Latest news with #BlackChristians
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Black Americans are more likely than other racial groups to express their faith in the workplace
Nearly 40% of Black workers feel comfortable talking about their faith with people at work, the highest of any U.S. racial group, our two recent studies found. But they also risk facing religious discrimination. For the past 15 years, we have been studying religion in workplaces. Recently we conducted two studies, including two online surveys involving 15,000 workers and in-depth interviews with nearly 300. Our respondents included Christian, Jewish, Muslim and nonreligious individuals. The majority of Black Americans – nearly 8 in 10 – identify as Christians. And we found that Black workers from all faiths are more likely than other racial groups to use their traditions to find meaning and purpose in their work and to feel 'called' to their work. Although not all Black Americans are religious or want their faith to intersect with their work, we found that many Black Americans very much want to bring their religious beliefs to work. This goes beyond just talking about them at work, such as their holiday celebrations or the importance of their church in their lives. In addition, Black Americans are more likely than other racial groups to display or wear religious symbols, such as jewelry or head coverings. Scholars have often focused on racial discrimination in workplaces. However, the potential overlap between racial and religious marginalization has not been studied as much. Some Black Christians told us that when they mention faith at work, they fear they will be discriminated against because of their race and because of their faith – what we call 'double marginalization.' For example, we interviewed a Black Christian woman who worked as an assistant professor of English. She told us she was reluctant to describe the challenges she faced in academia as religious discrimination but said the humanities 'tend to not always be welcoming toward religious people and Christians specifically.' She recalled several instances when she was treated differently due to her faith. Black Christians we interviewed said that co-workers stereotyped them as narrow-minded or sanctimonious in ways that felt marginalizing. For example, some said the term 'holy' – which might seem positive in certain kinds of contexts – can be applied in pejorative ways to Black Christians. A man we interviewed who attends a majority Black congregation said he talks about his faith openly in the workplace and often feels negatively judged. Members of minority religions may feel even more at risk. The largest group of Muslims in the U.S. are Black Americans. Black Muslim female workers, for example, feel three times marginalized – feeling at risk for gender, racial and religious discrimination – our study found. Their faith sometimes makes Black Americans less likely to address inequality in their workplaces. We found they sometimes draw on religious values like forgiveness and their belief that 'God is in control' to justify remaining quiet about religious and racial discrimination. This contrasts with our previous work, where we argued that religion can be used to address inequalities at work. We need more research that examines the inextricable link between religion and race in workplaces. Workplace leaders who care about lessening inequality need to understand that racial and religious identities are often deeply intertwined. The Research Brief is a short take on interesting academic work. This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit, independent news organization bringing you facts and trustworthy analysis to help you make sense of our complex world. It was written by: Elaine Howard Ecklund, Rice University; Christopher P. Scheitle, West Virginia University, and Denise Daniels, Wheaton College (Illinois) Read more: Americans die earlier at all wealth levels, even if wealth buys more years of life in the US than in Europe Why it matters that 7 states still have bans on atheists holding office Co-workers could bear costs of accommodating religious employees in the workplace, as Supreme Court reinterprets 46-year-old precedent Elaine Howard Ecklund receives funding from the Lilly Endowment Inc., the Templeton Religion Trust, and the Arthur Vining Davis Foundation. Christopher P. Scheitle receives funding from the National Science Foundation and the John Templeton Foundation. Denise Daniels receives funding from the Lilly Endowment Inc.
New York Times
14-03-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
Is This a ‘Negative World' for Christians?
Poverty Kills Where Are Our Ex-Presidents? Women Traveling Alone To the Editor: Re 'He Coined a Term for the Way Many Christians Feel' (news article, March 11): In Ruth Graham's profile of the influential Christian author Aaron Renn, I recognized my own relationship with conservative Christianity in the model Mr. Renn proposes — a present-day 'negative world,' in which being Christian no longer offers social privilege. But Mr. Renn's framework works only for white Christians. Black Christians could never be described as enjoying a 'positive world' in the 1960s. Perhaps this explains the conservative, often Christian, crusade to erase the history and accomplishments of people of color from schools and libraries. Mr. Renn suggests that the example of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. doesn't disrupt his model because Dr. King's persecution was about race, not Christianity. Absolutely wrong. Dr. King was persecuted by white Christians for his Christian values: equality, economic justice, peace, safety and access to the vote. Dr. King dreamed that everyone might love their neighbors as themselves. I left this religion of love years ago, heartbroken. True faith should never be entwined with white supremacy, misogyny or animus toward any group or individual in need. Today's 'negative world' has been crafted by religious people unwilling to love their neighbors. Surely, Jesus weeps. C. Sullivan Colorado Springs To the Editor: What a disappointment to read the long profile of Aaron Renn and see 'traditional Christian moral views' defined almost entirely through the narrow lens of sexuality and gender. For those familiar with Scripture, it's clear that Jesus focused on generosity, healing, loving one's neighbor and welcoming the stranger, while the Ten Commandments are famously opposed to killing and lying. By cutting international aid, our current evangelical-endorsed administration is killing others in great numbers, and it tells lies as often as the president requires it. Ideologues of Mr. Renn's persuasion might imagine less 'hostility' being directed toward them if they would focus on these kinds of very public and devastating sins instead of demonizing people's personal lives and fabricating theologies to justify the comforts of white patriarchy. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. Already a subscriber? Log in. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
