Ten Theology Books to Watch For – May 2024

When God Became White: Dismantling Whiteness for a More Just Christianity

Grace Ji-Sun Kim

( IVP Books )

When Western Christians think about God, the default image that comes to mind is usually white and male. How did that happen?

Christianity is rooted in the ancient Near East among people of darker skin. But over time, European Christians cast Jesus in their own image, with art that imagined a fair-skinned Savior in the style of imperial rulers. Grace Ji-Sun Kim explores the historical origins and theological implications of how Jesus became white and God became a white male. The myth of the white male God has had a devastating effect as it enabled Christianity to have a profoundly colonialist posture across the globe. Kim examines the roots of the distortion, its harmful impact on the world, and shows what it looks like to recover the biblical reality of a nonwhite, nongendered God. Rediscovering God as Spirit leads us to a more just faith and a better church and world.

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The Religion of Whiteness: How Racism Distorts Christian Faith

Michael O. Emerson /
Glenn E. Bracey II

( Oxford UP )

Are most white American Christians actually committed to a Religion of Whiteness?

Recent years have seen a growing recognition of the role that White Christian Nationalism plays in American society. As White Christian Nationalism has become a major force, and as racial and religious attitudes become increasingly aligned among whites–for example, the more likely you are to say that the decline of white people as a share of the population is “bad for society,” the more likely you are to believe the government should support religious values–it has become reasonable to wonder which of the adjectives in the phrase “White Christian Nationalism” takes precedence.

In this book, Michael O. Emerson and Glenn E. Bracey II respond definitively: the answer is “white.” The majority of white Christians in America, they argue, are believers in a “Religion of Whiteness” that shapes their faith, their politics, and more. The Religion of Whiteness, they argue, raises the perpetuation of racial inequality to a level of spiritual commitment that rivals followers’ commitment to Christianity itself. This religion has its own unique beliefs, practices, sacred symbols, and organizations. What is more, this religion affects more than just churches. It drives the nation’s politics, divides families, and is especially harmful to communities of color.

Using national survey data, in-depth interviews, and focus group results gathered over several years, Emerson and Bracey show how the Religion of Whiteness shapes the practice of Christianity for millions of Americans–and what can be done to confront it.

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