Professor: Black People Who Attend White Churches May Be In Danger And Not Know It

A warning. If you are Black and attend a white church, listen really close to the sermon on Sunday. In my opinion, you might be surrounded by wolves in sheep clothing and not even know it.

As more Black people increasingly attend white churches, they might be exposing themselves to the dangers of white Christian Nationalism: I’ve written about the danger that white Christian Nationalism poses to Black folks. I explained adherents of this Christian ideology believe American slavery was beneficial because it introduced Black people to Jesus. And surveys also say they’re less inclined to acknowledge racism.

And while you definitely should steer clear of those particular churches, the danger lies with your spiritual wellbeing if you are Black attending a white church..to say nothing of what you may have to endure politically.

The point is Christianity in America has been marred by racism. It is also partly why many of our people have historically chosen not to worship with white folks. But things are changing. Multiracial churches are on the rise. (I say multiracial not multicultural because these kinds of churches often cater to white people.) And some Black people don’t even attend multiracial churches, they have started going to white ones. So, let’s talk about the danger of attending a church like that.

I mean these churches often go hard on personal sins (stealing, lying, etc.) but do not say anything about social sins like racism until they forced to do so. The reason is simple.

A great deal of the people who attend those kinds of churches don’t deal with racism on a daily basis like Black folks. So, they tend to only address it on MLK day or when a hot button issue forces their hand.

Why Black People Attending A White Church Are Stepping into a Political land mind:

Most Republicans consider themselves to be Christians. And overwhelmingly, those folks are enthusiastic about the president and the job he is doing in the White House. If you want to be around people who are comfortable with policies that marginalize Black folks and are in love with a man who associates with people who say and do racially problematic things, there are two places you should go: One is a right-wing political conference. The other is a white church. This is not to say all white churches are like this, but most evangelical ones certainly are.

White Churches Have Always Had a Race Issue:

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. once famously said that 11 am on Sunday morning is “the most segregated hour in America.” By this he meant that he had a hand in successfully integrating schools, bathrooms and restaurants, but where Christians choose to worship had remained deeply segregated. And this is not by chance.

It is important to understand that many white people in the South who owned slaves and fought against abolition thought themselves to be good Christians. And after slavery had ended, many of these same white people fought against integration…and did so with a Bible in their hand.

Members of the Klu Klux Klan did not think it blasphemy to set a cross on fire when protesting integration. They deeply felt that God endorsed what they were doing.

The KKK is an extreme example, but there were and are everyday white Christians who felt they were superior to Black folks. Just dig into why Bishop Richard Allen founded the AME Church in 1816. It was not because Black people were not trying to worship with white Christians. It’s because they were treated like second class citizens by people who said they loved God.

Then there are white Baptists. They’re a whole different breed and something I’ve written about before. (And gotten death threats because of what I’ve said.) Just understand that there is a reason why the Southern Baptists Convention starts with the word ‘southern.’

It takes a very thoughtful white pastor to create a ministry that centers the concerns of our people. One example is Father Pfleger who has been the pastor of St. Sabina Catholic Church since 1981, but there are not many others.