Ethnocentrism among Free Methodist Leaders and Students

Abstract

An ethnic awareness survey was used to evaluate ethnocentrism in a national sample of denominational lay leaders, clergy, and college students of the Free Methodist Church of North America Those found to demonstrate the greatest degree of ethnocentricity were individuals with little or no college education and/or nonprofessionals from smaller churches. Those demonstrating the least degree of ethnocentricity were college graduates, pastors, conference superintendents, those from inner-city churches, and those involved in professional occupations. Among college students in the sample, senior level students were significantly less ethnocentric with respect to the questionnaire scales than their freshman counterparts. Level of education and the demographic nature of the respondent's church and home environment seemed to override the purely theological dimensions of religious and church involvement. The result is a discrepancy between the theological ideals of a church or faith and the way in which social values and attitudes are expressed in day-to-day settings.