The congregation was fine with the idea of hiring an African American as long as it did not have any major impact on the church. But once his
African-American identity became more evident (i.e., that he really was a "brother"),3 the idea of having an African-American pastor was less attractive. Furthermore, congregants did not hesitate to make their concerns about various practices, styles, or activities known to him and the elders. Although people had similar religious beliefs and appeared compatible culturally, their varying religio-cultural, socioeconomic, and life experiences made racial
...more
