The Black church historically asserted America can be culpable, not divine.

Evidence

Laying out the reasons why Black Power was important in the moment of struggle, the ministers declared that “America is our beloved homeland. But, America is not God.” As in the sermon from Reverend Wright that caused trouble for Obama, the clergymen’s statement asserted that America is not to be equated with God, and that America can be culpable for the injustices done to Black people throughout the nation’s history. — Nikole Hannah-Jones et al., The 1619 Project, 1051

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to the Reverend Wright controversy and to the broader theme of Black Christian critiques of American exceptionalism.