Podcast: Black Churches & Single Women

Nicole Cleveland always thought her marriage would be over if her husband were unfaithful. But then it happened. In her new book, So He Cheated, Now What?, she examines the reasons for infidelity and advises women that there's still hope for their marriages, even if he cheats.

In a controversial blog post, writer Deborrah Cooper argues that the Black church is a major reason why Black women fail to find good men. Sure, she's angry and misinformed, but is Cooper on to something?

Flowers, candy, and cards are nice, but for moms, the best Mother's Day gifts of all are the people who make us mothers.

Loving bravely is risking great personal cost to do good for someone, even when you know that others may ridicule you for doing so. That's the kind of love I want to give this Valentine's Day.

Earlier this year, in Parts 1 and 2 of this series, we looked at urban teenagers' attitudes about sex, and their behaviors and practices that reflect those attitudes. Part 2 ended with a question about how parents and churches can fill the gap in teens' knowledge about sexual health issues and thereby prompt a change in their behavior. We now tackle that tricky subject.

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There's a shortage of enduring love stories in the black community. And if the dismal statistics released by the U.S. Census Bureau, the Barna Group, and others hold steady, the decline of African American marriages will only continue. Currently, African Americans have the lowest marriage rate of any group in the United States (41 percent), and research has found that among those few that do marry, as many as 36 percent end their relationships in divorce. The numbers are bleak, but Christian marriage experts Drs. Clarence and Ja'Ola Walker believe there are steps Christian couples can take to ensure they build strong healthy marriages.

I'd been intending to write some blog posts on marriage, dating, and other issues related to relationships. But in light of recent events I thought I'd share a few personal thoughts about Jon and Kate Gosselin's announcement to proceed with divorce and end their marriage.

I wonder if Roland Martin anticipated the reactions he'd receive regarding his commentary "Man Up and Be a Real Dad"? The piece appeared originally on CNN.com, then later on his syndicated column's website, and his blog at Essence.com. Through the first several paragraphs, the piece seems harmless enough. After all, it's basically a remix of a well-worn social message from pastors, politicians, entertainers, educators, Christian leaders, and others: Black fathers need to step up and take care of their children.

If you are a Christian woman and you are thinking about reading a thoughtful book about male/female relationships, Steve Harvey's Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man: What Men Really Think About Love, Relationships, Intimacy, and Commitment is not the book for you.

For the purposes of this discussion, I'll assume I'm talking to the fellas on this one. (But the ladies are welcome to eavesdrop.)

Have you ever had the urge to hit a woman? Most of us were raised with a mental line in our behavior code. Hitting females is over that line. But truth be told, the notion lurks stealthily beneath the surface. The mental picture that forms in a man's head just before the cowardly deed tends to bubble up in times of stress. When a man feels powerless, he can always fall back on physical force, like a scared dictator with armies at his disposal.