Show Notes
Since the 2016 election, a racial tension within white Evangelical churches has been made apparent. Donald Trump's election, for better or worse, has become a seismic event in American history. This episode explores how, since 2016 Race has emerged as perhaps the preeminent problem for Evangelicalism, to the point where we need to acknowledge that much of what we have called Evangelical Christianity is really better thought of as WHITE Christianity. Joining the show today is Tamara Johnson, who recently wrote a piece for The Witness titled "For Those Who Stay." In this essay, she recounts her own reasons for leaving her largely white church and returning to the traditions and social spaces of the Black Church. Johnson answers the following questions: "How did you find yourself in a largely white church and how did the events of 2016 affect you in that space?" "What is the scope and scale of this "Black Exodus?" "Why do white people, and not their black friends, bear the responsibility for educating themselves about structural racism?" "What role did Charlottesville play in your Exodus?" "How does abortion serve as a wedge issue when dealing with racial justice in the Church?" "Why the distinction between White Church and Black Church?" "How has MLK been misused?" "What is your advice to Black people who stay in White Churches?"
Links:
"For Those Who Stay"
"If You Love Me, Do Your Homework"
"A Quiet Exodus" - NY Times
"Pass the Mic" Podcast
"Truth's Table" Podcast
Cloak and Dagger on Hulu
James Cone's The Cross and the Lynching Tree
Michael Eric Dyson's Tears We Cannot Stop