A new model

Two days ago our church hosted the annual Christmas concert. It is always is an exercise in diversity, for people from almost every age as well as from almost every cultural and religious backgrounds fill the pews of the church as we host the Cosumnes College Contemporary Gospel Choir under the direction of Precious Craft. The first and last songs are sung together with our own, already diverse, choir. It occurs to me that this is how the Church is supposed to be: completely open, completely integrated and wholistic in bringing together the spiritual, social, relational and emotional aspects of life in an aesthetic experience that transcends all differences. We even took care of people’s physical needs as a great spread of food awaited the choirs and the audience. Of course it wasn’t perfect. Not everyone knew each other and I’m sure that some of the visitors did not feel completely at ease in a new environment. Nevertheless one could see what the Church is when it’s at its best. This is exciting and heartwarming and an apt illustration of what this site has been all about so far.

I have concluded that the Church as a whole tolerates diversity and even prides itself in the presence of cultural differences, but that it does very little to encourage it. By instinct the Church tends to encourage the sameness of its congregants in theology, social values and consequently appearance. History has shown that one dogmatically held point of view based on a few disputed verses can break the fragile body of a denomination as is obvious across the breadth of US mainline denominations now. So we face a fascinating paradox here: the Church at its best is perhaps the only body that can completely serve humanity in its wholeness, but at the same time it is the body least likely to embrace that service genuinely. It is not improbable that the Church will be last in welcoming people of all backgrounds, even though by definition everyone is welcome at worship. The major schisms in my own Presbyterian Church USA over the centuries have largely been a result of conflicts over inclusion. The consequence of homogeneity will be that without the checks and balances of a diverse body, congregations will continue to be at risk of psychological and political manipulation by leaders who are ill-advised and superficially educated.

I continue in my desire to serve the Church as a whole by sharing my experience and expertise in multicultural service and training, but I also want to use that experience and expertise to cast the net more widely. Other organizations and institutions are actively struggling with multicultural challenges. They too need guidance and direction. I would like to provide them training when my current “day” job will allow me to do so It has been one year almost to the day that I placed my first entry on this site. I believe it is time to expand the scope. So in the new year, expect to come to this site through the same web address, but also expect a different focus in multicultural service.