race & religion

[Doug Henwood]

Hey, here's something that could liven things up - bringing together our
recent race & religion threads. When American lefties talk about
Christians, the (typically) unspoken assumption is white Christians,
espeically of the conservative born again/evangelical sort. But what about
black Christians? Aside from racial issues, the social attitudes of most
black Christians are indistinguishable from socially conservative white
Christians. And what about the role of the church in black political
development? There are some who say that a tool intended as one of
colonization was turned into a tool of rebellion - e.g. the Christian
rhetoric of ML King, etc. But has that been true on balance? Has
Christianity been, on balance, a conservatizing force, both ideogologically
and sociologically (by helping to create a comprador class of ministers and
other worthies)? Adolph Reed has been one of the few to ask these sorts of
questions in public - but is this one of those sore spots that should be
probed, not avoided?

Doug