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Fear of a Black Pulpit? Real Racial Transcendence Versus Cultural Assimilation in Multiracial Churches
Author(s) -
Pitt Richard N.
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
journal for the scientific study of religion
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.941
H-Index - 71
eISSN - 1468-5906
pISSN - 0021-8294
DOI - 10.1111/j.1468-5906.2010.01504.x
Subject(s) - worship , transcendence (philosophy) , race (biology) , consciousness , sociology , argument (complex analysis) , white (mutation) , pulpit , racial formation theory , gender studies , black church , african american , psychology , theology , anthropology , philosophy , biochemistry , chemistry , neuroscience , gene
The growing literature on multiracial churches tends to take the position that religious values can be influential in promoting racially inclusive religious communities. Marti offers further evidence for this argument: cosmetic changes predominately white churches make to their worship, music, and leadership in order to attract/retain “race‐conscious” black congregants. In this response, I argue that these churches do not cause blacks to transcend their race consciousness. They merely offer havens for those blacks who have already transcended their race enough to pursue membership in these religious communities. I conclude with a challenge to scholars in this line of research to add evidence of religion's ability to promote racial transcendence for “race‐conscious” white congregants.