Ibram Kendi: Antiracists Fundamentally Reject "Savior Theology" And Embrace Liberation Theology

Dr. Ibram X. Kendi, promoting his book "How To Be An Antiracist" in Manhattan's Judson Memorial Church, explains why liberation theology conforms to his antiracist paradigm but scripturally orthodox "savior theology" does not.Show more

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QUESTION: I'm curious if you see any role that churches or communities of faith can play in this antiracist movement.

IBRAM X. KENDI: So, yeah, I'm a preacher's kid. And my parents pretty much met in what was known as the Black Power movement. But more specifically for them, the movement for black theology. And so they were both Christians who imagined that the church was supposed to be an engine of liberation, that Christianity was supposed to be a source of liberation for black people and humanity. They looked at Jesus as black, who had a 'fro like they had their 'fros. And what I sort of ultimately realized in analyzing the form of Christianity that they were raised in, particularly during the black theology movement and, I should say, contrasting that with the form of Christianity that 80% of white evangelicals had when they voted for Donald Trump.

I think one of the ways we can distinguish it is one being liberation theology. In other words, Jesus was a revolutionary and the job of the Christian is to revolutionize society. That the job of the Christian is to liberate society from the powers on earth that are oppressing humanity. Everybody understand that? So that's liberation theology in a nutshell.

Savior theology is a different type of theology. The job of the Christian is to go out and save these individuals who are behaviorally deficient. In other words, we're to bring them into the church, these individuals who are doing all of these evil, sinful things and heal them and save them. And then once we've saved them, we've done our jobs. And to me, antiracists fundamentally reject savior theology.

That goes right in line with racist ideas and racist theology, in which they say, "You know what, black people, other racial groups, the reason why they're struggling on earth is because of what they're behaviorally doing wrong, and it is my job as the pastor to sort of say these wayward black people or wayward poor people or wayward queer people." That type of theology breeds bigotry.

And so to me, the type of theology of liberation theology breeds a common humanity, a common humanity against the structures of power that oppress us all.

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BhbbmjqcRvY

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