Long before his death, he became a different man. At his funeral, a United Methodist bishop who is black participated. Yes, Martin, an African American serves as bishop in Alabama, presiding over a constituency that is predominantly white. Today persons of color serve throughout The United Methodist Church as bishops, district superintendents, conference and general church staff, as well as board members in far greater proportion than our numbers would dictate. But there is something different I detect in both church and society.
Today there appears no moral driving force to make the nation, or even the church, more inclusive.
Sometimes it seems begrudgingly, or simply obligatory. But the doors of opportunity have opened, however slowly or reluctantly, and people of color are represented in almost every sphere of corporate, government, community, and religious life. Those of us who remember how it used to be give thanks for these signs of progress. Today I believe problems of race are not bad laws but bad hearts. The challenge is to change hearts and attitudes, as well as behavior.