White Christians must abandon claims of racial and theological innocence to confront their past

Evidence

Blame can be deflected virtually anywhere else, but the question of whether Christian theology and culture are implicated cannot be asked. Christian theological purity and innocence must be maintained at all costs. But if we white Christians are going to get any critical leverage on our past, and the distortions this past has brought into our present, we have to let go of both the quest for self-protection—that is to say, the advantages we hoard at unjust costs to others—and the insistence on our racial and religious innocence. — Robert P. Jones, White Too Long, 233

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Theological appeals to total human sinfulness can justify preserving white supremacist honors — Robert P. Jones, White Too Long: The Legacy of White…, 182; The Bible becomes a purity shield for white Protestant innocence claims — Robert P. Jones, White Too Long: The Legacy of White…, 228; White Christian theology adapted to changing times only by shifting to subtler racism — Robert P. Jones, White Too Long: The Legacy of White…, 234 (+4 more)

Broader Connections

• Contemporary white Christian coherence depends on unacknowledged racist history. #corroborates (0.80) — Robert P. Jones, White Too Long, 78
• Racial confrontation is necessary for white Christians’ own integrity, not altruism. #expands (0.80) — Robert P. Jones, White Too Long, 79
• White Christianity’s present racism is the predictable product of its history #corroborates (0.80) — Robert P. Jones, White Too Long, 549
• White Christianity’s function was protecting white racial innocence #qualifies (0.75) — Robert P. Jones, White Too Long, 69