White Man’s Religion?
Long Term Memory Loss?
“Christianity, I don’t think so. White people used Christianity to justify slavery and segregation. A Black Christian is a Black person with no f@*#$^% memory.”
This statement came from famous Black comedian, Chris Rock. He’s not alone in this sentiment, however. Many within the Black community have not only started to believe this view but spread it as well. Therefore, this begs the question: Is Christianity truly the White man’s religion? To answer this question, let’s address it point by point.
“Christianity was used to enslave and segregate!”
The truth must be faced instead of avoided, even when it hurts. Especially when it hurts. Yes, White professing Christian slave owners did use Christianity and the Bible to enslave and segregate our African ancestors here in America. There’s no getting around this disgusting fact. We have to ask ourselves though if the version of Christianity presented to our forbearers by their deceitful masters was true Christianity. Frederick Douglass, an escaped African-American slave turned abolitionist, public speaker, and author, wrote in his autobiography Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass,
“…between the Christianity of this land, and the Christianity of Christ, I recognize the widest possible difference…to be the friend of the one, is of necessity to be the enemy of the other. I love the pure, peaceable, and impartial Christianity of Christ: I therefore hate the corrupt, slaveholding, women-whipping, cradle plundering, partial and hypocritical Christianity of this land.”
This is amazing because it shows that the slaves weren’t ignorant to the fact that the Christianity they received from their masters was a twisted version and not the real “Christianity of Christ!”
What about the Bible though, right? After all, it does have verses that say “Slaves obey your earthly masters…” (Col. 3:22; Eph. 6:5). When reading the Bible, we have to be extremely careful not to take our 20th and 21st-century view of American slavery and import it back onto texts such as the ones just quoted. For the most part, slavery in biblical times had nothing to do with discrimination and hatred based on ethnicity and skin color, and in that sense, American slavery was unique in world history. The slavery in the Bible either speaks of prisoners of war or indentured servanthood (working off one’s debt with the requirement that the slave be set free after the debt is paid or in the 7th year). The exception to this was when the Egyptians engaged in the enslavement of the Hebrews based on their ethnicity and fear of them (Exodus 1:8-14). This was very similar to American slavery and is why African slaves in America identified with the Hebrew slaves and called on the same God who delivered them (Exodus 3:7). The Egyptian form of slavery in the book of Exodus, like American slavery, was clearly against God. The Bible EXPLICITY condemns the form of slavery that took place in Egypt and America in places like Exodus 21:16 and 1 Timothy 1:8-11. The Bible spoke of freedom and the slave owners knew that and the danger it posed to the institution of chattel slavery. So, in order to manipulate their slaves by seeking to keep them from uprising, editors removed whole books of the Bible and large portions of certain books (such as the story of the Israelite’s deliverance out of Egypt). Anything that spoke of freedom was taken out.
Yet, our ancestors found ways to read and learn the complete Bible and were able to see that Jesus Christ came to bring not only freedom from sin but freedom from the oppression and slavery they were in as well. In Glenn Usry and Craig Keener’s book Black Man’s Religion: Can Christianity Be Afrocentric?, they wrote concerning the Bible,
“Paul’s words were some of the most deliberate antislavery words of his time…Slaves in America quickly recognized ‘that the Bible had more to say about Jesus lifting burdens than slaves obeying masters’ and thus ‘discovered a secret their masters did not want them to know.’ It is to the credit of our forbearers that they could discern real Christianity [and the real Bible] from the perverted form of it their masters sought to enforce on them.”
“Ok, but Christianity was forced on our people and we know this because we were never Christians in Africa!”
As the old Negro spiritual would say, “Nah.” Men like Tertullian, Athanasius, and Augustine of Hippo were early church fathers who were instrumental in the development and spreading of Christianity throughout the world centuries before the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade. Oh, and guess what? They’re all North Africans, not White Europeans! That means that Christianity went from Israel to Africa to the rest of the world. Those are our ancestors! Tertullian (160- 225 A.D.) was born in Carthage, Tunisia and is widely known for defending the doctrine of the Trinity which Christianity considers an essential aspect of the faith. Athanasius (296-373 A.D.), known as “the Father of Orthodoxy”, was born in Alexandria, Egypt and legend claims he was called the Black Dwarf because of his dark skin and height. He defended the Hypostatic Union which teaches that Jesus is both fully God and fully Man. He also defended the Christian teaching of the eternal Sonship of Jesus which means Christ existed eternally and is equal with the Father while keeping His (the Son’s) distinction. One of the more famous events of Athanasius’s life was his debate with another African man named Arius (who was later declared to be wrong and a heretic) at the Council of Nicaea in 325 A.D. This council was to debate whether Jesus was fully God (He is).
Some within the Black community say that the Council of Nicaea is where Christianity was invented but that’s historically inaccurate as 12 years prior, Emperor Constantine issued the Edict of Milan (313 A.D.) which formally ended the persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire. Therefore, Christianity couldn’t have been invented in Nicaea in 325 A.D. for Christians were being persecuted for hundreds of years before that council took place. Augustine of Hippo (354-430 A.D.), probably the most famous and influential church father of all time, was born in Hippo which is modern day Algeria. He helped shape Christian doctrine and really helped the church grasp the fact that mankind is spiritually dead in sin and in need of the Savior, Jesus Christ. Some may ask whether there are Africans in the Bible or if they’re only in church history? The answer is YES! The people in the Bible are mostly people of color. Don’t forget that the events and writing of the Bible took place in the Middle East so White Europeans weren’t a majority in that region of the world. One of the most famous stories of God’s power and deliverance, the Exodus, took place in Africa (Egypt). Ruth was a Moabite which means she was a beautiful dark-skinned woman and the epitome of the Proverbs 31 woman. A Cushite (Ethiopian) man helped the prophet Jeremiah when he was being oppressed (Jer. 38:7-11). God used an African Jew named John Mark to write one of the Gospels (biographies) of Jesus Christ, His Son. His Gospel account is the second book of the New Testament. An African man from Cyrene named Simon helped Jesus carry His cross (Mk. 15:21). Phillip shared the message of Jesus with the Ethiopian Eunuch who then took the Gospel back to Ethiopia and to the Queen (Acts 8:26- 39). This caused Christianity to spread rapidly throughout Ethiopia making it one of the first ever Christian countries. When we look at the historical and biblical record, we see that true Christianity, instead of being forced on us during slavery, was in fact gladly and enthusiastically embraced and spread by and through our African ancestors centuries before American slavery. So, if you want an old school African traditional religion, look no further than Christianity.
“Since we’ve had such an impact on Christianity, why don’t we learn more about all our contributions?”
A tactic of White supremacy has been the intentional removal of any African influence from their presentation of Christianity and its history. We see this in the art where Middle Eastern Jewish biblical figures and the North African church fathers are portrayed inaccurately as White. “White Jesus” says Dr. Eric Mason of Epiphany Fellowship, “has done more harm historically than the Confederate flag.” Sadly, that’s true. Learning about church history oftentimes starts with the Reformation in Europe instead of Israel and Africa, bypassing North African influence. Or, if men such as Augustine or Tertullian are mentioned, their African heritage and ethnicity are not mentioned. This is why it is important for us as Black men and women to study our historical contributions within global Christianity. We have a valuable and noble heritage that has been handed down to us and we must honor it by adding our own contributions. Black man, Black woman, you have dignity, significance, and purpose in this life. God has created you in His image and that gives your Black humanity a transcendent meaning and worth. So, is Christianity the White man’s religion? UNEQUIVOCALLY NO! In fact, as Dr. Mason states, “Africa influenced Europe. Not the other way around.” Christianity is God’s religion for all ethnic groups everywhere. His purpose is to create a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural family centered around the person and work of Jesus Christ (Gen. 12:1-3; Gal. 3:8; Rev. 5:9; Rev. 7:9-10). Beautifully, Christianity has rich African roots.
The Gospel that spread through and from Africa
“For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give His life as a ransom for many.” –Jesus as recorded in Mark 10:45
The message of Jesus Christ that spread through and from Africa is both profound and yet, simple enough that a child can grasp it. The Gospel says that Jesus Christ, the One who is fully God and fully Man, came to Earth to live the perfect life we can’t. We are called to perfectly obey God by obeying His Law (the 10 Commandments) and yet we fail daily in our thoughts, words, actions, and motives. We lie and steal. We have hatred and lust in our hearts which is murder and adultery. We don’t love God or our neighbor as we ought. Therefore, His wrath remains on us and the Lake of Fire is the punishment we deserve. But God, who is rich in mercy and love, sent Jesus to the Cross to take the punishment we deserve on Himself, and die the death we should’ve died. And Jesus willingly went to the Cross as our sacrifice because of His unfathomable love for us. On the third day, He rose from the dead proving that the Father accepted His sacrifice on our behalf and proving that He is who He claims to be. Because Jesus paid our sin debt in full through His broken body and shed blood, we can now receive the free gift of God’s salvation! That’s grace! The response to this Good News or Gospel is to turn from sin to God by trusting in Jesus Christ alone. The result will be a life lived in grateful and loving obedience to God through obedience to His Law (the 10 Commandments). Obedience to the Law of God doesn’t bring salvation but is evidence that a person is saved.
It is THIS Gospel that set Africa ablaze for God and it is this fire, this Gospel, that spread from Africa to the world. It is this Gospel that can set you free by God’s grace alone, through faith alone, in Jesus Christ alone!
“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” –Jesus as recorded in John 8:36.
RESOURCES FOR FURTHER STUDY
How Africa Shaped the Christian Mind by Thomas Oden
Black Man’s Religion: Can Christianity Be Afrocentric? by Glenn Usry and Craig Keener
Divided by Faith: Evangelical Religion and the Problem of Race in America by Michael Emerson and Christian Smith
Heal Us, Emmanuel: A Call for Racial Reconciliation, Representation, and Unity in the Church by Doug Serven
The Color of Compromise: The Truth about the American Church’s Complicity in Racism by Jemar Tisby
Urban Apologetics: Restoring Black Dignity with the Gospel by Eric Mason & Others
The PCA’s Racial Reconciliation Report (https://resources.pcamna.org/resource/report-on-racial-and-ethnic-reconciliation/)