Segregation in Churches

According to a study conducted in 2008 by CNN/ORC polling, only about 5 percent of American churches are integrated. I find that number to be incredibly low, but I can't say that I'm all that surprised. Having grown up in the South, it's always been obvious that churches were segregated or largely homogeneous in their demographics.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/wayoflife/08/04/segregated.su
http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/wayoflife/08/04/segregated.sundays/ndays/#cnnSTCOther1

Within the different denominations, there are white churches and black churches. Catholic and Baptist have been two of the most obvious examples that I've encountered personally, but this phenomenon transcends these two denominations. Race and religion are clearly connected and a clear divide exists along racial lines.

Why is this so easy to accept? Why doesn't anyone care? I guess it's just because it's the way things have been for centuries.

The evolution of American religion is clearly two-tiered: White Christianity and Black Christianity, sharing similar principles but varying at the same time. This is undoubtedly rooted in the institution of slavery -its defense in the South and its protracted effects on racial tension in America. Jim Crow, segregation, and persistent racism throughout the nation has only intensified the need to worship separately.

Churches are a way of escaping worldly pressures. They need to be safe spaces, comfort zones. For Americans living in a nation of racial turmoil, that means they need to be segregated. It makes worship easier because there isn't a need to worry about race.

Still, we can't escape the fact that this moment of solace only perpetuates the larger problem: racial tension in America. Churches are social institutions and places where we develop as people. It's difficult to address the problem when we are ignoring it. Churches are institutions of socialization and without addressing race as an issue and without integration, racial tensions cannot be eased.

Our churches are most definitely segregated, and it is difficult to say how long they will remain that way. Though, I wouldn't forecast any drastic changes in the near future.