The Church and AIDS

The Chicago Tribune devotes a section of its publication to spreading awareness of the religious occurrences of local faith communities in the Chicago area and across the nation, especially where they intersect with other areas of life including politics and social activism. Manya Brachear, one of the Tribune’s religion reporters, heads up articles for The Seeker, a professional blog supplement to the paper with articles pertaining to spiritual life.
Brachear refers to The Seeker “a personal and professional quest for truth”. It strays from the detached, third person journalistic style of writing, Brachear often speaking directly to readers in first person. Readers are encouraged to post comments about the articles, though they are reviewed by Tribune staff before becoming visible on the site. This and the fact that all of The Seeker articles are written by one reporter may invite biases into the writing, and the comments that are chosen to be posted for public viewing can be selected to create a sense of a general trend in reader reactions. However, the posted comments thus far appear diverse in their perspectives both politically and religiously.
In an article released on Friday, Brachear opened the dialogue about the association of the Church with the AIDS pandemic in America, if an association does exist. (Go to http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/religion_theseeker/2009/03/should-churches-make-aids-a-priority.html to read the full story.) Rather than explain the role of the Church in addressing the AIDS problem, Brachear seeks only to raise the question and inspire readers to seek out the answer for themselves. She does, however, give the opinion of key sources who feel strongly about this topic.
Leaders of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) are getting tested for HIV to show their congregations that it is necessary to address the existence of AIDS. ELCA Presiding Bishop Mark Hanson explains that he hopes to raise awareness among members of ELCA of the reality of AIDS in our society, as opposed to a far-off pandemic, and to make people feel comfortable discussing the topic of HIV so that those who need treatment will not hide from it.
The information presented in the article leaves me with several questions. For those in a church community trying to rid the Church of the negative stigma surrounding AIDS, what other actions should and will be taken to address the issue in addition to being tested to help those who are HIV positive? Should the Church leave treatment completely in the hands of doctors, or should they reach out and offer assistance to those dealing with aids through counseling and/or financial support for treatment?
The perspectives of members of Lutheran and other large Christian denominations were well-represented in the articles, but I wonder if the views of other minority religions in the U.S. differ in any way. The question is raised as to who “the Church” consists of in the twenty-first century United States. The focus of publicized discussions of religion in the U.S., particularly religion and politics, is largely on the Evangelical Christian denominations. Christian language and references are infused the founding documents of our nation, and continue to be heard in political speeches today. However, with the increasing religious diversity in our nation, it is imperative that we inform ourselves of the many religious atmospheres and perspectives around us.