A Leviathan, Whiteness as Religion, and Brown Faces in White Places
Three timely books to help us understand systemic racism, Christian nationalism, and whiteness as a religion
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I’ve got three brand new books on my desk that I’d like to recommend to you. I got to read early copies for endorsement of two of them – Brown Faces, White Spaces and Disarming Leviathan – and heard an early presentation of the research material found in The Religion of Whiteness. So, to peak your interest, here are three quick overviews.
Brown Faces, White Spaces by Latasha Morrison. From my vantage point, no one has done more to actually move the racial reconciliation needle in churches over the past decade than Tasha and her fantastic organization, Be the Bridge. Each chapter in her new book explores different realms of American society (education, healthcare, property ownership, etc.) to show the impact of systemic racism. It’s a devestating and thoroughgoing critique but never without realistic suggestions for the way toward a more quantifiably equitable future.
In my endorsement I wrote, “In our fractured and polarized times, it seems impossible to write a book about systemic racism which doesn't alienate one faction of the culture wars or the other. Well, Latasha Morrison has done the impossible. With her blend of personal narrative, historical research, and gentle but direct invitation, this trustworthy guide inspires us to imagine a time when racism's power will be broken in every domain of society. Even better, Latasha shows us how we can each speed the arrival of that day.”
Disarming Leviathan by Caleb E. Campbell. If you follow me on social media you’ll have heard me recommend this book a few times. A couple of years ago I began to believe that much of white American Christianity ought to be treated as a mission field. That is, as a culturally bound group of people who needed to receive and be transformed by the good news of the gospel of reconciliation and righteousness. I wondered about who God might raise up to lead that sort of missionary movement. And then a friend introduced me to a pastor in Arizona, Caleb Campbell.
Caleb was then completing some research on the rise of Christian nationalism, its impact on the wider church, and what a compassionate strategy to reach this culture with the gospel could look like. I told Caleb in that first conversation that he was an answer to my prayers. Really! The book that was born from that research is out in early July and it’s fantastic. It’s precise in its analysis, compassionate in its critique, and deeply missiological in its vision. If you’re a regular reader of this newsletter, it’s likely that people you love have been sucked into the Christian nationalism universe. I don’t know of a better resource for those of us who won’t give up on those friends and family members.
In my endorsement for Disarming Leviathan I wrote, “This urgent and gracious book is an answer to prayer for those of us heartbroken by the power of Christian Nationalism over our loved ones. Now we have a resource brimming with practical wisdom to equip us to approach family and friends with the liberating gospel of Jesus.”
The Religion of Whiteness by Michael O Emerson and Glenn E. Bracey. I’ll say less about this powerful book here because I’m conducting an email interview with one of its authors, Dr. Glenn E. Bracey, a sociologist at Villanova University, that I’ll share in an upcoming newsletter. For now I’ll just mention that it is the authors’ provocative contention that, to be properly understood, racial whiteness must be understood as a religion. Race, the authors write, “has become ‘religionized.’”
When I first heard Dr. Emerson present this material at a pastors’ conference a few years ago, you could have heard a pin drop in the large conference hall. This is the sort of book, built on painstaking research, that will impact how we think about race, religion, and the ministry of racial justice for a generation to come.
Do You Want to Be Well? Conference
Speaking of whiteness, Christian nationalism, and other coercive systems which often corrupt our faith communities, I’d love for you to join me for this online conference next month. Hosted by Coracle and the Center for Justice, Formation and Peace, this conference features a group of wise reflective practitioners who truly desire our churches to be healed in the places of fracture and division. I’ll be speaking about Christian nationalism- what it is, why many Christians have been susceptible to this ideology, why it’s a threat to the gospel, and steps toward healing. Registration is only $49!