Whiteness in congregational life: an ethnographic study of one ethnically-diverse congregation in the UK
In this article, I argue that intercultural congregational life in the Methodist Church in Britain shows a clear gap between espoused theology and operant theology [Cameron, H., D. Bhatti, C. Duce, J. Sweeney, and C. Watkins. 2010. Talking About God in Practice: Theological Action Research and Pract...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Interlibrary Loan: | Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany) |
| Published: |
2022
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| In: |
Practical theology
Year: 2022, Volume: 15, Issue: 1/2, Pages: 120-131 |
| RelBib Classification: | AD Sociology of religion; religious policy FD Contextual theology KBF British Isles RB Church office; congregation |
| Further subjects: | B
Cultural racism
B Ethnicity B Discrimination B Intercultural B Whiteness |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | In this article, I argue that intercultural congregational life in the Methodist Church in Britain shows a clear gap between espoused theology and operant theology [Cameron, H., D. Bhatti, C. Duce, J. Sweeney, and C. Watkins. 2010. Talking About God in Practice: Theological Action Research and Practical Theology. London: SCM] in relation to matters of racism, equality and full participation. In this context, I will present data from an ethnographic study of one particular congregation, by which it became apparent that the unacknowledged norming of Whiteness led to miscommunications [McGarrah Sharp, M. A. 2013. Misunderstanding Stories: Toward a Postcolonial Pastoral Theology. Eugene, Orlando: Pickwick Publications], dangerous ‘havens’ [Marti, G. 2010. “The Religious Racial Integration of African Americans Into Diverse Churches.” Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 49/2: 201–217], and the unquestioning perpetuation of a particular White culture [Beaudoin, T., and K. Turpin. 2014. “White Practical Theology.” In Opening the Field of Practical Theology: An Introduction, edited by K. A. Cahalan and G. S. Mikoski, 251–269. Plymouth: Rowman and Littlefield] while the church nevertheless considered itself to be a church ‘for all’. I will consider the impact, on local intercultural dynamics, of White people’s lack of self-awareness and present examples of where the church was beginning to dismantle its own White culture consciously. |
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| ISSN: | 1756-0748 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Practical theology
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1080/1756073X.2022.2026561 |
