Whiteness in congregational life: an ethnographic study of one ethnically-diverse congregation in the UK

Abstract

ABSTRACT 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.