New Book Investigates Racial Issues in Churches
Authors Document Struggle for Integration in Religious Organizations
Sep 19, 2008 Michael Irvin Arrington
Segregated Sundays?
Many have claimed that the Sunday morning worship hour is the most segregated one in the week of the typical American. Recently, however, a small but growing number of American religious organizations have accepted the challenge of refuting that claim. In Against All Odds, Christerson, Edwards, and Emerson attempt to understand the dynamics of organizational processes in interracial Christian congregations.
Churches as Case Studies
The researchers employ a case study method, observing four “traditional” congregations, a university-based religious organization, and a religiously-based university. The case studies include roughly thirty interviews with church leaders, current members, and former members. Participants address questions regarding the motivation to join interracial religious organizations, the social and spiritual benefits of affiliating with such groups, the attendant costs and difficulties, and the practices that facilitate thriving interracial religious organizations.
Messiah, the first organization observed in the first case study, is a congregation marked by less hierarchy than more traditional churches. Members value diversity as a source of spiritual enrichment. However, the congregation also acknowledges several obstacles to the church’s success: social isolation, cultural differences in social interaction, and differences in worship style preferences.
Another chapter investigates the Wilcrest church, in which members acknowledge the importance of close intraracial friendships within the congregation. Keys to the organization’s success include a clear vision statement for the church and a willingness to integrate musical styles to appeal to all parishioners.
In the following chapter, the Crosstown congregation presents conflicting sets of stories. Current members value the joy of diversity while some members have left the congregation in a wave of white flight that has discouraged many of the remaining members.
The Brookside church, which became an interracial congregation because of changing demographics in the surrounding community, boasts a diverse constituency. A closer look, however, reveals two separate internal congregations. The church’s two Sunday services illustrate little diversity. The earlier service is attended by a predominantly white audience, while minorities generally attend the late morning service and consequently have little interracial interaction at church.
The next two chapters might require readers to broaden their definitions of religious organizations. One chapter covers a college campus chapter of Christ in Action. Group members revealed that intragroup racial homogeneity often threatens the unity of the larger organization. The final case investigates a conservative Christian college in which race is not discussed openly – and in which, as a consequence, minority students report feelings of isolation.
In the book’s final chapter, the authors deftly compare and contrast their findings from the cases they gathered. Working from the similarities and differences that emerge, they draft a theory of integration in stable religious organizations. On the whole, Against All Odds furthers the scholarly conversation about the intersections of culture, race, and religion, then invites others to join this important dialogue.
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