About 12 years ago, when David Anderson first visited Faith Church, he noticed that most of the faces he saw did not resemble his. Having come from a predominately African-American church, Anderson realized that he was in the minority. But it didn’t bother him.
“I felt welcomed enough to go back, and I did go back,” said Anderson, 62, of Lafayette.
Although Christianity teaches acceptance regardless of skin color, American churches are still largely segregated, especially when it comes to black and white integration. More than 90 percent of mainline churches in America are white, and 81 percent of evangelical churches are white. Additionally, more than 90 percent of historically black churches are attended by African-Americans, according to the latest data from the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life.
The Catholic Church is the most diverse: 65 percent of its members are white, with 29 percent Hispanic, 2 percent black and 2 percent Asian. Two percent are listed as “other.”
Examples of overt racism also can still be found in today’s society. For example, a Mississippi couple recently was denied the privilege of marrying in a predominately white church. They attended the church and happened to be African-American. They would have been the first black couple to marry in the church’s 150-year history.
But the reasons why churches are still largely separated by race are nuanced, according to experts. Sometimes, it’s a product of racism. Other times, it’s a result of the segregated neighborhoods in which we live or a preference to be with others who are much like ourselves.
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article courtesy of jconline.com
