That declaration, which has been attributed to Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., used to startle listeners. Now it’s virtually become a cliche. For years, various academic studies and news articles have reported what many churchgoers already know: most American congregations are segregated.
In the latest issue of the academic journal Sociological Inquiry, two professors dug deeper into why Sundays remain so segregated.
The article, “Race, Diversity, and Membership Duration in Religious Congregations,’ said that nine out of ten congregations in the U.S. are segregated - a single racial groups accounts for more than 80 percent of their membership.
Kevin Dougherty , a sociology professor at Baylor University in Texas, and a co-author of the article, says churches haven't kept pace with other institutions.
