Fourth of 10 Reasons I Wrote, “Someone They Can Trust”
“Someone You Can Trust”, my new novel, releases on Amazon on May 23. For more information, subscribe to the author email at the bottom of this post.
In the novel, “Someone They Can Trust”, black people and white people go to church together, pray together and study the Bible together.
This shouldn’t be a big deal, given that the Bible presents a vision of God’s kingdom welcoming every single people group, but the U.S.A. has an abysmal record regarding racial equity, and our churches are mostly segregated.
The black church has been a place of refuge and safety for generations of African Americans, so it’s understandable if they want their churches to stay segregated.
There are many reasons why white churches are segregated – they may reflect the reality of all-white surroundings, they may not know how to go about being welcoming to people of color even if they want to, or they may contain outright racists. Or all of the above.
Despite these wrenching realities, the bigger reality is that God’s Spirit of love is always working to break down barriers of race, class, age, belief and education. This novel shows a church allowing that to happen. We need to be able to replicate churches that are safe for people of color, which are also attended by white people. That’s why I wrote this book.
For several years I was part of a multi-generational choir that included older children, senior citizens, and every age group in between. We learned so much from each other. And the traits of one age group (enthusiasm of the young) rubbed off on the other (wisdom of the old). Such advantages would only be multiplied if diversity of race and background were embraced in our churches. Unfortunately, many of us are creatures of habit who have our preferences (music style, for example) and are hesitant about change. Your book provides an example of how wonderful a multiracial, multicultural church can be!
Absolutely. When you meet another person who’s longing for God, other differences fall away. I’m not saying a multicultural church is easy – most of us need to mature spiritually and emotionally to be able to hang in, but that’s what we want anyway. Might as well jump in at the deep end!