Soledad O'Brien explores 'Debt' in CNN documentary

If religion and finance are meant to be mutually exclusive, the subjects of Soledad O'Brien's latest "Black in America" chapter haven't heard it.

Debuting Thursday night at 9, the CNN correspondent's new documentary - subtitled "Almighty Debt" - profiles the First Baptist Church of Lincoln Gardens in Somerset, N.J., where economic wisdom is folded into the sermons. Pastor DeForest B. Soaries Jr. and his staff actively help the 7,000 parishioners manage their money through a program called Dfree, for "debt-free."

HOW THE IDEA ORIGINATED

"We were very interested in looking at a black church," O'Brien explains, "and one of the things the pastor kept coming back to was, 'It's about finance. It's about the bad economy.' Eventually, we realized this was clearly what our story is. It really is about the African-American community in an economy that is hard for all Americans but actually is decimating black Americans.

"One of the things Pastor Soaries said to us early on was, 'Debt is slavery. While people are trying to work out their finances, they feel like they're in bondage.' That made it interesting to us to look back historically and ask, 'Why are middle-class black people falling out of the middle class?' A lot of wealth was lost in the African-American community because of a lack of access and opportunity."

AFTER THE SHOW

The premiere telecast of "Almighty Debt" will be followed by an O'Brien-conducted town-hall meeting. Soaries, Bishop T.D. Jakes, syndicated financial columnist Michelle Singletary and others will discuss issues considered by the documentary.

"For a lot of people, even the people we've interviewed, they're still in the process of figuring it all out," says O'Brien, who grew up in Smithtown. "The framework is an economy that has not bounced back as many people had hoped, so it is the right time to follow up with 'What can individuals do?' And 'How should churches be leading people?' It's a really good question for experts who can talk about it. My job is not to advise but to ask the questions."