Centuries of Christian violence served protecting power and privilege

Evidence

The historical evidence does little to cast doubt on this narrative. Many of the treacherous actions of Christians over the centuries are a by-product of our wielding violence in the service of protecting or expanding our own power and privilege. The Crusades. The Inquisition. The Doctrine of Discovery. Slavery. Jim Crow. Repeatedly, white Christians idolized power and violence in order to protect our own interests at the expense of those around us. This expression of Christianity fit snugly in a long and wretched history. — Andrew L. Whitehead, American Idolatry, 447

Categorization

• recurring: this claim recurs 2 times within its source
• XREF: connects to: Theology justified slavery and genocide by marking whiteness as Christian — Andrew L. Whitehead, American Idolatry, 145; Armed Christianity treats Jesus as a conqueror needing weapons — Andrew L. Whitehead, American Idolatry, 489; Empire alignment is a theological crux that should trouble Christians. — Andrew L. Whitehead, American Idolatry, 274 (+9 more)

Broader Connections

• Medieval enemies were institutional constructs tied to Christian power #expands (0.85) — Sophia Rose Arjana, Muslims in the Western Imagination, 101
• Moral authorities sanction effective violence even at the cost of theological contradiction #corroborates (0.82) — Albert Bandura, Moral Disengagement, 2242
• Crusade defenders justified violence by power replacing miracles as Christians gained strength #corroborates (0.80) — Norman Daniel, Islam and the West, 648
• Religious clerics justify forbidden violence through situational imperatives and utilitarian framing #exemplifies (0.80) — Albert Bandura, Moral Disengagement, 2236
• Modern theology’s casuistry legitimizes state violence while preserving Christian status #exemplifies (0.78) — Fredric Jameson, Postmodernism, or, The Cultural Logic…, 835
• Centuries of Orientalist scholarship have functioned as domination and violence #exemplifies (0.72) — Wael Hallaq, Restating Orientalism, 483