Abstract
In his eloquent writings, African American statesman and abolitionist Frederick Douglass (1818–1895) railed against the hypocrisy of American Christians who participated in a vicious system of chattel slavery: “The man who wields the blood-clotted cowskin during the week fills the pulpit on Sunday, and claims to be a minister of the meek and lowly Jesus.” Douglass’s prophetic reflections on nineteenth-century America revealed the evil of intrinsic racism and subjugation, especially among those who purported to be Christians.
When confronted with questions of persistent racism today, too often the response is that prejudicial attitudes and behaviors lie in the past and that those who harp on this topic should just “Get over it!” Hostile accusations are often made against the #BlackLivesMatter movement and other efforts to promote racial justice, with the pretext that such groups are over-reacting. Yet, as of the writing of this editorial, two recent events point to the ongoing reality of racism. On the eve of the NBA finals, vandals have spray-painted racist graffiti on the home of basketball star LeBron James. In addition, two nooses have been found on the grounds of the Smithsonian museum in Washington, DC, at the new National Museum of African-American History and Culture. Such symbols of racial oppression and lynching are stark reminders that the topic of racism is still highly relevant in our current age.
The present issue of Interpretation wrestles with race and racism in all of their variety, as the first of a three-part series on race and racial justice. Future issues will cover related topics of immigration, forced migration, and incarceration.
The first essay is the product of a forum on race held at Union Presbyterian Seminary in April of last year. Brian K. Blount, Katie G. Cannon, and Jamie Thompson answered a series of questions posed by moderator Samuel L. Adams, one of the editors of the journal. These questions represent an effort at addressing an array of subtopics pertaining to race and racism. From the antebellum period, to the Civil War, to recent discourse on African American athletes, entertainers, and the lives of every day people, the forum covers a broad swath of issues, including sustained attention to the complicity of Christianity in fostering racist attitudes. As Cannon asserts, “White supremacy is the ‘Trojan Horse’ within organized Christianity, undermining and subverting the liberating news of the gospel.
Kelly Brown Douglas continues her groundbreaking work with an essay on breaking the cycle of racial violence. She argues convincingly that the assumption of white supremacy is built into the fabric of American society, and she engages in a penetrating discussion of history to make her case. The essay includes constructive suggestions for modern believers: “Churches are vital in the process of opening white minds to the realities and consequences of anti-blackness and white supremacy.”
The elitist assumptions we make about Jesus often work to the detriment of an inclusive understanding of his life and ministry. Miguel de la Torre demonstrates the value of alternative readings of the Gospel accounts from the perspective of brown-skinned immigrants to this country. He works through some of the key scenes in the life of Jesús, the child from the barrio whose scandalous birth and questionable background made him a suspect figure in an oppressive, colonial context. He calls on churches and individual Christians to affirm this liberative reading of the sacred story, rather than remaining complicit with empire.
Finally, we include an open letter signed by presidents and deans of various seminaries on the topic of race. This letter recognizes the complexity of our national conversation, but also the need for prophetic witness in the face of fragile circumstances, rapid social change, and political polarization that seems to grow harsher with each passing day.