ABSTRACT
Christianity thrives in many ethno-racial groups across the globe. In the United States of America, the faith manifests in particular ways among Black and white communities. What is especially fascinating is how Christianity is weaponized as a tool of oppression for some yet inspires resistance for others. This chapter surveys the legacy of Christianity in Black communities and in Black liberation movements and summarizes how and why Black Christianity has and continues to operate as a separate racial project from broader (white) Christianity. It then provides a genealogy of Black resistance and articulates the unique role Black Christianity has played in sustaining it. Specifically, this chapter will draw on race, religion, and social movements literature to assess how Christian faith facilitated social action during the Slavery Abolition Movement (as the “invisible” institution), during the Civil Rights Movement (as the “socio-political” institution), and during the present and ongoing Black Lives Matter movement (as the “socio-cultural” institution). Additionally, this chapter discusses social gospel theology, Black liberation theology, and womanist theology to re-iterate how religion is racialized (and gendered) within the Black community. Altogether, this chapter de-constructs the broad “Black Church” moniker, delineating the nuances of Black Christian political ideologies.
