Recently I have been thinking about race and racial segregation. Last month I finished reading Starlette Thomas’s impressive book Take Me to the Water: The Raceless Gospel as Baptismal Pedagogy for a Desegregated Church. Then on June 2, I learned about the end of segregated schools in Kansas.
Starlette
Thomas, according to her
website, “is an author, activist, visual artist and race
abolitionist.” She has a Doctor of Ministry degree from Wesley Theological
Seminary. Her book was published last year under the same title as her doctoral
thesis.
Dr. Thomas is currently an associate editor at Good Faith
Media (GFM) and the director of The Raceless Gospel Initiative. That program is
a didactic, multifaceted ministry of communication that decenters the sociopolitical construct of race and its progeny for the sake of Jesus’ gospel and in hopes of practicing an inclusive hospitality for a raceless ‘kin-dom’ of God to come.
In the fifth and final chapter of her book, and
just before one of the many times she cites Galatians 3:28, Starlette writes,
“The raceless gospel, rooted in baptismal identity, is an embodied ecclesiology
that aims to drown out all competing identities” (p. 90).
On the following page, she asserts her belief
that “human beings were not created to be color-coded”; rather, “all bodies are
created equal” and “our allegiance to a racial group directly conflicts with
our baptismal identity.”
Because she embraced that decisive identity,
Starlette has been on a spiritual journey “of decentering whiteness,
decolonizing identity and deconstructing race.”*1
The
Madam C. J. Walker School was built about 1860 to house the Black students
of the South Park area in what is now the city of Merriam in Johnson County,
Kansas. A new building was constructed in 1888 after Johnson County organized
School District No. 90.
Black and White children went to the
school until around 1900 when the school district began separating the students
based on race, and the South Park Grade School was built for White students.
In 1947, the school district built a
new South Park Grade School for White students using taxpayer funds. Black
students had to continue attending the two-room, markedly inferior Walker schoolhouse
even though their parents had to pay taxes for the construction of the new
South Park School.
The following year, Alfonso Webb filed
a lawsuit with the Kansas Supreme Court in the name of his sons who were second
and first grade students at Walker School. That case was won in 1949 and Black
children were allowed to attend the South Park School.*2
That decision in Kansas was a precursor
of the Brown v. Board of Education lawsuit. In May 1954, the U.S. Supreme
Court settled that case by ruling unanimously that racial segregation in public
schools violated the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution.*3
Why are there still so many segregated
churches since segregated
public schools have been ruled unconstitutional for seventy years now?
At the end of the first chapter of her
book, Dr. Thomas cites the well-known words of MLK, Jr.: “It is appalling that
the most segregated hour of Christian America is 11 o’clock on Sunday morning”
(p. 29, citing an
address King delivered in 1957).
In that seminal talk, King stated, “Racial
segregation is a blatant denial of the unity which we have in Christ.
Segregation is a tragic evil which is utterly un-Christian.” Starlette’s advocacy
of the raceless gospel is her endeavor to continue doing what King was urging Christians
to do 67 years ago.
Fortunately, most church segregation
now is not because of opposition to integration so much as it is because of the
importance of the Black church for its members. (In this regard, consider ”The
Downside of Integration for Black Christians, Jemar
Tisby’s 2017 essay.)
King declared that the church “cannot
rest until segregation and discrimination are banished from every area of
American life. It has always been the responsibility of the Church to broaden
horizons, challenge the status quo, and break the mores when necessary.”
Starlette Thomas is currently endeavoring
to do that admirably—but in a way that doesn’t bypass “the beauty of
particularity” seen in the Black church.*4
What can we who have benefited from
White privilege do to promote the raceless Gospel and to combat the vestiges of
racial segregation?
_____
*1 These words are from
Starlette’s column titled “The Raceless Gospel as a Proclamation of
Somebodiness,” which was first posted (here) on
Good Faith Media’s website in April. Also, please consider reading this
June 5 “conversation with Starlette Thomas” about her book.
*2 On June 2, two of Alfonso Webb’s five daughters (and he also had five sons) were honored guests at Rainbow Mennonite Church, and I was able to chat briefly with one of them. The former Walker schoolhouse, enlarged and completely remodeled, is now the Philadelphia Missionary Baptist Church, and June and I much enjoyed attending their Sunday morning worship service yesterday.
*3 My blog post on May 10, 2013, was
titled “Brown v. the Board of Education.” Here
is a link to that post, if you would like to read it (again).
*4 The quoted words are from Felicia
Murrell’s book, And: The Restorative Power of Love in an Either/Or World (2024).
This
link will take you to an article with the author being interviewed about that
insightful book.
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The first comment received this morning is from Thinking Friend Glenn Hinson in Kentucky:
ReplyDelete"Considering the preaching and worship I have witnessed in both black and white churches, I think I understand why blacks would not opt for white churches."
Thanks for these words, Dr. Hinson. I have long thought the same thing, and while I fully agree with what Starlette says about a raceless Gospel, I have trouble with her emphasis on the imperative of desegregating churches. Certainly I agree with the condemnation of forced segregation when People of Color were not welcomed or even allowed to attend White churches, but it seems to me that such churches are very few and far between now. But I have often said that most Black Christians would have to give up too much to join most White churches.
DeleteEven though the Black church June and I attended yesterday was only about three miles from the church where we are members, and even though the congregants we met there would be cordially welcomed at our church, I find it hard to think that they would want to give up the worship style that they are accustomed to and to adopt the worship style that our church members are pleased with.
Next are these comments from local Thinking Friend Bill Ryan:
ReplyDelete"Linwood Presbyterian Church (now Linwood United Church at Linwood at Olive) in about 1970 made the decision to intentionally be a racially inclusive congregation and remain in its location while other congregations in the area (Protestant, Greek Orthodox, and Jewish) were moving away following destructive riots in that part of K.C. The white pastors intentionally resigned so this could happen, and a black senior pastor was installed in the Spring of 1971. He asked me to join the staff in the Fall. The congregation today, though small, continues to serve its neighborhood with a number of social services and worships with about an equal number of white and African American members and attendees. Over the years, the pastors have included men and women as diverse as the congregation. Unfortunately, I don't know of any other Presbyterian church that has followed this model in the K.C. Metropolitan area."
Thanks for sharing these comments, Bill, and although I have heard you share this verbally, I am pleased that other Thinking Friends can read your comments here. The Linwood Presbyterian/United Church is one of a few churches in Kansas City that I am aware of wthat have a viable integrated congregation. Over the last two or three months I have attended the First Baptist Church of Kansas City (Mo., ABCUSA) and the Trinity United Methodist Church in Midtown. They have integration not only with those who attend but also in their leadership.
DeleteAs I have noted previously, there are co-pastors of FBC Kansas City, Stephen Jones and Dezo Schreiner, a youngish Black woman from Haiti. Pastor Jones is a leader in the Resisting White Nationalism activities in the area, and he had an excellent opinion piece in the Kansas City Star yesterday. Among other things he mentioned the rally that is scheduled for noon on June 20 in downtown Liberty.
Then, here are comments from local Thinking Friend Vern Barnet:
ReplyDelete"Your blog is about schools, but mentions churches.
"My parish church is 'integrated' insofar as we have Black members and leaders. My national church is integrated similarly; our highest leader is Black, and our previously highest leader was a woman. Still, locally and nationally, my church is overwhelmingly white. I strongly disagree with King's unfortunate statement as it has been interpreted as if the reason for churches being predominately white or Black has something to do with racism. It has much to do with worship styles. While I am blessed when I worship in a typical Black church, I am better able to worship with a liturgy and a style I know. Non-program Quaker style differs from charismatic Pentecostal speaking-in-tongues style. Let's not lose respect for different styles or assume that they are necessarily racist.
"The justification that Blacks deserve a church of their own nowadays "because of the importance of the Black church for its members" seems to me just the flip side of the importance of the white church for its members; both statements seem racist to me."
Thanks for your comments, Vern. I always feel honored to receive comments from you. Please note, though, that while I do write some about school integration, the title of the blog article and of Starlette Thomas's book is about the need for a "desegregated church."
DeleteI don't think King's statement was "unfortunate" when he spoke those words about the segregated church in 1957. There were plenty of examples then of People of Color not being allowed or even able to attend White Churches, although King acknowledged that some progress was being made toward integration. (I found King's address linked to in the blog article to be qute significant.) I do have some trouble accepting Starlette's emphasis on the need for an integrated church today--and just yesterday she posted this on Facebook: "It's Sunday, June 9, 2024, and the North American Church is still segregated."
I do agree with you about the difference in worship style as Glenn Hinson mentioned above and as I stated in my response to him.
But I do not fault Starlette or other Black Christians who continue to affirm the importance of the Black Church. That is why I cited the words about "the beauty of particularity," and I strongly disagree that it is racist for Black Christians to find their Black church to be of decisive importance. I agree with the idea that two elements are required in order for racism to exist: racial prejudice, and social power to codify and enforce that prejudice. While all people can be racially prejudiced, minorities are fairly powerless and therefore only white people have the power to be racist. There is a great difference between the dominant society and the subservient society. Thus while I have supported the Black Lives Matter movement, I think it is rather silly that some people have insisted that there should also be a White Lives Matter movement,
Leroy,
ReplyDeleteFirst, thanks for your continuing work of evoking our reflective selves! I have almost responded to several of your latest posts. Your post on 06-10-2024 prompted me to respond. I have the feeling I may be repeating stuff from previous posts. [Sort of a “haunting.” 😊]
Here are a couple of linguistic experiments/practices that help me when I reflect/focus on this/these concerns. I think of them as simple but recognize that the issues are complex sociocultural, ideological, conceptual intersections.
One: Song of Solomon. The phrase traditionally rendered “black BUT beautiful” is more properly rendered [IMHO] as “black AND beautiful.” Or. . . [recognizing this as an occurrence of hendiadys] “beautifully black!”
Two: The phrase “separate BUT equal” transformed to “distinct(ive) AND equal.”
Also: Recognizing the power of using paratactic expressions such as “I came, I saw, I conquered” and “I am black, beautiful, distinctive, equal.” How the absence of connecting words allows for multiple possibilities of intersectionality. [Like the use of “commas” and “slashes” above. 😊]
As always, Shalom,
Dick
Dick, I always appreciate your comments, for you are such a linguistic and biblical scholar I always learn new things and have my thinking stimulated by what you write.
DeleteAs a case in point, I am not familiar with the word "hendiadys," which I found means "the expression of a single idea by two words connected with 'and,' e.g., nice and warm, when one could be used to modify the other, as in nicely warm."
I am going to send your sentence, “I am black, beautiful, distinctive, equal” to Starlette--or suggest that she read your comments here. (My first response this morning to the blog post was by Starlette, who has been my Thinking Friend for a few months now but who has never responded directly to a blog post until today when she pasted a link to this blog article on her Facebook page.)
Thinking Friend Eric Dollard in Chicago shares these comments:
ReplyDelete"Thanks, Leroy, for a great book recommendation. Dr. Thomas's work to desegregate the Church, and society, is certainly laudable. I was not aware of the decision by the Kansas Supreme Court in 1949, so thanks for sharing that.
"Galatians 3:28 says it all, but unfortunately, many denominations, while embracing the ethnic inclusiveness of the verse, still ignore the part about male and female by refusing to allow women to be clergypersons.
"In answer to your question at the end of your blog, I believe many white people are ignorant of the black experience in America, or in denial. They need to hear the stories, study the history, and meet with people of other ethnicities (i.e., over food is a good place to start). Sadly, several states are trying to suppress the teaching of black history as well as the history of other ethnic groups, which have also suffered under white privilege."
Thanks, as always, for your thoughtful comments, Eric. The Brown v. Board of Education U.S. Supreme Court decision is so well-known, I was surprised that I had not heard of the Webb v. District No. 90 Kansas Supreme Court decision before June 2. The people at church yesterday meeting in the building on the same foundation as the old Walker School say they are working on making the latter much more widely known.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what you wrote in your second paragraph. As a Black Christian, I think Starlette is making an important emphasis on the raceless Gospel, but I have thought about suggesting to her that as a woman perhaps she also needs to emphasize the genderless Gospel.
Thanks, too, for your good suggestions and comments in response to my concluding question.
Yes, Leroy! Raceless, genderless, classless, mutual, anti-kyriarchical, etc., etc., distinctive Gospel! :-)
DeleteYesterday I received the following comments by email from Thinking Friend Virginia Belk in New Mexico:
ReplyDelete"Last evening, Fred and I finished reading Dr. King's book of fifteen sermons, entitled, "Strength to Love." The 1957 address that you cited, is not included in the book, but I had heard that quote, previously. Having just prior to the book of sermons completed reading 'Africatown' by Nick Tabor and learning about west African customs, I recognize the 'call and response,' jazz, and charismatic gospel musical forms as having roots in Africa. (Jazz, like the sitar instrumental music of India, is often improvised.) I've never attended a 'black' church service, but I watched a televised funeral/memorial service for a young black teen killed in a mass shooting at his school; the charismatic music was an integral part of the service. The church plays a large role in black lives as they deal with all the challenges of daily living. Our church music director is a young, gay, soprano African American man, who plays piano as he directs the choir, composes music, once gave a concert in which he sang a Mozart requiem that is one of the most beautiful vocal renditions I have ever heard. In our 11:00 AM worship service, we recently had a guest speaker, who is an ordained Presbyterian African American woman! Little by little, we are making progress in integrating churches."
Thanks for your comments, Virginia. The address I mentioned was rather short and was not a sermon. If I remember correctly, all King's sermons in "Strength to Love" were just that, sermons preached in a church worship service.
ReplyDeleteEven though the attendance at the church June and I attended Sunday was quite small, there was "call and response" from beginning to end of the sermon. I am quite sure the members of that church would see the lack of that as a definite deficiency in most White churches.
Genesis one by the priestly authors/editors is a call and response text. Call: God says, "May X be." Response: and X happened/became/was. :-)
DeleteIf we can create the open structures of society which are needed for a foundation of integration, even church integration will follow. New styles of worship will erase racial boundaries in new generations. More integrated families will push further change. As one of the characters in Raisin in the Sun puts it to the question of what white people are afraid of, "They are afraid we will marry them!"
ReplyDeleteThanks for your helpful suggestions in response to my closing question, Craig.
DeleteI didn't remember those words from "Raisin in the Sun," the play that Wikipedia told me debuted on Broadway in 1959. Two years before that, in the speech linked to in the blog article above, MLK said that "the Negro’s primary aim is to be the white man’s brother, and not his brother-in-law." Still, the words in the play were still quite true in 1959--and long after that.
At the church I am a member of, almost all the People of Color who attend Sunday services are married to White congregants