When I started to read more, I realized that everything I thought I knew about the history of Christianity and slavery was wrong. I had internalized the popular origin stories of Christianity and "western" freedom, which are based on 3 myths. A thread 🧵... Myth #1: Slavery in the Roman Empire wasn't that bad.

Myth #2: Early Christians improved conditions for slaves and contributed to the decline of slavery as an institution.

Myth #3: Early Christians were radical/egalitarian but became politically coopted by Emperor Constantine.

This article articulates a nostalgic, traditionalist Christian aesthetic steeped in parochial whiteness. nytimes.com/2020/05/08/opi… 1. Rod Dreher & Trad types are included in grouping of "Weird Christians"

2. Group is presented as opposed to "ethnonationalism," without dealing w/ their perspectives on race (which are racist)

3. No mention of how Hispanics have kept U.S. Catholic church/tradition afloat...

When evangelical Trump-critics describe the worship leaders hanging out in the white house as "obviously manipulated" and when they oppose Trump while deflecting on the racism of his evangelical supporters...

They play into the presumption of white evangelical innocence. The presumption of white evangelical innocence believes that white evangelicals can only support Trump in spite of his racism (and misogyny) and not because of it.

That those evangelicals close to Trump and those rushing to get access somehow cannot see who he is.

Christianity Today's outgoing editor, Galli, didn't address racism in his editorial. When asked on NPR about *white* evangelicals' support for Trump, he deflected and talked about their passion for pro-life and religious freedom issues.

I'll tell you why this is significant. Many scholars have demonstrated that the origins of the Religious Right can be traced back to resistance to racial integration. "Pro-life" framework came later and took shape within this racial cultural project politico.com/magazine/story…