Opus 2013-41: Finding a church, part 3 of 4

There are certain things people are looking for in a church that are unmentionable.  What do I mean by that?  There are choices we make based on prejudice, pride and arrogance.

Some people have racial hangups that make them avoid certain groups.  I am not talking about a preference for worship style or music.  I am talking about an inner feeling of superiority based on who your ancestors were and where in the world they came from.  Two thoughts.  First, this is not as common as it used to be.  I really don’t believe that racial hang-ups are as common as they used to be, at least not in the white population.  Does it still exist?  Sure.  I see it, but it is like sexual sin used to be.  People are aware of it and know it is wrong so they try to compensate.

Second, it cuts all ways.  This is not just a white problem.  It is a very real problem in Asian groups and even in different segments of the black community not wanting to associate with those who came to America by different routes.

Even more pernicious, and often confused with racism, is class.  By class I am not talking about the person who doesn’t want to sit next to the homeless drunk who wanders in to get warm and smells like a sewer.  I am talking about people who look down on you because you don’t drive the right kind of car, wear the right brand of clothes or have good taste in jewelry.  I know that in one church we were snubbed by many people because we drove an old station wagon.  They did not realize that it was a choice, not a necessity.  I always laugh at a fund raising dinner the church had.  They catered a very expensive menu with Chateaubriand and white table cloths.  We had some friends who lived well but didn’t have two nickels to rub together.  They were invited.  We were not even though we were much better off.  The difference was we did not look like it. 

To be continued...

homo unius libri