It's not often that I'll say I hate a book. But Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove's Reconstructing the Gospel: Finding Freedom from Slaveholder Religion comes close.
Let me back up. One of the great miracles of the Christian faith is that through 2000 years of human interpretations, cultural layering, power plays, and prideful squabbles, Christianity has survived. Each new generation in each new geographical location has the opportunity to experience the transforming power of the gospel through a personal relationship with the living God. Time after time imperfect humans have introduced the gospel, by loving example, cultural diffusion, or by force, into a new culture. And time after time new, vibrant expressions of Christianity arise.
This is no less the case for what Wilson-Hartgrove calls "slaveholder religion." Slaves in the United States were often forced to worship like their masters, were fed distorted interpretations of scripture, and were severely restricted in their pursuit of knowledge about Christianity and the Bible. Nevertheless a distinct, vibrant, enduring, deep faith grew in the hearts of many slaves and continues through their descendants. Yet Wilson-Hartgrove seems stuck in the "slave religion" mode. He thinks white people especially are stuck in a form of Christianity that justifies chattel slavery and teaches white supremacy.
Wilson-Hartgrove is not an old guy. Based on the biographical info he alluded to, he's probably in his early 40s or so. So it's not as if he grew up in the midst of share cropping and Jim Crow. But he writes as if race relations are stuck in the first half of the 20th century. He did grow up in North Carolina; maybe that part of the country really is stuck. But that's not the impression I get from friends who live there.
Besides his writing from this position of racial division that seems distant from my everyday experience, when he writes about white Christianity, it feels like a straw man argument. He talks about white people needing to repent of their white religion and embrace true Christianity, and he has no trouble accusing prominent Christians like Franklin Graham of white supremacist tendencies. But I wonder if he actually came to my house, worshipped at my mostly white church with me, and spent a day in my neighborhood, if he'd still be as critical. I mean, it's easy to construct an image of this holdover religion of white supremacy that still believes Christians can hold slaves as long as they treat them well, but I just don't think this religion he speaks of is reality, except in tiny pockets that are shunned by reasonable people.
I've got news for Wilson-Hartgrove. Outside of the myopic, artificial world you imagine, there are lots of white and black Christians who get along just fine. There are lots of white Christians who go to mostly white churches and live in white neighborhoods and who love their black brothers and sisters without an ounce of animosity. And by the way, it's a human tendency to be with people like yourself. Black, white, hispanic, Asian, no matter what, people are often drawn to people with similar cultural backgrounds. If I go to a white church or marry a white woman, that doesn't mean I'm racist or a white supremacist. Also, in white churches I have attended, people of any race, ethnicity, or economic status have been warmly welcomed. And when I have visited black churches, I have been warmly welcomed. I have heard from friends on more that one occasion who were made to feel most unwelcome in black churches. Of course some blacks could say the same of churches they have visited.
So why did I hate this book? It's a constant drumbeat of accusation and condemnation of what Wilson-Hartgrove interprets as white privilege and racism. It's a 200 page apology for his being born white. The thing is, I would probably really like the guy. He's done some cool things in ministry. We have a lot in common in terms of religious background and family structure. I know he's trying to be prophetic, and I do admit there are some good things to reflect on here, whether you're black or white, but the judgmentalism and accusations were too much for me.
Oh, and I haven't even said anything about his political statements. Suffice it to say that if you voted for Trump, you are a white supremacist and probably beholden to slaveholder Christianity, blind to your own racism. Wilson-Hartgrove can't imagine a scenario in which a Christian would be justified in making a choice to vote against Hilary Clinton because of any moral, political, or economic differences one might have with her. He thinks it's terrible that 81% of white evangelicals (or whatever the figure is) voted for Trump. Maybe I find it offensive that 19% of white evangelicals would vote for someone who thinks Planned Parenthood, the killer of more African-Americans than any other cause, is just peachy and should get lots of tax money to fund their work. Or maybe, just maybe, I believe genuine Christians can have a variety of views on a range of issues, and can have a home in either political party or none. And maybe it's OK to disagree with someone's voting preferences without disparaging whole swaths of one's fellow Christians.
If you're a white Christian into self-flagellation and apology, you'll love this book. It will make you feel superior to your less-enlightened, white supremacist neighbors. But if you believe that all people of all races are sinful and in need of the grace of the unchanging, eternal savior, don't bother with Reconstructing the Gospel.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!
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