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Quote by Michael Emerson

“I never meet a church that wishes they didn't do it. I never meet a leader that wishes they didn't do it. They will all say, to the person, it's hard. It's difficult. It comes with complexities and confusion as you're trying to go across cultures, and you don't understand, you didn't mean to offend somebody but you've offended somebody. But they will all say it just does something.”

Quote by Michael Emerson

Author

Michael Emerson

Michael Emerson is an American film actor born on September 7, 1954. He is known for his outstanding performances in various film and television projects, renowned for his exceptional acting skills and unique character portrayals. more

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“They could never go back to being a uniracial congregation again. It brings excitement. It brings life. It allows them to be able to know people they would never know, to meet people that are outside the congregation they would have never connected with, you know, through the networks that they developed in the congregation.”

People Knows Able Connected Excitement Congregation

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“I certainly think so, and I argue so, and I give talks on that. Are there risks by putting people together? Absolutely. Is there value in the black church? Absolutely. Is there value in having immigrant churches? Absolutely. But if we don't have congregations gathering with people of different races, what we're doing is we are redefining racial division, a racial inequality.”

People Ifs Thinking Giving Different Together Values Black Church Race Risk Arguing Inequality Immigrants Division Gathering Congregation Different Races Redefining Black Church

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“I spent a lot of time developing in books why worshipping separately actually impacts inequality, economic, social, on and on. So I really do believe there are huge advantages to being together even though it's difficult, even though we have a lot to learn.”

Believe Book Together Social Difficult Economic Huge Advantage Impact Inequality Developing Being Together

Author:Michael Emerson

“It happens a little bit more in the West, where there's more fluid - where everybody's originally from somewhere else. So they have a little bit more permission to do it. It happens the least, at the individual level at least, in the South, because the South has very strong, you know, set up black churches and white churches and a long history of that, and so it's a bigger social cost.”

Knows Littles Long Happens Individual Strong Social Bits Black Church White Levels Cost Little Bit Bigger West South Very Strong Permission Somewhere Else Fluid Black Church

Author:Michael Emerson

“One of the things we find when we talk to people that attend these congregations, they all have social cost to it. People want to know why they're doing that. Sometimes they're questions about selling out on their race or "Are we not good enough that you have to go to this kind of congregation and not ours?" So there are costs to it, and I think they're a little bit higher in the South because of its history.”

People Thinking Knows Want Kind Littles Sometimes Enough Social Bits Race Higher Cost Little Bit South Selling Good Enough Not Good Enough Congregation Selling Out

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“Every pastor I talk to says, and particularly if they're African American they'll say, "I'm not black enough for African Americans. I'm not white enough for the whites. I'm not Hispanic enough."”

Ifs Enough Black White African American Pastor Hispanic

Author:Michael Emerson

“There's always that sense of because we're so racially defined, if you're trying to cross the boundaries you don't fit into any particular space.”

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“We just say there are five, you know, racial groups in the US. I say that these folks are what we call a sixth American. There's something different. They are somebody who - they don't exist in any particular racial category, so they all feel it and they kind of congregate to each other.”

Knows Feels Kind Different Five Groups Particular Folks Categories

Author:Michael Emerson

“So you find a lot of these sixth Americans congregate in these interracial congregations. They hang out together at work, at school, wherever.”

School Together Hanging Out Congregation

Author:Michael Emerson

“It may be changing, but still it's the one place, that total control of an institution, that African Americans have. So sometimes, you know, you'll hear the statement of African Americans saying, "I have to work with whites.”

Knows May Stills Sometimes Institutions Statements African American

Author:Michael Emerson