On anniversary of King's death, some white evangelicals are reexamining their role...

[inanna]

...during the civil rights movement

by Eugene Scott April 3 at 3:35 PM

As America remembers the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. on the 50th anniversary of his assassination Wednesday, segments of one influential American demographic are reflecting on their role in perpetuating the white supremacy that the civil rights leader rallied against.

Many of the issues King fought against continue to dominate today's headlines, which has lead some white Christian evangelicals to examine their actions — or lack thereof — in responding to King’s message, and how that position impacts the country’s current politics.

In his famous “Letter From Birmingham Jail,” King wrote about how white Christians did not fight racism but aided it. The Presbyterian Church in America — one of the country's largest Presbyterian denominations — barred black people from being members and supported segregation. Some white evangelical leaders partnered with white supremacist groups such as the White Citizens' Council in criticizing those advocating the civil rights of black people by calling them disruptive and questioning their Christian faith altogether.

Russell Moore, president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, the public policy arm of the Southern Baptist Convention, recently wrote about how poorly many conservative Christians responded to King's call to dismantle racism, often using their faith and the Bible to reject support for integration. Moore wrote in the Memphis Commercial-Appeal last week:

“Conservative Christians must be careful to remember the ways in which our cultural anthropology perverted our soteriology and ecclesiology. It is to our shame that we ignored our own doctrines to advance something as clearly demonic as racial pride.

So, regardless of our backgrounds, it is appropriate that we pause and consider not only Dr. King’s life and legacy, but also our own past and future. As we do so, we are reminding ourselves of how far we have to go as Americans to see the promise of racial justice realized.”

...

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2018/04/03/on-anniversary-of-kings-death-some-white-evangelicals-are-reexamining-their-role-during-the-civil-rights-movement/?utm_term=.c815b53989cc

More of this, please.

[jaysunb]

1. Why are these people still referred to as "christians ? "

It's really kind of stupid because these people are clearly anything BUT followers of the Christ.

[Hoyt]

2. That's when I learned a lot of so-called Christians were hateful racists.

The Klan, lynching and discrimination was often fostered in churches. Bombing Black churches was popular too.

[dalton99a]

5. 81% of white evangelicals are Trump voters.

Their reputation is well deserved

[radicalliberal]

3. For decades as a white Christian, I've been waiting for an article like this.

So, I deeply appreciate it.

IMHO self-examination has been an extremely rare phenomenon in U.S. political culture.

[Midnight Writer]

4. Their "Come To Jesus" moment came about 50 years late.