Multiethnic churches still rare in 21st century

[rug]

Posted on Wednesday, 09.28.11Posted on Wednesday, 09.28.11

By LUCAS L. JOHNSON II
Associated Press

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- It has been more than half a century since the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. gave a poignant speech about the racial divisiveness among Christians.

King called Sunday morning services "the most segregated hour of Christian America."

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One white Georgia Baptist pastor, Michael Catt, says it's not being honest to lead a church in a mostly black city and look out on a white congregation.

He and a fellow black pastor, Daniel Simmons, now swap pulpits and their congregations often meet together for special occasions. They hope to break down the barriers churches have faced for decades in worshipping together.

http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/09/28/2429527/multiethnic-churches-still-rare.html

[ZombieHorde]

1. I wonder why the churches are so heavily segregated.

My guess is people make God in their own image, so white people worship a white God, black people worship a black God, brown people worship a brown God, etc. Not literally white, black, brown, etc., but rather a reflection of those subcultures.

[rug]

3. I think it's because churches are social institutions and reflect the areas where they started.

[ZombieHorde]

6. Some places have a very diverse ethnic population, such as many US cities.

I wonder how integrated the churches are in various cities around the US.

Do you live in a big city? If so, how integrated is your church?

[rug]

7. I grew up in Manhattan and then lived in Brooklyn and Queens.

Those churches all reflected the neighborhood and were integrated.

I'm in northeast PA now and the church is as white as the county.

[ZombieHorde]

10. Do you disagree with the article's claim churches are not well integrated?

Seems like your experiences contradict the article, which is a good thing.

[rug]

11. Beyond the local demographics, it depends on the church's history.

For example, many churches split during the Civil War over race (it's not called the Southern Baptist Convention by accident). I think very few were segregated due to doctrine. The LDS, with its former "mark of Cain" doctrine, and the white supremacist churches are the only ones that immediately come to mind.

Beyond that, though, I think the congregations pretty much reflect the local populations, as do many other organizations. It would be interesting to compare local Democratic clubs to see if their diversity matches or varies from their communities.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

12. The Black churches are National Baptist.

They refused to associate with the Southern Baptists because of slavery.

[rug]

13. So did the American Baptists.

[Rabblevox]

2. Church visits are to appease loved ones at weddings and funerals...

nothing more.

Of COURSE churches are racist, sexist, and homophobic. Why does anyone act surprised?

While I mildly applaud the efforts of some to lead the church out of the 17th century, I've gotta ask...WHY BOTHER? (might as well try to reform the buggy-whip trade)

[rug]

4. Well, there's an ignorant statement.

[Dorian Gray]

5. When I grew up in a small suburban town

that was primarily white, my church was also primarily white. Now I'm in Brooklyn, and the church I attend is (not surprisingly) multi-ethnic. There are many Black, Hispanic and White congregants. Not too many Asian, though one of the Pastors is Sri Lankan.

Churches are social structures and the represent the community around them. I'm sure that some are segregated because people prefer to be around people of the same background. There are instances of black Christian churches in neighborhoods surrounding mine that few white people attend. Mine just happens to be very mixed. (And Catholic.)

[TexasProgresive]

8. Our parish is multicultural

European, East and Indian Asian and Latino. This is a Catholic parish, now if you attend the neighboring Baptist churches they are white or black or Hispanic.

[ButterflyBlood]

9. My church is relatively diverse but I've noticed on the floor we tend to self-segregate

Blacks kind of congregate on the right side near the entrance and Asians kind of have a spot front and center. Everywhere else unsurprisingly is mostly white. We're Protestant so not that many Hispanics but there are a couple and they tend to intermix in with the whites. Kind of a microcosm of society at large.