United by Faith? Race/Ethnicity, Congregational Diversity, and Explanations of Racial Inequality (original) (raw)
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Congregational Size and Attitudes Towards Racial Inequality Among Church Attendees in America
Religions
Objective. Research suggests that congregational characteristics are associated with the racial attitudes of American churchgoers. This study examines the relationship between congregational size and beliefs about the Black/White socioeconomic gap among religious adherents. Method. Drawing upon data from the General Social Survey and the National Congregations Study, we fit binary logistic regression models to estimate the association between congregational size and Americans’ explanations of Black/White economic inequality. Results. Findings reveal that attendees of larger congregations are less likely than attendees of smaller congregations to explain racial inequality as the result of the racial discrimination. The likelihood of explaining racial inequality in terms of personal motivation does not vary by congregation size. Conclusion. Despite the growing diversity in larger congregations in America, such congregations may steer attendees’ views about racial inequality away from systemic/structural factors, which may attenuate the ability of such congregations to bridge racial divisions.
Congregational Size and Attitudes toward Racial Inequality among Church Attendees in America
Research suggests that congregational characteristics are associated with the racial attitudes of American churchgoers. This study examines the relationship between congregational size and beliefs about the Black/White socioeconomic gap among religious adherents. Method. Drawing upon data from the General Social Survey and the National Congregations Study, we fit binary logistic regression models to estimate the association between congregational size and Americans' explanations of Black/White economic inequality. Results. Findings reveal that attendees of larger congregations are less likely than attendees of smaller congregations to explain racial inequality as the result of the racial discrimination. The likelihood of explaining racial inequality in terms of personal motivation does not vary by congregation size. Conclusion. Despite the growing diversity in larger congregations in America, such congregations may steer attendees' views about racial inequality away from systemic/structural factors, which may attenuate the ability of such congregations to bridge racial divisions.
Congregational Composition and Explanations for Racial Inequality Among Black Religious Affiliates
Objective. Prior research suggests that congregational characteristics are associated with the racial attitudes of Black churchgoers. This study examines the relationship between congregational diversity and beliefs about the Black/White socioeconomic gap among Black religious adherents. Method. Drawing upon pooled data from the General Social Survey and the National Congregations Study, we fit binary logistic regression models to estimate the association between congregational diversity and the explanations of Black/White economic inequality among Black religious adherents. Results. Findings from our study reveal that congregational diversity is one factor that accounts for intragroup differences in racial attitudes among Black religious affiliates. Relative to Blacks that attend religious services in overwhelmingly Black congregations, Blacks that attend religious services in congregations that are overwhelmingly White are significantly less likely to attribute Black/White socioeconomic gaps to a lack of educational opportunities. Conclusion. Our study demonstrates that congregational diversity is a source of intragroup variation in racial attitudes among Black religious affiliates, which may attenuate the ability of such congregations to bridge racial divisions.
Sociology of Race and Ethnicity
Religious participation has reinforced the color line in American society for generations. Despite rising racial and ethnic diversity across U.S. communities, most Americans continue to belong to congregations composed primarily of others from their own racial/ethnic groups. Yet recent scholarship suggests that the presence of multiple racial or ethnic groups in the same congregation is increasing. The authors examine how the racial/ethnic composition of U.S. congregations is related to white attenders’ friendship networks and comfort with other racial/ethnic groups (i.e., blacks, Hispanics, and Asians). Using national survey data, the authors find that whites in multiracial congregations report more diverse friendship networks and higher levels of comfort with nonwhites than do whites in nonmultiracial congregations. However, the influence of worshipping with another race/ethnicity seems to be most pronounced for whites in congregations with Hispanics. Moreover, neighbors and frien...
Race and Faith: The Role of Congregations in Racial Justice
In the summer of 2020, catalyzed by the killing of George Floyd, some places of worship more fully entered the conversation on race. Religious traditions often have tools for conflict resolution, repentance, and even reconciliation. How are congregations and religious leaders using the tools of religion to engage questions of racial justice? Our answers come through a multimethod data set collected over two years: (a) surveys of 2,293 congregants from 35 diverse congregations find that race relations is the issue they most want their place of worship to address; (b) 90 sermons from 15 congregations reveal how clergy talked about race in the weeks after Floyd’s murder depended on racial background; (c) 21 clergy interviews illustrate differences in how clergy use religion to engage on racial issues; and (d) interviews with seven national leaders and focus groups with six congregations resulted in a collection of publicly-available faith-based racial justice resources.
Recent research suggests that, for white Americans, conflating national and religious group identities is strongly associated with racism, xenophobia, and Islamophobia, prompting some to argue that claims about Christianity being central to American identity are essentially about reinforcing white supremacy. Prior work has not considered, however, whether such beliefs may influence the racial views of non-white Americans differently from white Americans. Drawing on a representative sample of black and white Americans from the 2014 General Social Survey, and focusing on explanations for racial inequality as the outcome, we show that, contrary to white Americans, black Americans who view being a Christian as essential to being an American are actually more likely to attribute black-white inequality to structural issues and less to blacks' individual shortcomings. Our findings suggest that, for black Americans, connecting being American to being Christian does not necessarily bolster white supremacy, but may instead evoke and sustain ideals of racial justice.
How Monochromatic Is Church Membership? Racial-Ethnic Diversity in Religious Community
Sociology of Religion, 2003
Ca/vin Co&,ge Itis a common cmu:eption that the church is among the most segregated of American institutions, yet there is little research to identify the extent of racial-ethnic homogeneity of to explain what factors propel diversity within reli~ous communities. Research that does exist draws primarily on individual level data and treats diversity asa categorical variable. This paper introduces a continuous measure of racial.ethnic diversity. It also brings attention to contextud features (repon and location size) and organizational features (faith group, church structure, and socioeconomic characteristics ) of local religious communities in order to understand the importance of lrroximity and similarity in promoting racial-ethnic integration. The analysis employs the 1993 American Congregation Giving Study, a sample of 625 congregations and parishes from tire Christian traditions. Findings suggest that religious communities are not wholly monochromatic. Patterns of diversity differ by faith group, region, and location size. A dLw.ussion of implications condudes the paper.
Religious Influences on Understandings of Racial Inequality in the United States
Social Problems, 2007
How does religion influence the way Americans understand the racial inequality that pervades our society? Only a few studies have explored this question, concentrating on how religious conservatism affects whites' views, and generating conflicting findings. Using data from a national random sample telephone survey Hartmann 2003, N = 2081), we find that among whites, both gender and education shape the effects of religious conservatism on attitudes toward racial inequality. We show that religious subcultural effects are different for African Americans and Hispanic Americans than they are for whites. We also find that, across religious subcultures, the more religiously involved have less progressive views on racial equality than those who are less involved. We demonstrate the interaction of religious subculture, race, education, and gender in forming American's views of racial inequality and we identify other religious effects on views of racial inequality not explored in previous research. We argue that to understand how religion shapes racial attitudes we need to do more in-depth research on the religious subcultures of non-whites, expand our focus beyond conservative Protestants, take into account religious institutional factors that operate across religious subcultures, and explore the structural factors that shape the use of religious cultural tools in forming racial attitudes. survey data suggested that liberal/ conservative differences were mainly to be found in party affiliation, views of abortion, and attitudes about gender roles and sexuality . Recent scholarship has turned away from culture wars questions and toward exploring the historical, cultural, and political distinctiveness of fundamentalist, evangelical, Pentecostal, and charismatic subcultures (Woodberry and Smith 1998), and theorizing why such subcultures thrive under conditions of late modernity (cf.
Racial Diversity, Religion, and Morality: Examining the Moral Views of Multiracial Church Attendees
Previous research has identified an important link between participation in a racially diverse faith community and more progressive views on racial, political, and social issues, but researchers have yet to examine whether multiracial church attendees differ from racially-homogeneous church attendees in terms of their moral views. This research note utilizes national data (2005 Baylor Religion Survey) to examine the relationship between involvement in a multiracial congregation and views toward activities that are understood to be morally contentious. I estimate logistic regression models to isolate the relationship between multiracial church attendance and support for nine morally contentious activities related to sexuality, families, substance use, and suicide. Analyses reveal that, net of other factors, persons who attend multiracial congregations are more likely to express support for extramarital sex, premarital cohabitation, planned unwed pregnancy, marijuana use, and euthanasia, compared to persons who attend homogeneous congregations where they are the majority race. Multiracial church attendees thus appear to hold more permissive moral views on certain issues relative to attendees of racially homogeneous congregations. Significant interactions are also found between multiracial church attendance, race, and religious tradition. Alternative explanatory accounts (social contact vs. self-selection) are considered.