The history of Christianity is vast, but the particular American evangelical/mainline strain is steeped in #whitesupremacy.
We could begin with the doctrine of discovery and the decimation of indigenous peoples, but I don’t know that history so well, so I’ll stay in my more philosophical-theological vein. What I can say is that the distinction between saved and unsaved (heathen and Christian)...
Is a racialized one. It is, of course about who is Christian and who isn’t. But “Christianity” in the US was handed down through european sources—and particularly through a form of Christianity that sees individual salvation as the only form of salvation.
This kind of Christianity also manipulates John Calvin’s doctrine of predestination into the idea that the one who is saved is the one can (literally and figuratively) purchase their salvation. Lemme break this down just a bit.
1. According to Calvin, God’s already decided who goes up and down. It doesn’t matter what you do—if you’re destined for heaven, you’re going there. If you’re destined for hell, there’s nothing you can do to change that either.
2. This def caused some problems. If we can’t change where we go, then, as some folk thought, we might as well live life to the fullest and let the cosmic chips fall where they may. Theological Hakuna matata.
3. As you might imagine, church leaders were not happy with this arrangement and neither were many church goers either. Ppl needed to have some evidence and some standard for whether or not they went up or down. So, the theology shifted.
4. In other words, leaders and church communities (one of which was the puritans) began making strict codes of conduct in order to ensure who was saved and who wasn’t.
5. But this wasn’t it. They also had to have proof that you’re saved not just bc you’re living right. You should also have a BLESSED life. In other words, being materially blessed meant that God had eternally blessed you. (Think Big Sean’s “blessings” here).
6. And here’s where things get really dicey (or really wonderful, depending on your perspective): there may be no bigger blessing than a whole land mass all for you! Sure, there were ppl living here, but they don’t worship the same God the puritans did, so they didn’t deserve...
7. This land. They had one of two choices: either convert to Xianity or, well... I’m sure you can imagine. And, in turn, “America” became a Christian “city on a hill,” a beacon of white Christian light for the world to see.
8. But this wasn’t enough. A city on a hill is great, it’s citizens may not always be blessed. Ppl still needed to know they were blessed, so they needed more material riches. But they weren’t willing to cultivate the land themselves, so you gotta find folks to do the work.
9. Solution: chattel slavery. Enslaved Africans became the tools by which white ppl gained their sense of salvation.
10. But you couldn’t just enslave ppl Willy-nilly. So a theological doctrine came out—the doctrine of ham. (For more on this, see Sylvester Johnson’s book on the myth of ham in the 19th century: palgrave.com/us/book/978140…)
11. Anyway, once the theological doctrines were in place, blk ppl were understood as theologically damned, while yts were always understood as good. Blk ppl were the tools by which white ppl gained their salvation (I’m saying it again bc it’s important).
12. Why does any of this matter? Bc, through a certain series of theological manipulations, Christianity and “America” became synonyms. To be saved in this country is to be American and vice versa. And...
13. To be American and saved in this country is to be white. Here’s the thing, though: the “christian” part is no longer necessary—though it is really helpful. I’m skipping a lot here bc twitter, but I hope the point is clear.
14. This is why blk ppl can be killed by cops and everyone question the black person. George Floyd might “change” some discourses, but the truth is, the country isn’t mad bc he died; it’s ashamed bc of HOW he was killed. If he had been shot, trust: we’d be where we were in 2014.
The truth is, blackness is still damned. It’s still cursed. It’s still wretched. So, when blk ppl rise up, white Christians are offended that the wretched have challenged their precious laws and precious police.
It’s not just white Christians, either. It’s also white liberals who don’t want #abolition. It’s also, ironically, black liberals who don’t want it either. The Christian logic of whiteness can be used by ppl of different races. And it is certainly antiblack.
Again, I’m simplifying a lot bc twitter, but I hope ppl get the point. And pls don’t come for me scholars! I know I’m skipping things! /Fin
Sources: Calvin, institutes gutenberg.org/files/45001/45…
Sylvester Johnson, the myth of ham... palgrave.com/us/book/978140…
@ZIJackson becoming human nyupress.org/9781479830374/…
