Montanablue
Puritan Board Doctor
EXACTLY!!! And the fact of the matter is, at least in the U.S. and in Reformed congregations--we are not that example!!! I do not think there is any inherent difference between any races at all. So I don't think that there is something white about the truth--I just think that we let the WASP culture be the church culture, and that is an injustice to the truth--which is beyond culture.
I think you hit the nail on the head here when you talk about WASP culture. I often think this is more of a cultural issue than a "racial" one. One of my closest friends is African American. We grew up in very similar neighborhoods and cultures. We have a lot in common, and, aside from the stares that she gets when she walks into a church full of white people, she generally feels comfortable attending churches which are majority white. (In fact, she is a member of a PCA church that only has a few other black families). I think (and I know she would agree) that she is so comfortable because even though she has brown skin, she basically grew up in the same WASP culture that I did. In fact, we've joked before that she's more WASPy than me!
A few years ago, we visited a church in Atlanta together. It was what I guess one could call a "black" church. Even though the sermon was doctrinally very good - and similar to what we would have received at our own churches in terms of content - the service and worship style was SO different. And I'll freely admit that I felt very out of place and a little uncomfortable. I didn't really know what to do or how to conduct myself. I would imagine that many of that church's members would have felt similarly uncomfortable if they had attended my church.
All that to say that I don't think we should let the dominant culture completely rule over the church service. Of course, sermon and worship content needs to stay scriptural and confessional, but why not try to reflect the cultural demographics of our cities? As you say, truth supersedes culture. Why purposely exclude one or more cultures just because our culture happens to control the church?
Last edited: