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I knew that I didn't come into this class with a lot of Christian historical knowledge because I have not yet taken a course in church history. I also knew that my US history skills were lacking. I have not intentionally studied American history since high school, and I never took a class that studied past the Lincoln administration.
My history gaps are huge.
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In the fall of 2015, the Original Broadway Cast Recording from Hamilton: An American Musical was released. I recognize that this is a creative, artistic rendition of history that Lin-Manuel Miranda has created from the work of Ron Chernow's biography on Alexander Hamilton, but it has seriously opened my mind.
I love that the show's casts include a majority of people of color playing the Founding Fathers and the family of Alexander Hamilton, the first treasurer of the United States. This hip hop musical is reframing history in a way to include people who have been systemically oppressed and typically ignored. Rather than what may be expected, people of color are playing the historical roles which were originally white men of power.
I quickly fell in love with Hamilton, and I saw the show in Chicago in June of 2017. In addition to the cast recording, the Hamilton Mixtape was released in December of 2016 as further creative insights into shared history. In the mixtape, hip hop and pop artists are covering tracks from the show and remixing pieces that were cut from the production.
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Much like the intro on the Hamilton Mixtape, the way that race has been handled within American Christianity is not as simple as a John Trumbull painting.
For those who may be unaware (as I was before the release of the Hamilton Mixtape), John Trumbull painted notable scenes throughout the Revolutionary War. One of his most celebrated works is the painting of the Declaration of Independence. While it looks nice and seems like everything easily came together to start a new nation, further research into the time period proves that the process was anything but nice and easy.
This is similar to my history knowledge - or, previously, my lack thereof.
I knew it couldn't have been easy or simple to handle the constant pressure and tension of race within the history of American Christianity. But, I don't think I was aware of how difficult it has been for people of color to remain in a religion that was written by men in the middle east, yet it has been studied deeply and loudly by white men in western contexts who manipulate the text to what would benefit them.
I'm not so sure that much has changed.
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During the fall 2017 semester, I was enrolled in a hybrid class of Biblical Literature 1 and Church at Worship: Preaching with Dr. Danna Nolan Fewell and Dr. Gary V. Simpson. For the third sermon of the course, I was creating a written sermon based on Isaiah 43:1-7 NRSV. I unintentionally referenced older commentaries which did not include any specific information about the third and fourth verses, so I left them as is.
My sermon was focusing on the literal and metaphorical exile of modern people groups who are marginalized, with an intended focus on people of color in relation to Black Lives Matter and the fear of diversity. I wrote that God cares for God's people.
I was genuinely shocked to receive my graded feedback which stated that these verses have been used to intentionally exclude people (especially people of color by referencing Egypt, Ethiopia, and Saba - locations in Africa) which is the exact opposite direction of my sermon. I had no idea that these verses were used against people of color, despite spending half of my childhood in a multi-ethnic church environment.
After I thought about it, duh, of course it made sense. These verses are extremely exclusionary, and I chose to not see it.
After I thought about it, duh, of course it made sense. These verses are extremely exclusionary, and I chose to not see it.
I still have much to learn.
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Many texts throughout both the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Testament include specific references or casual nods to slaves, servants, and others who are treated as unequal. Rather than the collection of books as a unifying story with a solo narrative of uplifting positivity (as many people have tried to market the Bible to me throughout my life), I now see that these books are filled with various genres for varied audiences. Scholarly research shows that scripture has historically been used by people in power to promote those same people in power.
Here's a pretty sad thing I have learned: the early Christian texts - including the Christian Testament books - never specifically call against slavery. Never.
There are casual references to slavery throughout the texts, including both the gospels and the epistles, and no one ever says anything against it. Of course, it would be super anachronistic to apply these to an American Christian context and say that the texts are racist. Slavery and race - a social construct - were not directly linked until slavery began in America. But, it doesn't look good from the biblical perspective.
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More specifically, the one chapter that is known as the book of Philemon has been used regarding the debates over slavery within the church.
Here's a pretty sad thing I have learned: the early Christian texts - including the Christian Testament books - never specifically call against slavery. Never.
There are casual references to slavery throughout the texts, including both the gospels and the epistles, and no one ever says anything against it. Of course, it would be super anachronistic to apply these to an American Christian context and say that the texts are racist. Slavery and race - a social construct - were not directly linked until slavery began in America. But, it doesn't look good from the biblical perspective.
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More specifically, the one chapter that is known as the book of Philemon has been used regarding the debates over slavery within the church.
There are three big characters in the text:
Paul, the writer of the epistle / literal prisoner according to the letter
Philemon, a slave owner
Onesimus, slave to be returned to Philemon
The name "Onesimus" means useful, so it's *possible* that the whole thing is a misunderstanding and that Paul is simply telling a story in this letter that is undisputed in authorship. But, what if he's not?
The passage uses manipulative language in order for Paul to assert control on Philemon who then controls Onesimus. Slavery is used repeatedly as a theological model for obedience. For example, in another undisputed letter by Paul, Ephesians 6:5 instructs slaves to obey masters just as followers of Jesus would obey Christ.
This collapse between the two is extremely harmful. Paul totally feeds into this support of slavery and never specifically denounces it; he absolutely could have done in the text if historical Paul believed that slavery was wrong.
This collapse between the two is extremely harmful. Paul totally feeds into this support of slavery and never specifically denounces it; he absolutely could have done in the text if historical Paul believed that slavery was wrong.
The influence of not denouncing slavery has continued throughout the history of the United States. John Henry Hopkins, a former Episcopal Bishop in Vermont, published a book in which he said there is no scriptural basis to end slavery. He wasn't incorrect.
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I was at the Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C. in March, and there was an exhibit on the beloved hymn, Amazing Grace. The exhibit included information about the lyricist, John Newton, who worked on slave ships prior to writing the famed song.
The song includes melodies that are typical of slave spirituals which shows how easily people in power - in this case, a white man - have appropriated culture that is not their own.
The song includes melodies that are typical of slave spirituals which shows how easily people in power - in this case, a white man - have appropriated culture that is not their own.
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In Eddie Glaude's book, Exodus! Religion, Race, and Nation in Early Nineteenth-Century Black America, the scholar relates the struggle of racism with the exilic periods in the Hebrew Bible. He discusses how Christianity was something that many black Americans adopted, but it came with conditional aspects.
Glaude writes, “Black evangelicals had to come to terms with the fact that early Christian evangelicalism was, to some extent, complicitous with slavery and white supremacy. Many of its proponents assumed the inferiority of black people…What meaning could Christianity have for them if the religion was, as it was assumed, a white man’s religion?”
Glaude writes, “Black evangelicals had to come to terms with the fact that early Christian evangelicalism was, to some extent, complicitous with slavery and white supremacy. Many of its proponents assumed the inferiority of black people…What meaning could Christianity have for them if the religion was, as it was assumed, a white man’s religion?”
If a religion has the power to support oppression, why would those who are oppressed choose to stay in it? That's a question that I struggle with, and I have found some hope in reframing the story through the writing and theology of Rev. Dr. James H. Cone.
Cone, a leader in black liberation theology throughout his lifetime (and likely a leader posthumously because of his deep legacy left behind in his recent death), writes in God of the Oppressed - one of my favorite books from this semester - that Jesus is black.
He says, "Christ’s blackness is both literal and symbolic. His blackness is literal in the sense that he truly becomes One with the oppressed blacks, taking their suffering as his suffering and revealing that he is found in the history of our struggle, the story of our pain, and the rhythm of our bodies…The least in America are literally and symbolically present in black people."
He says, "Christ’s blackness is both literal and symbolic. His blackness is literal in the sense that he truly becomes One with the oppressed blacks, taking their suffering as his suffering and revealing that he is found in the history of our struggle, the story of our pain, and the rhythm of our bodies…The least in America are literally and symbolically present in black people."
To see Jesus as one who suffers alongside humanity is a way to find hope in the struggle and to see liberation as something that is actually accessible on earth.
This is not to say that Cone flew in to save the day or that there have never been issues within the "black American church."
I think of the split between Historic St. George United Methodist Church (the oldest UMC in the United States) and what is now known as Mother Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church (the creation of the first national black protestant denomination) in Philadelphia. I think of how those original leaders who caused the split were courageous, yet they also withheld Jarena Lee from preaching because of being a woman.
I think of how Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, and Philando Castille should still be alive today. I think of how black women are even further oppressed because of their intersectionality of race and gender.
I think of how there is not a solution to our problems of the past and how those problems further perpetuate our current issues of racism. The work is not complete, but I have a glimmer of hope for liberation to come for all.
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Like in Hamilton, the stories that become prominent depend on who tells them.
In regards to how race has been handled through the history of American Christianity, will we tell it as something simple like, "Burr shot Hamilton," or will we look deeper into history and realize the legacy that lives if we are willing to study more?
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For my class in Biblical Literature 2 with Dr. Althea Spencer-Miller this semester, I am producing a series of videos on biblical interpretations with Brinna Kolitz. For our final video of Riding in Cars with Theo Students, we covered modern applications of racialized Christian Testament texts with PhD student abby mohaupt.
Enjoy! (You should watch the entire mini-series for an idea of how much we believe in the feminist movement, how hilarious we can be, or - you know, strictly educational things - how we have developed our biblical interpretations to this point.)
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Thanks for joining me on the blog today. I felt like I had mind-blowing experiences in this class, and I am so grateful for the opportunity to learn more and engage in classroom discussions. This is something that I care about, but I had limited prior knowledge. I have so much to share, and I tried to limit it to some key points.
I recognize that I am approaching the topic from a growing-in-scholarly-work perspective. I also recognize that I am a white woman of upper middle class upbringing which brings a great deal of privilege and power. I do not claim to know the experiences of those who are different than me, but I do hope to share some of what I have learned.
Did you learn anything new? Have you read other interpretations of any information that I presented here? Are you interested in reading more academic work? I would love to hear from you with your thoughts on this piece.
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Bibliography available upon request.
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