The Elusive Dream - The Power of Race in Interracial Churches (Hardcover)

It is communion Sunday at a mixed-race church. A black pastor and white head elder stand before the sanctuary as lay leaders pass out the host. An African-American woman sings a gospel song as a woman of Asian descent plays the piano. Then a black woman in the congregation throws her hands up and yells, over and over, "Thank you Lawd!" A few other African-Americans in the pews say "Amen," while white parishioners sit stone-faced. The befuddled white head elder reads aloud from the Bible, his soft voice drowned out by the shouts of praise. Even in this proudly interracial church, America's racial divide is a constant presence.
In The Elusive Dream, Korie L. Edwards presents the surprising results of an in-depth study of interracial churches: they help perpetuate the very racial inequality they aim to abolish. To arrive at this conclusion, she combines a nuanced analysis of national survey data with an in-depth examination of one particular church. She shows that mixed-race churches adhere strongly to white norms. African Americans in multiracial settings adapt their behavior to make white congregants comfortable. Behavior that white worshipers perceive as out of bounds is felt by blacks as too limiting. Yet to make interracial churches work, blacks must adjust their behavior to accommodate the predilections of whites. They conform to white expectations in church just as they do elsewhere.
Thorough, incisive, and surprising, The Elusive Dream raises provocative questions about the ongoing problem of race in the national culture.

General

Imprint:	Oxford UniversityPress
Country of origin:	United States
Release date:	August 2008
First published:	August 2008
Authors:	Korie L. Edwards (Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology)
Dimensions:	242 x 162 x 24mm (L x W x T)
Format:	Hardcover
Pages:	227
ISBN-13:	978-0-19-531424-3
Categories:	Books > Humanities > Religion & beliefs > General > General Books > Humanities > Religion & beliefs > Christianity > General Books > Social sciences > Sociology, social studies > Ethnic studies > Multicultural studies > General Books > Religion & Spirituality > Christianity > General Books > Religion & Spirituality > General > General Books > Christianity Promotions
LSN:	0-19-531424-7
Barcode:	9780195314243

Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate? Let us know about it.

Does this product have an incorrect or missing image? Send us a new image.

Is this product missing categories? Add more categories.

Review This Product

No reviews yet - be the first to create one!