Tuesday, February 19, 2002

David Coates / The Detroit News Bill Joiner of Detroit, a member of East Lake Baptist Church, left, talks with Canton Community Church Pastor Eric Moore during a religion workshop on segregation.

Religion
Compassion key to breaking barriers
Religious leaders also call for more interfaith meetings

By Kim Kozlowski / The Detroit News

David Coates / The Detroit News Tom Olson, left, Michael Davis and Nebeela Khan chat during the religion workshop Monday at the Southfield Centre for the Arts in Southfield. Religion excerpts    The Rev. Jim Lee addressed why breaking down barriers to integration is important in our religious lives. The Rev. Jim Lee, Church of Today, Warren    * "Why should the walls of segregation come down? Well the first thing that I say is it is morally right. So if you take a look in the scriptures, especially from the Christian tradition, we're told to love God, and to love your neighbor as yourself. So the first thing that we need to do is just morally right, that is the right thing to do."    * "And then the next thing, for economic reasons, it is a good thing to do. Let's say for instance a church has a congregation that is diverse like at The Church of Today, very diverse, so if someone is not able to meet someone at a country club or something like that you are able to meet and mingle at a church and it increases the opportunity for the economic exchange to take place where it would not take place anywhere else. But do you know, in America the most segregated time is on Sunday mornings? So we have a horrid, a miserable record on integration, the churches. So in the 21st century it is up to us now to create an avenue in which we can do this, so that we can create something wonderful in America because as spiritual leaders we should be leading the way."    * "Then the last thing, we need to live together as brothers. I don't believe that we have a choice in this, and in order to do that, the churches and the religious institutions need to model the way in which we can live, work, pray and also play together." Can the divide be closed? Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, saying it's time for the region to face up to its racial divide, has set a goal of increasing diversity by 2006, when Detroit hosts the Super Bowl. Is this an achievable goal? Comment on this story Send this story to a friend Get Home Delivery

   Two white pastors were eating lunch together with two black pastors when an uncomfortable question came up.
   "What are you doing for Black History Month?" one of the black pastors asked the two white men.
   "What are we doing? We're doing nothing. We didn't even think about it," Canton Community Church Pastor Eric Moore said. "We get lost in our lily-white world and we never even think about the larger issue of race."
   Moore shared this story Monday at a Detroit News/WDIV forum discussing ways that spirituality can help pave the way to bridge Metro Detroit's racial divide.
   His point: Raising awareness about racial and cultural concerns is one of the first steps for tearing down walls in the most segregated metropolitan areas in the country.
   Other ideas among about 20 who discussed religion included "brutally" facing one's own thoughts about racism; recognizing the bias in one's spiritual doctrine, stepping out of a comfort zone and delivering bold race-related sermons or hosting cross-racial and interfaith meetings.
   "We are starting to wake up and beginning to understand the destruction of the evil of segregation," said the Rev. Bryan Smith, pastor of Geneva Presbyterian Church in Canton.
   "We need to really understand this is a problem and see the depth of destruction and see it honestly."
   Many agreed that media reports can barely scratch the surface of the issue; that's why it's important that spiritual leaders continue to communicate with one another to keep momentum alive.
   "I am always gratified when religious leaders are willing to talk with each other, and try to ascertain what they can do and how they can be involved," said Nancy Arnold of Detroit. "But everybody has to accept the responsibility."
   Brian Strong agreed, adding that the bedrock of the movement has to begin with love.
   "All Christ did was on the basis of love," said Strong, a Detroit resident, "and that's the only way we're going to get rid of this -- is on the love factor. If it's not out of love, what's the use?"
   It all starts with one integral person, said Bill Joiner, a mentor at the Wayne County Sheriff's Department and member of East Lake Baptist Church. And the effort doesn't necessarily have to end in the physical segregation that plagues Metro Detroit.
   "We want to integrate our ideals, our thoughts, our feelings, our beliefs, and we want to be comfortable with that every single day even if we run into a barrier, even if we're disappointed, even if we're told no," Joiner said.
   "Out of all the people in Detroit, it takes just one person to set the tempo."

Key points
   * Everyone should examine their own beliefs, and be brutally honest.
   * Everyone should accept responsibility for the problem.
   * Spiritual leaders should move from the comfort zone.
   * They should practice "holy boldness."
   * Religious leaders also should preach more race-related sermons.
   * They should hold more interfaith meetings.
   * They should also continue to communicate with other spiritual leaders.
   * They should instigate cross-racial meetings.
   * Everyone should examine the gray areas of religion, where stereotypes and cultural discrimination exist.
   * Everyone should seek to learn about other faiths' beliefs.
   * Everyone should work together, cross-culturally, racially, spiritually and geographically.
   * It only take one person to facilitate change. Be the one to start the tempo.
   

You can reach Kim Kozlowski at (313) 222-2024 or kkozlowski@detnews.com.