When I was a little girl I attended a typical Black Baptist church in Milwaukee. I remember bringing my Japanese best friend to Sunday school one morning and wishing I could die when everybody stared and whispered about her, not to mention the Sunday school teacher announcing to everyone that my friend was going to hell since she didn't officially recognize Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior.
Now many years later I wonder, is church still like that? I'm a bad judge because I've lived in New York City for so long where everything, even churches, seemed racially mixed. And now I live in integrated utopia, aka Mt. Airy, Pennsylvania where the gigantic Jewish synagogue behind my house has it's fair share of African-American and Asian worshipers.
So when I read a recent statistic that states that only 7 percent of America's churches are considered racially mixed, I'm left scratching my head. Where are these churches where "others" aren't allowed? I've read one theory that it's not just White folks who don't want ethnics in their House of God, it's also ethnics who don't want to diversify their holy houses either.
So, Meltingpot readers, do you worship in a racially diverse church? Do you know of a particularly welcoming congregation? I want to hear about it. Please share.
Peace!
