The Anti-Racist Church: Freeing American Churches from the “religion of whiteness” to embrace the image of Jesus and Social Transformation

Abstract

The criminalization of African Americans is a major issue in the United States of America and for American churches of all racial backgrounds and denominations. In fact, American churches, with notable exceptions, particularly among Black Churches, have acquiesced to this narrative or actively supported it. This criminalization has historically and is currently leading to violence against African American women, men, non-binary, and children, both physically and psychologically. This violence is justified by the dominant socio-cultural and political designation of African Americans as possessing inherent or heightened criminality.This thesis seeks to first show how we ended up in this situation and how instrumental the role of the Western church and theology was in shaping this reality. Moreover, the depths of the violence are brought forth and examined to fully understand how it was legitimized through this justification narrative, as an accepted aspect of church, culture, socio-political, and economic life. Secondly, this thesis offers a solution to this problem in the form of theological reflection on the formation of the Black Church in the Antebellum South and “free” North. This theological reflection is also done in conversation with the early Christians/Church’s understanding of the imago Dei, as the image of Jesus, and their resulting ministry.Thirdly, this thesis translates theology into practice. With an understanding of how the problem came to be and through theological reflection on transformative solutions, practical examples of not only espousing change verbally but embodying it through everyday practice as churches, clergy, pastors, individual believers, and faith-based organizations are outlined. Finally, in keeping with the tradition of the faith, the importance of evangelization as translating theology into practice is reimagined. Although the focus is specifically the African American experience of being criminalized, that experience has universal implications for all those who are violently otherized.