadillac's, and Lipstick. Since many Christians and leaders are shouting how the times have changed and that us traditional folks need to come into the new millennium, preachers need to realize there are many other forms of sin being committed by them and their followers, that should be preached from their pulpits.