Abstract
The multi-ethnic church (MEC) movement attempts to confront a long history of racism and segregation within American Evangelicalism and to forge a new Evangelicalism that transcends racial divisions. Attempts to promote “racial reconciliation” among MEC members have revealed stark divisions in the way white Evangelicals and Evangelicals of color view racial justice issues, divisions that touch on theological and political differences with deep historical roots. This paper uses a content analysis of online sermons in the months following George Floyd’s murder to analyze the ways that the race/ethnicity of church leaders impacts whether, and how, issues of racism and racial justice are discussed within multi-ethnic Evangelical congregations. Given the highly salient context of Summer 2020, how often was racism or racial justice addressed in the Sunday sermon? How was the issue framed—as a matter of individual sin, as a structural or political problem, or in another way? What obligations were placed on listeners to respond to racial injustice, within the church and in society at large? This paper is part of a larger research project that evaluates the efforts of multi-ethnic Evangelical churches to pursue racial justice and racial reconciliation among their members and considers the political consequences of such work.
Presenters
Liesl HaasProfessor, Political Science, California State University Long Beach, California, United States Richard Haesly
Associate Professor, Political Science, California State University Long Beach, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Religion, Race/Ethnicity, Politics, Racial Justice, Evangelicalism
