Racial Habitus, Moral Conflict, and White Moral Hegemony Within Interracial Evangelical Organizations

Abstract

Re-conceptualizing habitus as a complex of inculcated moral dispositions thatparticularly within the racialized social system of the United States-are racially-constituted, this article proposes a framework through which racial conflict and structural/cultural domination within interracial religious organizations, and perhaps other volunteer organizations, may be analyzed. Drawing upon qualitative data from a study of fundraising experiences within interracial evangelical organizations, I demonstrate, first, that racial conflicts within these organizations are best framed as disputes over moral standards arising out of divergent, racially-constituted, moral dispositions, and second, that these conflicts are worked out via the institutionalization and instilment of white cultural norms, ultimately resulting in the hegemony of white moral standards within the organizations.

Social Capital, Race, and Personal Fundraising in Evangelical Outreach Ministries

“…Moreover, Asian Americans have evidenced a pattern of ethnic‐specific giving and will likely fund other Asian Americans (Shao ). Consequently, the greater challenges that Asian‐American fundraisers face relative to whites are likely less attributable to instrumental social capital deficits and more due to differing cultural norms regarding the solicitation of financial donations (direct, business‐like solicitations vs. showing deference to elders) and what constitutes an appropriate livelihood for college‐educated individuals (Morton ; Perry , ; Sommer )…”

“…First, there are simply a greater number of white evangelicals to petition for financial support. Second, cultural barriers between the minority respondents’ social networks (e.g., families, neighbors, and church members) and their predominantly white EOMs may make white donors who are more culturally familiar with the personal fundraising model more attractive to minority fundraisers (McGlathery and Griffin ; Morton ; Perry , ; Sommer ). Finally, as the quantitative and qualitative data suggest, minority fundraisers with deficits in social capital are seeking out bridging social capital from white evangelical individuals and predominantly white churches.…”

“…The higher turnover among lower income minorities within EOMs due to social‐capital‐based fundraising difficulties has an additional homogenizing effect: lower income minorities are less likely to stay within the organization long enough to move up the leadership ladder, and thus, they are unable to influence the organizations to be more accommodating to diverse groups. As a result, these organizations take on a white middle‐class face and are viewed by racial minorities as ministries that are exclusively for middle‐class whites (McGlathery and Griffin ; Perry , ). Moreover, the sustained racial and SES homogeneity of EOMs that work with youth (CCC, IVCF, FCA, Young Life) may eventually contribute to the reproduction of racial and class divisions within evangelicalism more broadly.…”

“…Previous research on personal fundraising has also suggested that EOM fundraisers who are racial minorities experience greater challenges raising financial support than their white counterparts (Morton ; Perry ). Some of this difficulty is attributable to different cultural perspectives among Asian Americans, African Americans, and Latinos with regards to the fundraising techniques taught to them by EOM fundraising trainers (McGlathery and Griffin ; Morton ; Perry , ). However, much of the difficulty is likely due to the fact that historically disadvantaged minority groups tend to have less access to instrumental social capital than whites (Keister ; Lin ; Small ).…”

United by Faith? Race/Ethnicity, Congregational Diversity, and Explanations of Racial Inequality

“…While the prevailing opinion is that attending racially homogenous congregations tends to reinforce racial divisions on various social attitudes (Lincoln and Mamiya 1990; Park 2012; Perry 2014), scholars are sharply divided on the issue of whether or not significant racial/ethnic differences in racial attitudes will persist in racially diverse congregations (Edwards et al 2013; Marti 2010a, 2010b; Pitt 2010). Drawing on critical race theory, which views racial domination as a central organizing feature in the United States (Bonilla-Silva 1997; Omi and Winant 1994), some scholars contend that racially diverse faith communities are racialized institutions that typically cater to the racial sensibilities of Whites (Christerson et al 2005; Edwards 2008, 2014; Perry 2012). As a result, these multiracial congregations, though racially diverse in attendance, remain social spaces in which the White hegemony characteristic of society at large is not challenged, but rather is reproduced within the congregation.…”