North Carolina Church Wanted “Only White People” as Greeters

[CakeGrrl]

20. That reminds me of a scene from "The Apostle"

where Robert Duvall's character, on the run and unknown in the area, sets up a tiny church in Louisiana with the help of a local black pastor.

He advertises on the local radio station, and initially, only a few people show up, almost all black.

The pastor's explanation? "The white people who hear you think you're black, and the black people KNOW you're white, but sure like the way you preach!"

The message? Generally, it was accepted that white listeners weren't interested in or comfortable going to what they assumed was a predominantly black, or at least black-led, church.

It sounds like "Freedom House" didn't want to scare away the white folk by showing too many black people out front.