Segregated Sundays

Martin Luther King, Jr. once said Sunday is the most segregated day of the week in America. Unfortunately, that statement still rings true today. When will we say enough is enough? Those of us who call ourselves born again Christians still perpetuate and participate in segregation and racism. Now I know there are healthy churches out there that are multi-racially healthy. However, there are not many.

As I write this I am ashamed to admit I participate in segregated Sundays too. I often find myself, especially being bi-racial (black and white) feeling pulled to pick one ‘church’ (i.e. the ‘black’ church v. the ‘white’ church) over the other. At least I feel a tension! I’m afraid many do not feel any tension at all; they just go with their ‘own.’

What must the world think when they look at us?

The mark of Christianity should be our love for one another, yet we cannot see past black and white. When will we begin to see red? The color which symbolically covers us all by Christ’s blood? Perhaps we do not understand what it means to washed in the blood of Christ.

Scripture affirms our oneness in Christ repeatedly. Consider Galatians 3:28:

“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female– for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.” (NET Bible)

The unity we share in Christ transcends all racial, socioeconomic, and gender barriers.

In fact if we look at the example of the Trinity, we find an image of oneness and unity. Christ’s prayer was for us to be one as He and His Father are one. Pew after pew in America sadly proves we are far from being one.

As children we all sang, “Jesus loves the little children…red and yellow, black and white…” I challenge you to ask yourself do you love all God’s children of the world—red and yellow, black and white. Like Martin Luther King, Jr. I too have a dream that one day segregated Sunday’s will be no more.