The Heresy Of White Christianity

The author, Curtis J. Evans, argues that African Americans and images of black religion in American culture have been key to the development of American ideals and culture, as well as a reflection of the nation’s failures as a country. Throughout the text, Evans never truly offers any added narrative to the events in history he speaks on, but simply historicizes the burden that has been placed on black religion, and by natural extension, black people. He documents the changes in how black religion was viewed in America and how black America responded to these views.

Unlike DiAngelo’s White Privilege essay, a group of religious authorities under the umbrella of Christian Churches Together in the U.S.A. wrote a response letter to Dr. Reverend King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” First quoting a portion of Dr. King’s letter then responding to the quote, the group takes a Biblical stance on the racial issues that continue to preside in modern day American culture. Beginning the essay, the group differentiates between merely acting upon the symptoms of racism. “... (a) superficial kind of social analysis…” and discovering and fixing the root of the racial. By investigating the racial issues at hand and striving towards Dr. King’s dream of a community of equal opportunities for all races, then the conversation of racial inequality can begin. Realizing that fostering a multiracial community centered around radical love that forsakes “safety of our social order,” we, as the Christian body need to develop a society that eliminates the social prejudices currently penetrate into every aspect of

The first essay is about James Baldwin's personal perspective of being black in racist America. The second essay goes on to how religion and Christianity allowed the segregation and oppression of blacks to grow between both whites and blacks of the United States (Baldwin, 1963). Christianity in the United States can be easily be compared to the opiate of the masses. Religion controlled the lives of the whites and forced the blacks to live under the oppressive rule of the whites.

The distinction between White and Black Theology also exists because White Theology first used religion to oppress African Americans. “In the lynching era, between 1880 to 1940, white Christians lynched nearly five thousand black men and women in a manner with obvious echoes of the Roman crucifixion of Jesus. Yet these ‘Christians’ did not see the irony or contradiction in their actions.” Just as the Europeans sought out the New World for religious freedom, so also did the African slaves. The journey to freedom was long and devastating. Greedy slave owners justified their sin by claiming the kidnapping and forced slavery of Africans was “God’s good reason for slavery,” and it was the white man’s duty to convert them and save their souls. But the question is, convert them to what- a white man? This, Du Bois claims is impossible. “How the fine sweet spirit of

Religions outside of the black church are ultimately looked at as “external elements”, that lead to the true focus of African American religion, the black church (pg. 43). The overall purpose of chapter three, was to look at African American religion beyond the scope of theism, considering our history and culture, as ways in which we can understand black religion in America. To begin, the chapter addressed the issues of transcendence in African American religion, and how it helps

Cone’s main point in his book is the relationship between the lynching of thousands of African Americans and Jesus’ death by the cross. He argues that lynching of black citizens became the American way of crucifixion of black people. In his book, Cone highlights the suffering of thousands of black citizens from hatred from a Christian perspective. Analyzing history with a metaphor little used before, Cone identifies the direct relationship between the suffering of African Americans and the Calvary of Jesus Christ.

These cruelties were confronted by the church where it was unknown if the African American race could express themselves past whether it was the blues or spiritually or even both. The Lynching trees shares a major resemblance of the cross of Golgotha where Jesus our Savior was crucified for the sins of the human race. The irony presented here demonstrates how the lynching of Jesus Christ of Him dying on the cross and the lynching of five thousand African American individuals have a great difference in American theology where those who committed the acts within the states did not see the similarities between them both. Martin Luther King Jr. had a prominent role within society in America where he sought out to teach the white race of the United States that if the cross were the pillar of the Christian faith then they would soon learn that the lynching tree is the American cross. Even with the outlaw of segregation through the case of Brown vs. the Board of Education, lynching was a shocking reminder to the American population of the power the white race had upon the African

With the changing landscape occurring in this county, it appears the church, in particular, the black church has come under attack again. Attacking the church and communities it serve is nothing new. Burning and bombing of churches have been a part of America’s fabric since enslaved and freed Africans began to embrace Christianity. The killing of its members is even more common. However, the recent episodes of violence suggest a rebuking of laws and human rights, which shapes the country’s recent paradigm.

Why does a person need to show acknowledgement to those of other sects? How come he looks different from his denomination? What reason does he have to always oppose my father’s method of raising me? These questions bug three characters as they figure out the link that mysteriously connects their lives together. In The Chosen, Chaim Potok precisely portrays the various ways of welcoming differences.

Race perhaps, can play a major role toward a person’s faith or doubt in the existence of God. For instance, the article by James Baldwin, “The fire next time”, he mentions that “I do not know many Negroes who are eager to be accepted by white people, still less to be loved by them; they, the blacks, simply don’t wish to be beaten over the head by the whites every day. Neither civilized reason nor Christian love would cause any of those people to treat you as they presumably wanted to be treated… (Baldwin, 1963, p.21).” This sentence may imply that, although the Christian faith claims the importance of “loving thee neighbors as yourself” (NIV, Mark 12 verse 31), some of the white supremacist Christian’s in America may choose to enslave the African

In the Cross and the Lynching Tree, Cone presents his argument for the irony between the symbol of faith, the cross, and the most symbolic representation of black oppression in the 1960s, the lynching tree. The lynching tree is a metaphor for white America’s crucifixion of black people, and it best reveals the religious meaning of the cross in our community. In this sense, black people are said to be like Christ figures, not because they wanted to suffer but because they had no choice. The black church for years has been a safe haven, and played an instrumental role in the religious and social life of Black America. Cone states the black church was the creation of a black people "whose daily existence was an encounter with the overwhelming

Historically, racial segregation was a key factor shaping the role of the Black church. "By the same token, it created the relative structural absence of institutional participatory alternatives and molded the cultural presence of an overarching moral community" (Hunt, & Hunt, 2000, p. 588).

The End of Racism is a highly controversial piece of literature because of some the views race relations in America, but as challenging as it is to accept there are many valid points discussed in its reading. The author is a critically acclaimed best seller and a well-respected conservative Christian figure. His views in the end of racism, at times, seemed extremely one sided, but at other times provides valuable insight form a different perspective. Dinesh D’Souza and some of his views in this book are an excellent example for why I’m writing on this topic.

hooks examines the theoretical positions that address racism but are lacking. First, she presents black theologian James Cone’s standpoint: “Cone calls upon whites, blacks, and all other non-black groups to stand against white supremacy by choosing to value, indeed to love, blackness” (hooks 11). Like hooks, Cone expresses the need to embrace blackness. To achieve this, Cone demanded the need to deconstruct whiteness. He did not reinforce the common belief that if people ignored differences between races that racism would disappear. Instead, he argued that

The church should continue to teach as the word of God says, and show love to all. With the emphases