Sunday… The Most Segregated Day of the Week!
We recognize that there are many beliefs that conduct services on days other than Sunday. However, this article is primarily addressing the organized religions of Christianity in the United States. The pursuit of religious freedom was one of the main foundations this country was built upon. Christianity has a strong association with the creation, culture and history of the United States.
Along with this association is a very troubling sequence of historical events that have left us today with what many people term the “Black Church” and the “White Church”. One of the famous quotes by Mahatma Gandhi, “I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.” I am certain one of the reasons for his remark was his observation of the way some of us choose to act towards those that are different from us.
So, what is the history that created this “segregated Sunday”. Even though the United States was not the first to use slavery as a form of gaining free labor, our short history is the most recognizable for us. Unfortunately, Christianity in our Country’s early history was used as a tool to justify slavery; and, to provide more passive control over slaves and their behaviors.
The two methods used to justify slavery through Christianity were to:
Use passages from the bible, primarily the Old Testament, that supported the use of servants; and the need for them to adhere to the wishes and authority of their masters
The second commonly used method was to disassociate the slaves as human beings, and just consider them as assets or sometimes livestock
So, this early separation of Whites and Blacks was a natural offshoot of our historical events. This early separation of what each group was characterized to be, owner and slave, has continuously plagued some people’s thought processes and behaviors to this day. Sometimes we forget the definition applied to Christians, “humans who are striving to be Christ-like”. The key word being “humans”. Christians are humans too! As humans we are subject to the effects of our individual environments and the effect that experiences with others, situations and events might have on our behaviors.
I have attended many different types of churches over the past several years. Churches that were primarily White; churches that were primarily Black; and churches that were more integrated. One of the behaviors you can observe by doing this is how you are received and greeted by each of these.
In many cases I think you will find that when a church is attended by almost 100% Whites, or 100% Blacks, and you show up as someone different the people tend to look at you with an expression that I can only describe as, “I wonder what they’re doing here?”. Try this on your own and let me know what your experience was like? One of the issues is that both history, experiences and culture have been different for many Whites and Blacks. These differences sometimes make it uncomfortable for us to participate closely in organized activities; especially when the activity is associated with our spiritual beliefs. We get wrapped around the outer appearance of each other and the thoughts of our past histories. Maybe this non-Christian thought process and actions are what Gandhi was referring to? As much as many of us would prefer to avoid uncomfortable discussions or situations, in our opinion, the church is one of the necessary places that conversations of inclusion should be taking place.
We can no longer allow disparate environments and experiences to create unfavorable, and many times unintentional, behaviors for us. Especially, in the place where our values are perceived to be at their highest levels. Our company works with segregation through a workshop that provides a safe and respectful environment for meaningful discussion and action towards creating a more inclusive Christian culture. We realize that Christians are human too! If you have read this article and are looking for one of the tools for creating a more inclusive and accepting culture, let us know.
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