White Too Long Book Review

Jones argues in his book White Too Long that the problem of white supremacy in American Christianity centers on the fact that white churches focus mainly on their own safety and security, protecting their own safe spaces, within the context of a larger and wider system of social, economic and political inequality. In other words, white churches care more about white power and white supremacy than they do about loving their neighborespecially their African American neighbor, who remains marginalized and oppressed in American society. As Jones states, I think the fact that white churches produced such a strong sense of safety and security for those of us who were inside the institution is why it is so hard for white Christians to see the harm it did to those who were outside it, particularly African Americans, and the other kinds of damage it did to us, numbing our own moral sensibilities and limiting our religious development.[footnoteRef:2] Throughout the book, Jones uses a historical research method to show how Protestant Christianity justified its use of violence and racism against blacks by appealing to a kind of white salvationa cross of justice meant for whites. It was a religious expression that neglected to see blacks as brothers in Christ. Thus, the overall legacy of white supremacy in American Christianity is the perpetuation of inequities within a racist system. [2: Robert P. Jones, White Too Long: The Legacy of White Supremacy in American Christianity (NY: Simon & Schuster 2020), 75.]

Jones writes from the first person perspective, providing historical background information to support his views, while bringing the reader into his own live experiences in the Southern Baptist church of which he was part. His arguments are compelling and his experiences are certainly convincing. However, the idea that white supremacy exists in American Christianity is sure to be a controversial one among readers who are not sympathetic to the notion. As such, there are bound to be strong arguments for and against this belief, which Jones somewhat anticipates although at the same time seems to be ambivalent about. Those, like Jones, who argue in favor of the idea of white supremacy in American Christianity point to the long history of discrimination against minorities within the Protestant church, as well as the ways in which Christian theology has been used to justify oppression (particularly through appeals to Scripture, as Jones points out).

Jones does not leave out the Catholic Church from his analysis, but he admits that the Catholic Church in America has had a much more complex relationship with white...…examples give heft to his book and make it all the more compelling. Yet, in the 19th century, some Christians were active in the abolitionist movement, while others continued to use the Bible to support slavery. It is points like this that really reveal the complexity of the issue. More time might have been given to this complexitybut Jones reserves most of the book for highlighting wrongs. For example, he notes that the Civil War and the ensuing Reconstruction era saw a brief moment of increased racial equality in the Church, but this progress was quickly undone by the rise of Jim Crow laws and segregation. He shows that in the 20th century, many white Christians embraced racial segregation and discrimination, both in their personal lives and in their churches. Even today, there are some who continue to cling to these racist attitudes and beliefs, Jones laments. It is an important lamentbut there is more to the story, most certainly. The legacy of white supremacy is still very evident in American Christianity, but there are also those who are working to confront and dismantle it. This is a fact that, had Jones explored it in greater detail, may have made the book even more compelling, more powerful, and more important for readers. As it is, it…