Should the church be divided along racial lines

[Moonshiner]

I just watched this video here about a church event for certain types of people and thought I would share with everyone.My question though is, should a church be divided along racial lines?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcupiM_rr4E&feature=plcp

 

[Nom De Guerre]

Before answering...what is your opinion on the Mason-Dixie line?

 

[Toro]

Any "church" that separates by color I would avoid like the plague.

Scary thing, with the beers, how much of that pool is actually "water"

 

[SweetDee]

So it has come to this.

I predict this thread will have pages and pages of debate, including cat pictures, pointless pictures, gifs, face palms, people actually supporting this church and said people trying to quote scripture to support their racial views. I also predict this thread will be shut down.

I'll go ahead and start the never ending cycle

 

[crishmael]

Gungor "God is not a white Man" - YouTube

 

[Blackguard_]

I predict this thread will have pages and pages of debate,

No, threads on racism very rarely have debate. They're usually just pages of people talking about how bad racism/racists are, and ganging up on the racist(or maybe troll) or two that post in favor of it.

 

[toastface_grillah]

Racist Identity "Ministries?" Ew.

 

[Calvinator]

Hatred is alive and well in some "christian" churches still.

youtube.com/watch?v=tXbEBEAmlL0

 

[ImperatorWall]

I don't have to watch the video to answer:

NO!

 

[Jupiter Drops]

No, just no.

 

[George Peppard]

 

[wannaberocker]

Common Sense is not so common. Especially on CF.

IF christ did not divide people. What possible reasoning could there be for his followers to divide?

 

[MehGuy]

As long as it's only done for the lols.

 

[Daughter of Ararat]

So the old dude in the video is talking about how they don't get invited to non-white or not quite white events. Maybe if his group didn't exclude these people, they might be more willing to include them.

Gal. 328 There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

Churches may be based around a culture or a language because of the commonality of how they communicate or their goal of ministering to a community, but if they are really loving as Christ loves, then they would not throw anyone out of their services. The Good Samaritan was of a different mixed ethnic group (Samaritan) from Jews, yet he was praised for his love, thus we have a Biblical example of Christian love crossing borders. I think this can be broadened to interracial Christian love.

Actually, I was just reading a short article and watching a couple videos about race earlier today, specifically black Hispanics. If a church is a Spanish language church aimed at the Hispanic community, then they would do the community a disservice to divide along racial lines because they would have to have two or three or four churches, black Hispanic, white Hispanic, Native American Hispanic, and assorted mixed race Hispanic. If it was a black church, then they would have to have one aimed at Hispanic blacks and one aimed at non-Hispanic blacks. If you call Hispanic a race and don't allow another, you deny others their racial identity or their cultural identity. And this leaves biracial people without a church. That means far more churches and far more division, and far less working together to share the good news with others. Though we are different parts, we are all one body of Christ. Even the early church fathers knew that disunity was a bad thing.

On a practical level, this could be difficult because different parts of the world divide races slightly differently. (Armenians are considered [West] Asian by some Scandinavians, but are white in the US by court decision).

 

[Nom De Guerre]

I honestly think of Goofy's laugh when I think of this thread

 

[Blackguard_]

On a practical level, this could be difficult because different parts of the world divide races slightly differently

yes, such as "Hispanic" having multiple meanings. Are only those of Spanish or Portugese extraction "Hispanic"? Does it mean any native Spanish speaker? Anyone from or descended from a Spanish speaking country?

Around here, the term generally refers to Mestizos, those of some mix of Spanish and Native ancestry. That is, people from Mexico and other Central Americans who are racially mostly that.

"white Hispanic" shows up on forms sometimes, but seems kinda nonsensical to me. "'White Hispanic'? You mean a Spaniard/Portugese(who are otherwise considered white I believe)? A descendent of the Germans who settled in Mexico?"

 

[RayofSun]

That video. I could go through and pick apart what he said. But why? I think that is completely insane to the point where I sit in the midpoint of a laugh and a confused stare. Yes, it's possible to do both.

The midset of people can really confuses me. So, my answer is no. The church should not be divided along racial lines. Beyond the fact that I can't see why you would, I also don't see how it would actually work. As DoA said, it wouldn't work on a practical level. Where would the divides be? The logic completely mystifies me.
Church for white Europeans? Church for White people? Church for Olive-medium Europeans? Church for darker (but not black) Europeans? And goodness, let's not get into people who are at all mixed.

 

[Obzocky]

I do not feel this is a serious thread, but psht.

Whilst I understand that people may feel out of place/unwelcome, I do not see the point of using that as the basis for excluding individuals. Tit for tat is not the way grown ups should go life. It's not about whether or not one group does not invite another group so you won't invite them either or whether this group hates that group and so you must hate them too.

A church should be open to all, not open to some.


I do understand how it would work, because people who exclude and recommend dividing by certain categories rarely care for the details. They care that their own group is kept for those they view as similar to themselves, not those who are different. It would be awful to try and work it out on paper, but it would work if everyone took the job of segregating themselves seriously.

I mean it already happens. Whilst the services are not technically limited to certain groups the overall impression is that they are, because it's this big old circle of people feeling that those from outside the group would not want to come, and then those same people feel that those inside the group do not want them to come, and these attitudes feed each other until someone goes "oh get over yourselves" and breaks it.

Editing for clarification: I see nothing wrong with churches that are based upon cultural differences within different ethnicities. We have several groups on campus for Christians from various backgrounds so that they can come together and worship in a manner that is familiar to them. They are not closed to those from outside that particular culture/ethnicity, but they can appear that way because of the language the service is held in or the way in which it is undertaken. That I have no problem with.

I have an issue with what can sometimes come across as "we're a local church, for local people, we don't want you here". A church, no matter who it is directed towards, should always be open to anyone who wishes to join, even if it is designed with a specific sub-group in mind.

 

[toastface_grillah]

That video. I could go through and pick apart what he said. But why? I think that is completely insane to the point where I sit in the midpoint of a laugh and a confused stare. Yes, it's possible to do both.

The midset of people can really confuses me. So, my answer is no. The church should not be divided along racial lines. Beyond the fact that I can't see why you would, I also don't see how it would actually work. As DoA said, it wouldn't work on a practical level. Where would the divides be? The logic completely mystifies me.
Church for white Europeans? Church for White people? Church for Olive-medium Europeans? Church for darker (but not black) Europeans? And goodness, let's not get into people who are at all mixed.

In that case, I'd be able to church-hop to my heart's content.And please, no church for mixed-race mutts!

 

[m.a.r.X]

We want two churches, Church for the Aryans pure and impure !
I guess I belong to the latter