Words can’t express my relief and absolute joy after the presidential election results were officially called yesterday morning. The fact that people all over the world were dancing in the streets, shooting off fireworks and crying tears of relief and joy warmed my heart. We will have a Democratic president once again, and for the first time in our history, we will have a woman of black and Indian descent as Vice President. Just as I cried when Obama was elected as our first black president, I cried last night realizing that Kamala Harris is going to the White House! But unlike in 2008, I am cautious this time around. I really thought that our nation had turned a corner with the election of Obama, that we had left racism and bigotry behind, and that we could all resolve our differences as a united country. But that didn’t happen in 2016.

I felt that the election of Trump in 2016 was surreal, that somehow we had time-traveled back in time 150 years to an age of white supremacy, bigotry, and hate. Well, the fact that over 40% of US voters in 2020 cast their ballots for Trump and other like-minded GOP candidates, the myth that racism has vanished in America has been brutally de-bunked. The murder of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, Steven Miller’s Muslim ban, the separation of over 500 immigrant children from their parents at the border. The list goes on and on. Atrocities committed against minorities and immigrants are still very much a part of daily life. The fact that Trump supporters belittle our VP-elect’s heritage, and refuse to acknowledge Joe Biden’s victory is a symptom of why racism is still very much alive and well in America. It breaks my heart. 

How can we conquer racism in this country and move on as a nation? 

Racism is part of the fabric of our society, and it has been since day one. It is ingrained deeply in all parts of government, education, and yes, religion. Today I was not surprised by white evangelicals such as Jerry Falwell Jr. and Kenneth Copeland calling “foul” regarding the election, and continuing their staunch support for Trump. Many evangelicals have supported the Trump administration all along, and that in itself is shocking. Trump, accused of numerous sexual assaults, tax evasion, fraud, money-laundering, racist rhetoric, and hate speech. I’ll bet that if he were a black man or a woman, the tables would be turned and there would be nothing but “wailing and gnashing” of teeth from GOP supporters and evangelicals. 

In the months and weeks leading up to the election, I did take the opportunity to talk with white evangelicals and GOP members, and I was honestly concerned with the fact that these people, devout Christians who cared about their community and are deeply devout, stated that they were voting for Trump. I asked them about Trump’s multitude of transgressions, and each and everyone stated that they were pro-choice, pro-gun, and were worried about ANTIFA and communism creeping into their communities. “But what about those children in cages?” I would say. Or, “What about Stormy Daniels, or the Ukraine scandal? What about all of his lies and his hateful rhetoric?” None of those facts made a dent. I tried to point out his many anti-christian acts but to no avail. Then I asked them about Obama, and almost all challenged his US birth and brought up Hillary’s emails and Pizza-Gate. What if Trump were black or a woman, would these attitudes remain the same? I wonder. 

I’m a pastors’ kid, and I grew up in the church. We read the Bible every day after dinner, and I memorized Luther’s Catechism for my confirmation, I sang in the choir and taught Sunday School. I was brought up to believe that being a Christian meant treating my fellow human beings with respect, empathy, and compassion, and that lies, hate and the subjugation of others were the antithesis to the teaching of Christ. 

In Michael Luo’s 2020 article in the New Yorker, American Christianity’s White-Supremacy Problem: History, theology, and culture all contribute to the racist attitudes embedded in the white church (1), the author starts by recounting an excerpt from Frederick Douglass’ first of three autobiographies.  Frederick Douglass’ white slave-owner Thomas Auld, became a Christian believer at a Methodist camp meeting in 1832, and Douglass hoped that Auld’s conversion, would lead him to emancipate his slaves and make him more kind and humane towards blacks. Auldbecame a devout believer, praying, actively participating in revivals, and opening his home to preachers. But his conversion didn’t change his attitude towards slaves. Actually, he used his faith as a license to inflict pain and suffering upon his slaves.  Douglass recounted: “I have seen him tie up a lame young woman, and whip her with a heavy cowskin upon her naked shoulders, causing the warm red blood to drip; and, in justification of the bloody deed, he would quote this passage of Scripture—‘He that knoweth his master’s will, and doeth it not, shall be beaten with many stripes.’”

Luo points out that 125 years after Douglass’s death, the church in America is still very much shaped by our history of slavery and racism. In a 2019 nationwide survey, 86% of white evangelical Protestants and 70% of both white Protestants and Catholics stated that the “Confederate flag is more a symbol of Southern pride than of racism.”  Nearly 2/3 of white Christians stated that killings of African-American men by the police are isolated incidents rather than part of a broader pattern of mistreatment and bigotry, and more than 6 in 10 of white Christians disagreed with the statement that “generations of slavery and discrimination have created conditions that make it difficult for blacks to work their way out of the lower class.” This sort of Christian nationalism that supports the status quo is quite disturbing.

According to the 2016 election exit polls, 64% of white Catholics and 57% of white Protestants also voted for him. How can this be?  I’m inclined to think that it’s not Christianity itself which is the cause here, it’s the cultural make-up of those who identify as evangelical or born-again. At the root of American, Christian nationalism is the preservation of the social order, and as our world becomes increasingly global and multi-cultural, the social order is susceptible to change.  Christian nationalism is not necessarily related to personal religious feelings and practices, because Christianity teaches kindness, empathy, and compassion. So the root of the white church’s problem is not Christianity, so much as the culture around white Christianity.  Fox News, right-wing media outlets, and conservative talk shows perpetuate that old “slave-holding” religion.  The fact that white evangelical leaders continue to support Trump, a man well-known for lying, cheating, racism, bigotry, sexual assault, and narcissism, proves that white nationalism has taken precedence over Christian principles. 

At this moment, I am both elated and also worried about America. I hope that somehow we can separate our religious beliefs from our inherent racism which is fueled by the fear of “the other.” The only cure for this is to get out of our comfort zones, to reach out to each other in friendship and kindness. We Americans might be surprised that we have more in common than not. After all, we are members of the same race, the human race.

“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.” – Colossians 3:12

1. https://www.newyorker.com/books/under-review/american-christianitys-white-supremacy-problem