Summary Of Ruth Gaines-Shelton's Play 'The Church Fight'

The setting and personalities of Ruth Gaines-Shelton’s play “The Church Fight” is pivotal to the reader’s grasp of why everyone would go against Brother Parson Procrastinator. Although the congregation knew that it would be difficult to make Brother Procrastinator resign his position as minister, they were determined to get their way. A character analysis of both Sister Sapphira and Sister Experience reveal their differences and opinions. Sister Sapphira’s opinion towards Brother Procrastinator is cruel and judgmental. She is convinced that he has robbed the church’s treasury and does not want him to stay and kill the church. She states that the congregation “can’t hardly get a crust of bread to eat” but the minister has recently purchased a $7,000 house with cash (6). Sister Sapphira and Sister Take-it-Back gossip about Brother Procrastinator and Sister Holy holding hands longer than necessary at a recent prayer meeting. When Brother Procrastinator confronts the congregation about the charges against him, everyone including Sister Sapphira denies their involvement.

Since she has been in a church fight before and promised God that she would never be in another, she does not want the congregation to continue with the investigation against Brother Procrastinator. She warns them that they would get into trouble and that “no church fight can be built on a lie”(5). She doesn’t want the church to be torn apart in the effort to dismiss the minister, but instead she suggests that the congregation pray for God to touch his heart if he is indeed doing wrong. “For after all, we are serving God, not man. Men may come and men may go, but God stays forever”(5-6). Since Sister Experience is friends with the minister, she lets him know what is going on when he comes to confront the congregation. She is the only one that defended him when he was not