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Regardless of how educated you are or what you accept about the treatment of Black people in this country, slavery happened, and the dehumanization persisted beyond abolition. We have fought through Jim Crow, Redlining, and Segregation. However, there has always been residual classism that exists within the Black culture. Primarily you had the house slaves who thought they were better than the field slaves, and fast forward; the suburban Black people tend to thumb their nose at the lower class or ghettos.
Has the church become the new weapon of inner class separation? We started with the divisions, such as Apostolic, Church of God in Christ, Pentecostal, etc. Now we have begun to separate ourselves through our perceived levels of commitment. You know how it goes in the Black church; you have the saved, the sinner, the servant, and the backslider. The servants separate themselves from all other classes and use the Bible as an excuse. The interesting thing about the Black church is that they judge you based on your attendance and the number of ministries you serve. They use this as a gauge of your commitment or relationship with God.
The reason for having a door is to be able to close it and keep the public out and your trusted loved ones in. In other words, we don't know the level of someone's personal relationship with God. I would never disavow the need and the synergy that exists in corporate worship. There is definitely strength in numbers. However, no one gets to decide how much or how often you engage. The truth is we don't see what others do behind closed doors. Just as we don't know what the "servants" do in the privacy of their own homes. Regardless of these factors, you will be deemed off limits or "unclean" if you fall into a category other than" "servant." God forbid if as a former servant you decide your season of service is over, you are deemed worldly, carnal, or a backslider. I may not know it all, but I'm pretty sure God promotes inclusiveness, not classism.
I guess I am expecting too much from a race that has been oppressed; we become the oppressors in some form or fashion. The church has just become another tool to climb the ladder while looking down on those at the bottom. Yes, I am specifically talking about the Black church because I have never known this to be the culture at the White church. If you know of a different reality, I am open to listening.
Do your best to remember where you came from. Looking back at the person you have matured from will reconnect you with your humility. Our state in life, our position, our neighborhood, or our titles do not make us any better than anyone else. We are all simply growing through different stages in life at different times. If you have succeeded, throw the rope back over the gate and help someone else. Don't take the rope with you!
We are better together and weaker when separated.
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