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I'm not a Christian but am very much aware Christianity is a perennial part of black culture in America.
I have a very devout family and I'll note that I never felt white people attending black churches was "flattering" that is odd IMO to even think. I just saw them and was like "oh a visitor to church."
I don't think that my family's churches ever go out of their way either to make a white person comfortable but in today's climate, I don't think they should act any differently toward a white visitor versus any others. And FWIW I do know people and do attend programs at my ancestral churches. Both my maternal and paternal line were integral in the creation of our city's first AME and Baptist churches for black congregations and since I do a lot of historical research, I stay in touch with them and go to services. I also feel that gospel music and negro spirituals in particular are very culturally important due to their connection to the history of our enslaved ancestors and the underground railroad.
The reason I bring the topic of church up is because I wanted to introduce that article into the conversation (as I thought it was an interesting read), but ALSO there was a commenter that said that if the church in Charleston SC had been a mixture of races, it would not have been as much of a target, suggesting that black churches remove any trace or symbol as to what may be perceived as black culture when other ethnic churches are not expected to do the same.
Integration was done under the guise of blacks not being good enough. There is no such thing as separate but equal (at least not when it's mandated by law). By making it a law, you've canceled the equality out with making something separate.
Segregation was mandated by the law. A good question is this. Why was it mandated by law? Why was there so much fear of Black and White children going to school together and learning together? Why was the push for integration met with violence from those who didn't want it? Whether it was under the guise of Blacks not being good enough, I do wonder. What we can agree on is that separate wasn't equal.
As for a law suit, I never thought about that as a kid. The principal harangued the whole school about bullying and how it would not be tolerated. However, there were times when I felt it was just words. I only remember one time a kid got suspended from school for bullying me(he stole from me).
With the black Church bombings that have occurred recently, some are questioning what the attitude of the congregation should be when a white stranger attends a predominantly black church. Now I'm Christian and I must say generally when I see a white person in the congregation, I think "wow, it's flattering that they appreciate this style of worship". I'm generally not bothered by it, but I don't feel that the black church should compromise it's culture for the sake of making others feel comfortable. I'd be interesting to see where you stand on this question.
Quote:
Originally Posted by pandorafan5687
The reason I bring the topic of church up is because I wanted to introduce that article into the conversation (as I thought it was an interesting read), but ALSO there was a commenter that said that if the church in Charleston SC had been a mixture of races, it would not have been as much of a target, suggesting that black churches remove any trace or symbol as to what may be perceived as black culture when other ethnic churches are not expected to do the same.
There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. Galatians 3
Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all. Colossians 3
From a Christ's viewpoint, there should not be "black church culture" or "white church culture," but only Christian culture...whatever that turns out to be.
We have had the opportunity to worship in membership with Asians in the Far East.
My family has also been the only black family in a small rural Maryland congregation of retired white farmers (and what a long, strange journey it was to that situation).
I have learned that the Holy Spirit isn't nearly as picky in His cultural tastes as people are.
More recently, we were one of only two black families in a slightly larger congregation in Illinois. The first Sunday we visited, the pastor was finishing a series on the church being diverse by world standards but homogeneous by spiritual standards. He made the remark in his message, "If this congregation is still this white by this time next year, we're doing something wrong."
That pastor himself had been a professional opera singer "in an earlier life," and of music he said, "we don't have a style based on worldly cultures. What we will have is what the Lord creates from who He gives us."
As of two years ago, we're in a large predominantly black Dallas suburban congregation--the first predominantly black congregation we've been part of since the late 80s.
Does anyone care to provide some insight on when the political switch happened with black Americans? At one the Republican Party is where we gravitated. How did so many of us end up supporting the Democratic Party?
JFK didn't do that much. People don't really give black people credit for the level of political sophistication they had back then even though they were often prevented from voting.
The political parties had been fractured across governmental level lines since Teddy Roosevelt pulled his Progressives out of the Republican Party in 1910 and operated for a time as a third party. Black people were savvy enough to keep their eyes on the Progressive politicians wherever they popped to run, whether as Democrats at the national level or Republicans at lower levels.
By the 40s, progressives at the national level were coalescing into the Democratic party in the north, but were still Republicans at state and local levels, particularly in the south. The Republican party at the national level was more libertarian than anything else, and made them strange bedfellows to southern Democrats at the national level in the fight against the Civil Rights Act.
Black people understood all that. They split their ballots as necessary, voting for people not parties, until the parties began to become more consistent at all government levels during the 60s.
What's your take on those who choose to kneel during the Star Spangled Banner?
I say, let 'em kneel. There is no reason for people to get all butt hurt for protesting injustices against POC in this country. For one, the Star-Spangled Banner wasn't written with nonwhites in mind...
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Thoughts on this video
