Racism typically emerges from generalizations people make about a race or cultural group. It is naive to think that if we ignore racism, it will disappear. It is even more naive to believe that racial minorities do not face huge disparities in wealth, power, and justice. Religion has not done enough to overcome racial divide. Why, as Reverend Martin King Jr. once said, is 11 a.m. on Sunday mornings still the most segregated hour in this nation? The exclusion of some in God’s house gives the impression that some lives matter more over others. In her book, Traci West tells the story of Adelbert Helm, Niebuhr’s successor at the Detroit Bethel Evangelical Church, who tried to integrate blacks into the all-white church. Niebuhr insisted he not demand
