Due in part to immigration, religion in contemporary America is more religiously and racially diverse than ever before. Much of this diversity remains hidden, since many American congregations remain racially and ethnically segregated. Multiracial congregations are becoming more common, but they often adopt the beliefs and practices of majority-white religious traditions and embrace narratives of color-blindness while leaving structural racism unchallenged. Transnational religious connections forged through immigration have the potential to shift America’s historical religio-racial patterns. Ongoing encounters with religio-racial “others” from abroad can transform individual and collective religious identities, beliefs, and practices in profound ways. As immigration to the United States continues in the coming years, scholars should pay attention to how religion, race, and immigration intersect, including how color-blind theologies may block the potential of immigration to dismantle entrenched racial and ethnic divides in American religion.
