CNN 's Soledad O'Brien looks at how some are fighting debt from the pulpit in `` Almighty Debt : A Black in America Special , '' premiering at 9 p.m . ET on October 21 . Over the last couple of months , CNN has highlighted diverse perspectives on faith in the black community in an opinion series , `` The Black Pulpit . '' Explore some of those viewpoints below : . Black churches and the role of empowerment The Rev . DeForest `` Buster '' Soaries Jr. is the senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Lincoln Gardens in Somerset , New Jersey . He is featured in CNN 's documentary , `` Almighty Debt '' and explained what he thinks of as the black churches ' role of empowerment . `` What is irrefutable is that without a deep and authentic faith and a passion for the institutional development of that faith , African-Americans could have never sustained the fortitude necessary to survive and succeed in the American experience . '' Heavenly minded , financially empowered Bishop T.D . Jakes , best-selling author and senior pastor of the legendary 30,000-member Dallas-based church , The Potter 's House , writes `` As a faith leader , entrepreneur , and philanthropist , I 've always had one foot in both the practical and the spiritual worlds . Prayer is good , but you also have to be able to manage your checkbook . '' Finding refuge in Buddhism Myokei Caine-Barrett is the first woman of African-Japanese descent to be ordained as a minister in the Nichiren Shu Order . She shares how she found refuge in Buddhism and how it helped her be a bridge . `` Buddhism has been the mainstay of my life , enabling me to understand life 's reality and providing a practice of faith to deal with that reality . '' Authentically black and truly Catholic Dr. C. Vanessa White , an assistant professor of spirituality and the firector of a program that prepares African-American lay Catholic men and women for ministry in the church , says `` What has helped black Catholics survive in the midst of almost insurmountable odds is a spirituality that bridges both our African-American experience and our Catholic faith . '' Churches played vital role in historically black colleges ' success Michael Lomax , president and CEO of the United Negro College Fund , writes `` I vividly remember being introduced to the historic role churches played in black education . ... The churches ' investment in black education paid dividends , not only to the students , but also for America . '' Gaining freedom through faith and good works The Rev . Jesse Jackson writes in his opinion piece , `` My faith tradition has always been inextricably bound with the tradition of the civil rights movement . The blood , sweat and tears of `` the movement '' have run through my life ; they touched and entangled me with an indelible spirit of never giving up , always trying to serve . ''
Professor writes of how to bridge both the African-American experience and the Catholic faith . The book is a collection of essays that explore issues such as race, class, religion, gender, sexuality, and more. Jakes : `` Prayer is good , but you also have to be able to manage your checkbook . '' Myokei Caine-Barrett , of African-Japanese descent shares how she found refuge in Buddhism .