4.08.2008

Ecclesial Anti-Racist Theology: A Critique

I have a post over at my blog The Mustard Seed about a recent article in the Anglican Theological Review Dr. Dwight N. Hopkins. In the article Hopkins talks about racism and white supremacy in American society and what the Episcopal church can do about it. While I applaud his article I have many critiques on his views on race and racism which you can read more about over at The Mustard Seed. Here's a quick excerpt:
It has been recognize that race, essentially, was hammered out by the role of the court system within the United States, especially during the late 19th and early 20th centuries when “social Darwinism” was at its peak and “racial science” was in its heyday. Race was essentially a tool for giving out citizenship within the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries: to be classified as white, within the court system, was to gain the privilege of citizenship...During the mid-20th century the role of law and race changed. By this time race was already hammered out as anyone with light skin color and with ancestry from Europe as being classified as white (even Jews, though not fully at that point); with whiteness one got the privilege of home ownership and being able to move to the suburbs. So while earlier whiteness got one citizenship, now one got home ownership and government subsidies and wealth accumulation...(Read More)

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