Over the next few days, prominent scholars of the African-American religious tradition from several different disciplines -- theologians, church historians, ethicists, professors of Hebrew Bible, homiletics, hermeneutics and historians of religions -- those scholars will join in with sociologists, political analysts, local church pastors and denominational officials to examine the African-American religious experience and its historical, theological, and political context. The workshops, the panel discussions, and the symposia will go into much more intricate detail about this unknown phenomenon of the black church -- than I have time to go into in the few moments that we have to share together.
And I would invite you to spend the next two days getting to know just a little bit about a religious tradition that is as old as and, in some instances, older than this country. And this is a country which houses its religious tradition that we all love and a country that some of us have served. It is a tradition that is in some ways like Ralph Ellison's "The Invisible Man". It has been right here in our midst and on our shores since the 1600s, but it was, has been and, in far too many instances, still is invisible to the dominant culture in terms of its rich history, its incredible legacy, and its multiple meanings.
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What an outstanding article! I have never heard of the 11:00 AM church hour being referred to as "the most segregated hour in America" which really makes you stop and think. We live in a part of the country where there is a church on practically every street. With that in mind,how many times do we see congregants representing all ethnic backgrounds worshiping together?
ReplyDeleteThe concept of reconciliation and the profound phrase, "Being different does not mean one is deficient" are thoughts and words we truly should live by.
Rachel
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ReplyDeleteI hadn't heard of the 11:00 hour until I moved to Memphis from Chicago. Although in Chicago there are churches on quite a few corners and blocks (in black communities that is) and growing up I did however visit other churches with a different race makeup regularly. Being that I went to catholic school it was deemed a part of me and my parents responsibility to the school to attend catholic church at least once a month. Now that I think about it I have been associated in some fashion or another with many Christian denominated churches. Not to get off topic, that does not answer the question of why it is so segregated. Is it by choice (present decision), habit (past learned behavior) or something else all together different.
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