a theology of blackness

Happy Women’s Month and Holy Week! and Welcome to the First Edition of blackology: the newsletter! We’re excited that you’re joining us and hope you’re blessed by the work we do.

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MONTHLY REFLECTION: how should we think theologically about blackness?

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At some point, those who identify as both black and Christian develop an understanding of how God relates to blackness, of what he thinks about blackness. Growing up there were two general responses I came in contact with. Some respond by saying, “God cares more about my heart than my skin color.” Others may respond by saying, “Black is superior. Jesus himself was black” (see James Cone).

God does, in fact, care deeply about our hearts - what drives us and what we choose to love. We learn from Scripture that we are characterized by our hearts. But does God care more about my heart than my body? As Paul might say, “By no means!” God created our bodies, not just our hearts (consider Gen. 2:7; Acts 17:26). Therefore, if God created our bodies then they must be valuable - this inherently includes the color of our skin.

Not only did Jesus create black skin, but he also knows what it’s like to be black. He too was tortured on public display, suffocated by policing authorities, hanging from a tree for all to see. He too was mocked and oppressed by the state (and his own people). Jesus too was abandoned by those who said they were allies but did not have his back when he needed them the most. In this way we realize how deeply our Savior resonates with our blackness (consider Heb. 4:14-16). Was this enough to make Jesus black though? Is he not a fulfillment of Jewish faith as described in the Old and New Testaments? He is, and arguing that blackness is superior because Jesus was black can lead to idolatry.

There is value in each of these understandings of God’s relationship to blackness. There are also significant pitfalls and limitations. Is there a third or fourth understanding of God’s relationship to blackness? Maybe. What if we describe God’s relationship to blackness in this way: Though God did not create nor ordains the construct of race, he did create the individuals, peoples and cultures that race has tried to categorize. Furthermore, God is redeeming, in Christ, the individuals, peoples and cultures that race has ravaged through. This gives us a high value of blackness, but not too high a value that leads to idolatry.

Thoughts? How do you understand how God relates to blackness? Do you think there’s a more helpful way of understanding how God relates to blackness?

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Until next time! Be blessed.