When God Became White

March 25, 2024
Theologian Kim (Invisible) methodically deconstructs “white maleness as an ideology and theology” that has found its way into churches, Christian culture, and religious iconography. A Korean immigrant to Canada in the 1970s, the author was ridiculed by classmates for her “Asianness” and made to recite the Lord’s Prayer in public school. The overwhelming message, she writes, “was clear: to be a good immigrant of color, conformity with the national white norm was imperative.” Her family soon joined a local church, where she learned about a “white, male Jesus” in songs and at Sunday school. Kim traces the genesis of white Christianity to the early Roman empire, when Jesus was depicted as light-skinned to “reinforce... the desires of those who held power and authority,” giving rise to a Eurocentric faith that was spread by missionaries. In the place of a white God, she implores readers to envision a nonwhite genderless “Spirit” who celebrates diversity and inspires Christians to seek justice for all. While the author’s static prose undercuts the impact of her childhood recollections, readers will welcome her ambitious efforts to imagine a more inclusive faith through a mix of theological musings and such real-life examples as Korea’s “women churches,” which ordain female ministers and provide “solace to... patriarchal oppression in society.” It’s a thought-provoking invitation for readers to broaden their notions of the divine.

May 24, 2024

Presbyterian minister Kim (theology, Earlham Sch. of Religion; Spirit Life) takes aim at the legacies of discrimination within the metaphors and structures of Christianity. Her book traces ways that the image of God as a white man and the concurrent elevation of whiteness as an ideal has shaped the religious experience of Christians worldwide. She interweaves stories of her childhood as a Korean immigrant and personal encounters with racial and gender-based discrimination with wide-ranging commentary on subjects such as Christian symbolism, missionaries, enslavement, syncretism, and colonialism. Her writing style is sermonic, moving rapidly from topic to topic. But sometimes deep subjects are mentioned in only a paragraph or two, which may make some readers conclude that a massive amount of ideological terrain is covered too quickly. But the author does a good job of injecting personal stories and circling back to main themes, such as the interconnection of race, gender, sexuality, and class within systems of oppression. VERDICT Kim has many laudable criticisms and analyses and offers readers insights into the workings of Christianity. The book would benefit, however, from more time spent on its heaviest topics.--Zachariah Motts

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