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I love Langston Hughes' character, Jess B. Semple (check The Best of Simple) who spoke of the integration problem back at the heigth of the Civil Rights Movement, saying that what was needed was REintegration: have white folks move into predominantly black neighborhoods.
If you are concerned and white, go to a predominantly black church. If you are black, go to a predominantly white church and expect to be bored.
America has been becoming more segregated and divided for awhile now (several decades). Churches just reflect the culture and mood of the country.
Until we get our heads screwed back on right, churches will continue to feature and promote walls and separation of peoples. Instead of encouraging unity, they will continue to group people into boxes of thought and belief, and encourage distrust of and disconnection with others.
What to do about it is tricky when things happen like on a Tuesday last November. That's just digging in further and making the situation worse.
America has been becoming more segregated and divided for awhile now (several decades). Churches just reflect the culture and mood of the country.
Until we get our heads screwed back on right, churches will continue to feature and promote walls and separation of peoples. Instead of encouraging unity, they will continue to group people into boxes of thought and belief, and encourage distrust of and disconnection with others.
What to do about it is tricky when things happen like on a Tuesday last November. That's just digging in further and making the situation worse.
Churches are not more segregated now than they were 50, 40, 30, 20, or 10 years ago--they're definitely less segregated now than they've ever been.
Events like Charleston do, however, create more tension toward blacks who are now in predominantly white congregations leaving them. Generally, blacks in predominantly white mainline congregations find themselves with severely bitten tongues as sermons touch on political topics.
After Charleston, if white pastors take the same tone Trump has taken, most of those blacks are going to walk and those congregations will become much whiter.
OTOH, whites who are currently members of black congregations most likely already see such incidents with the appropriate level of disgust and horror.
Churches are not more segregated now than they were 50, 40, 30, 20, or 10 years ago--they're definitely less segregated now than they've ever been.
Events like Charleston do, however, create more tension toward blacks who are now in predominantly white congregations leaving them. Generally, blacks in predominantly white mainline congregations find themselves with severely bitten tongues as sermons touch on political topics.
After Charleston, if white pastors take the same tone Trump has taken, most of those blacks are going to walk and those congregations will become much whiter.
OTOH, whites who are currently members of black congregations most likely already see such incidents with the appropriate level of disgust and horror.
I agree just as the United States as a whole. We even made up a word for the white return to black and other so called ethnic neighborhoods, gentrification. There are now even churches with black leadership without a black congregation just as President Obama and many big city politicians would have a proper local proportion of followers by race
I mean this as a genuine, serious question, with no criticism intended.
Dr. King is famously quoted as calling 11:00 on Sunday morning the most segregated hour in America, and it seems to be almost as true today as it was then. Things have gotten better, yes, as some larger churches seem to be better at attracting a more diverse congregation. But it remains that most churches do not have racial, ethnic, or economic diversity.
What can be done about it? What would make you want to go to a church where your race or ethnicity was not the majority?
What is your church doing about it? Does your church reach out to people from all walks of life, and how? How do you make people feel wanted and welcome when they are not the majority (whatever that may be)? For that matter, does your church actually want a diverse membership, or is everyone very comfortable with the way things are?
I appreciate all responses and look forward to a civil and enlightening conversation.
Maybe it has something to do with this?
'When the slave and the master worship the same god, whose prayers does it answer?
"Slave" as in the Bible is more along the lines of hired help; someone contracted to work for someone else. It's easier to just use a simple word like "slave" than "your hired contract workers", etc.
If you want to ignore this and say "slave" means the same as what we think of these days, you have the freedom to do so, but you will be in error and guilty of trying to change reality and the truth.
Research this first before making assumptions and jumping to conclusions. This world would be much better off if people would think (and research) first, before reacting.
"Slave" as in the Bible is more along the lines of hired help; someone contracted to work for someone else. It's easier to just use a simple word like "slave" than "your hired contract workers", etc.
If you want to ignore this and say "slave" means the same as what we think of these days, you have the freedom to do so, but you will be in error and guilty of trying to change reality and the truth.
Research this first before making assumptions and jumping to conclusions. This world would be much better off if people would think (and research) first, before reacting.
No, he will not be in error. You may be thinking of the Jewish system where a debtor could sell himself to pay his debts, and conditions were better than for the common slaves, but slavery was slavery. There were degrees of treatment from the salt mines to household servants who even had the capability of earning their freedom if they had the right master. It IS true that race based slavery reached the bottom of human capabilities in the states, but it was never a bed of roses for anyone.
It was, however, an economic institution in the time of Paul and what he said to slaves was an acknowledgement of thet, partly "don't fight city hall" and partly show your willingness to do what is required both as a way of staying out of trouble and to indicate your concern for the immediate community.
No, he will not be in error. You may be thinking of the Jewish system where a debtor could sell himself to pay his debts, and conditions were better than for the common slaves, but slavery was slavery. There were degrees of treatment from the salt mines to household servants who even had the capability of earning their freedom if they had the right master. It IS true that race based slavery reached the bottom of human capabilities in the states, but it was never a bed of roses for anyone.
It was, however, an economic institution in the time of Paul and what he said to slaves was an acknowledgement of thet, partly "don't fight city hall" and partly show your willingness to do what is required both as a way of staying out of trouble and to indicate your concern for the immediate community.
However, you also have to look at the next verses.
And masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Do not threaten them, since you know that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with him.
This verse changes everything.
Roman slaves were the personal property of their masters. Their masters could abuse them, rape them, maim them, whatever they wanted...and were accountable to nobody in how they handled their slaves.
This verse changes that relationship. Both the "master" and the "slave" are equally the property of the Lord, which now makes the "slave" the responsibility of the "master"--and the "master" will be held accountable for the "slave's" well-being.
This puts the master into the stewardship capacity described in Luke 12:
The Lord answered, “Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom the master puts in charge of his servants to give them their food allowance at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whom the master finds doing so when he returns. Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions.
But suppose the servant says to himself, ‘My master is taking a long time in coming,’ and he then begins to beat the other servants, both men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk.
The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the unbelievers.
I mean this as a genuine, serious question, with no criticism intended.
Dr. King is famously quoted as calling 11:00 on Sunday morning the most segregated hour in America, and it seems to be almost as true today as it was then. Things have gotten better, yes, as some larger churches seem to be better at attracting a more diverse congregation. But it remains that most churches do not have racial, ethnic, or economic diversity.
What can be done about it? What would make you want to go to a church where your race or ethnicity was not the majority?
What is your church doing about it? Does your church reach out to people from all walks of life, and how? How do you make people feel wanted and welcome when they are not the majority (whatever that may be)? For that matter, does your church actually want a diverse membership, or is everyone very comfortable with the way things are?
I appreciate all responses and look forward to a civil and enlightening conversation.
We, as in the faith that I follow, take to heart the below Scriptures. Our places of worship are a respite from the divisiveness that is becoming more evident. I have been in majority African American places of worship of my faith and although I'm not African American I am a brother in the faith and have always been treated kindly and welcomed. Most of our places of worship are mixed but there are some that aren't. However that's simply due to the neighborhood where the house of worship is located and nothing more. All of us are organized and share the Good News of God's Kingdom with anyone we meet. So in the act of sharing this Good News one day we may work with someone who is Black, another time White, or Asian or "fill in the blank." And engaging in this activity will mean we interact with people from all walks of life. We also have recreational activities such as soft ball games, frisbee games, potlucks etc outside of "church" and thus strengthen our bonds of community and brotherhood.
John 13:35: "By this all will know that you are my disciples—if you have love among yourselves.
Matthew 28:19,20: "Go, therefore, and make disciples of people of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the holy spirit, teaching them to observe all the things I have commanded you. And look! I am with you all the days until the conclusion of the system of things.”
Acts 10:34:35: "At this Peter began to speak, and he said: “Now I truly understand that God is not partial, but in every nation the man who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him."
Found out today this past weekend that in the denomination that includes my church, we have 9 different languages represented in our region, and great diversity -- 40 "black churches" lots of "white churches" (and other shades), and a great mix in between. It was good to hear.
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