Is music more to blame for the separation of Christians on Sunday morning than skin color? Well according to the author of this
blog it's mostly our music and culture that keep blacks and whites from worshiping together on Sunday morning...I kinda agree with the essay....My husband is one of those people who don't like mix church...It's not because of skin color but because of contemporary music....Now that's not the case for me...I grew up singing Southern Gospel as well as Contemporary music...I was part of my choral music class in high school and we did a little bit of it all...I love The
Gaithers, Casting Crowns, Hill song, Jimmy
Swagget, Third Day, Jars of Clay etc...
We may believe white folks go to white churches because there are white people there.... I don't think that's the case.... I believe white people go to white churches because there is white music there.... Or, more accurately, there is white culture, or a culture that is familiar and comforting to them, there.... What I am discovering along my way is white folk, in general, can't abide black music.... Oh, sure, they'll invite us over every once and again for a time of "special" music where we perform like circus animals and everybody gets a kick out of the good ol' Gospel hollering.... But after we pack up, they go right back to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir or Jars of Clay or whatever their thing is... The segregation of God's church certainly does not end with music, but it surely begins there.... I get restless and squirrely at white churches not because of the white people so much as the white music.... Music sets the tone and creates the atmosphere of worship. It's been the exceedingly rare church I've visited that played successfully to both sides of the aisle.... Usually the closest we can manage is Joel Osteen, whose Israel Haughton-led praise team sounds like, well, Israel Haughton—white music sung by black people.... I've known precious few blacks who could sing white folks' music with any real authority or vice verse.... We usually get overly soulful renditions of Third Day or anemic and embarrassing stabs at Fred Hammond. More here.
