The Spirit of Justice: True Stories of Faith, Race, and Resistance

Thus, the project of European imperial expansion into the Americas became not merely one of nation-building and resource-hoarding, but rather the doctrine of discovery made the effort into an unequivocal good for the glory of God. But the reality that some indigenous and African people were also Christian complicated an emerging system of racial an

Resistance is defined as any action taken for spiritual, emotional, and physical survival and in pursuit of joy and thriving.

They will not surrender their power willingly.

historical appropriation is most tempting to those whose political, theological, and economic lineage not only ignored racial justice but actively supported racist beliefs and actions.

white Christian nationalism—an ethnocultural ideology that uses Christian symbolism to create a permission structure for the acquisition of political power and social control—proudly displayed its willingness to destroy democracy on January 6, 2021.

Activism involves actions that purposely and directly challenge injustice to change opinions, policies, and practices.

Racist backlash follows every gesture toward racial justice.

“As one of the few totally black controlled and independent institutions, black churches played a major role in resistance.”3 The Black church itself is, in many ways, a direct response to the racism embedded in many sectors of predominantly white Christian traditions that arose in the United States.

“But it’s something about the spirit of justice that raises up like a war horse. That horse that stands with its back sunk in and hears that bell—I like to say the ‘bell of freedom.’ And all of a sudden, it becomes straight, and the back becomes stiff. And you become determined all over again.”