Why are American churches still so racially segregated?

This month synchrobloggers were invited to write about “Race and Violence and Why We Need to Talk About It.

As I thought about the questions from this month’s synchroblog theme and recent events, such as the one in Ferguson, I began to reflect on the lack of racial diversity in American churches and wondered if things might be different if our churches were more integrated.

Would we be having more and better conversations if our churches weren’t so segregated?

Would there be less racial prejudice if there was more diversity in our faith communities?

Would it help eliminate some of the violence, fear, marginalization, demonization that exists in our society if our faith communities were racially integrated?

 

On March 31, 1968, a few short days before his assassination, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., preached at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. and spoke a phrase he had used on a number of occasions and which by now, almost 50 years later, has gained a hard proverbial ring:

“Eleven o’clock on Sunday morning is the most segregated hour of America.”

According to a recent study not much has changed. The study found that churches are as racially segregated today as they have ever been in the history of our country.

Why are American churches still so racially segregated?

Why aren’t churches working harder to achieve racial diversity?

Do you think the racial segregation that exists in American churches is harmful?

Do you think we can have true racial integration in our country if we persist in remaining segregated in the worship experience on Sundays, even when we share the same religious beliefs that teach otherwise?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Check out the other September synchroblog posts:

• Jeremy Myers – It’s the White Man’s Fault! It’s the Black Man’s Fault!
• Wendy McCaig – Race, Violence, and a Silent White America 
• Glenn Hager – Can We Even Talk About Racial Issues?
• Carol Kuniholm – Who is Allowed to Vote? 
• Sarah Quezada – Race, Violence, and the Airport Immigration Agent
• Wesley Rotoll – Race, Violence, and Why We Need to Talk About It 
• Kathy Escobar – We Have a Dream
• Liz Dyer – Why are American churches still so racially segregated?
• Loveday Anyim Snr – The Dangers of Racism and Violence on the Society 
• Juliet Birkbeck – Remembering Voices of Hatred