The Color of Christ: The Son of God & the Saga of Race in America
Edward J. Blum
(Author)
Paul Harvey
(Author)
Description
How is it that in America the image of Jesus Christ has been used both to justify the atrocities of white supremacy and to inspire the righteousness of civil rights crusades? In The Color of Christ, Edward J. Blum and Paul Harvey weave a tapestry of American dreams and visions--from witch hunts to web pages, Harlem to Hollywood, slave cabins to South Park, Mormon revelations to Indian reservations--to show how Americans remade the Son of God visually time and again into a sacred symbol of their greatest aspirations, deepest terrors, and mightiest strivings for racial power and justice.The Color of Christ uncovers how, in a country founded by Puritans who destroyed depictions of Jesus, Americans came to believe in the whiteness of Christ. Some envisioned a white Christ who would sanctify the exploitation of Native Americans and African Americans and bless imperial expansion. Many others gazed at a messiah, not necessarily white, who was willing and able to confront white supremacy. The color of Christ still symbolizes America's most combustible divisions, revealing the power and malleability of race and religion from colonial times to the presidency of Barack Obama.
Product Details
Price
$29.95
$27.85
Publisher
University of North Carolina Press
Publish Date
August 01, 2014
Pages
352
Dimensions
6.13 X 9.34 X 0.83 inches | 1.12 pounds
Language
English
Type
Paperback
EAN/UPC
9781469618845
BISAC Categories:
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About the Author
Edward J. Blum is author of Reforging the White Republic: Race, Religion, and American Nationalism.
Paul Harvey is author of Freedom's Coming: Religious Cultures and the Shaping of the South from the Civil War through the Civil Rights Era.
Paul Harvey is author of Freedom's Coming: Religious Cultures and the Shaping of the South from the Civil War through the Civil Rights Era.
Reviews
This is a key work for students of American Christianity, but also a worthwhile read for undergraduates and general readers interested in the intersection of race, Christianity, and religion. It is an important acquisition for religion collections of all types. Essential. Lower-level undergraduates and above.--Choice
The authors' breadth of research is impressive, and their incorporation of material culture is a model for future scholarship.--Journal of American History
A fascinating story that we cannot afford to ignore.--Books & Culture
A solid contribution to the conversation on religion and race in U.S. history. . . . The American Christian community remains trapped within a web of racial hierarchies, flawed theological assumptions and dangerous patriarchal precedents that continue to inform Christian doctrine and liturgy. The best way to treat an illness is to begin by discovering its root causes. The Color of Christ does just that.--Christian Century
[The Color of Christ is] an eye-opening look at how not just the image but also the idea of Christ has shifted within varying communities and schools of thought throughout American history.--Pop Matters
[A] compelling study. . . . This work will captivate readers of American religious and racial history.--Library Journal
Blum and Harvey have produced a rich and readable narrative that begins with the Puritans and concludes with Jesus in the age of Obama--Christian Century
This model of academic inquiry and analysis is clearly written, deeply researched, socially engaged, ambitious in the intellectual scope of its questions about race and religion, and methodical in its answers.--A Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2012
Thoroughly fascinating.--Booklist Starred Review and 2013 Top 10 Black History Nonfiction
A powerful and groundbreaking book. . . . [Blum and Harvey] masterfully probe how a sacred icon can be a tool at once of racial oppression and liberation. A must-read for those interested in American religious history, this book will forever change the way you look at images of Jesus.--Publishers Weekly Starred Review
The authors' breadth of research is impressive, and their incorporation of material culture is a model for future scholarship.--Journal of American History
A fascinating story that we cannot afford to ignore.--Books & Culture
A solid contribution to the conversation on religion and race in U.S. history. . . . The American Christian community remains trapped within a web of racial hierarchies, flawed theological assumptions and dangerous patriarchal precedents that continue to inform Christian doctrine and liturgy. The best way to treat an illness is to begin by discovering its root causes. The Color of Christ does just that.--Christian Century
[The Color of Christ is] an eye-opening look at how not just the image but also the idea of Christ has shifted within varying communities and schools of thought throughout American history.--Pop Matters
[A] compelling study. . . . This work will captivate readers of American religious and racial history.--Library Journal
Blum and Harvey have produced a rich and readable narrative that begins with the Puritans and concludes with Jesus in the age of Obama--Christian Century
This model of academic inquiry and analysis is clearly written, deeply researched, socially engaged, ambitious in the intellectual scope of its questions about race and religion, and methodical in its answers.--A Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2012
Thoroughly fascinating.--Booklist Starred Review and 2013 Top 10 Black History Nonfiction
A powerful and groundbreaking book. . . . [Blum and Harvey] masterfully probe how a sacred icon can be a tool at once of racial oppression and liberation. A must-read for those interested in American religious history, this book will forever change the way you look at images of Jesus.--Publishers Weekly Starred Review
