We just say there are five, you know, racial groups in the US. I say that these folks are what we call a sixth American. There's something different. They are somebody who - they don't exist in any particular racial category, so they all feel it and they kind of congregate to each other.
Michael EmersonThere's always the question of time. Does time at 10:00 mean 10:00 sharp? Or does it mean give or take a few minutes? And a few minutes, is that plus or minus two minutes? Or plus or minus ten, or maybe a half an hour each way?
Michael EmersonThen of course there are bigger things that matter, like who do I see up there in the congregation? Do I see myself up there? Well, I don't.
Michael EmersonSo different groups have different definitions, and then they clash on those. So it takes adept leadership to say we're going to work through these.
Michael EmersonNow they had to sit in separate places and sometimes they'd even have to sit outside and look through the windows. But they did worship together.
Michael EmersonThat's a big fear, right, and when I talk with black pastors, the same thing: If we try to have this move towards interracial congregations, whites will just dominate then. There are so many more of them, and they're used to being in the position of power. So they'll just take over, and we'll lose the one thing we do have.
Michael Emerson