Original Sin?: The Reproduction of Racism in a Multiracial Church(Sociology of Race and Ethnicity)

Original Sin? explores the ways that a multiracial church struggles with race, racism, and social activism during a turbulent time in U.S. history. In the shadow of the murder of George Floyd, the authors show how members and leaders of Without Walls Church, a multiracial church claiming over thirty-six thousand members, perpetuate a racial ideology based in color-blind theological teachings that minimizes teachings on racism in the church and social activism outside the church. Barnes and Carter also shed light on church practices and policies that reproduce racial inequality and shaped the church’s early response to the murder of George Floyd. Original Sin? shows us that despite being diverse places of worship and despite shifting demographics, churches like this one face challenges that lead to the reproduction of the racial status quo.

About the Author :
Willie Barnes, Jr. (Author) WILLIE BARNES JR. holds a PhD in sociology from the University of Central Florida and a masters of divinity from Yale Divinity School. He also serves as a pastor in the nation's oldest Black denomination, the African Methodist Episcopal Church. J. Scott Carter (Author) J. SCOTT CARTER is professor of sociology at the University of Central Florida. He is coauthor of The Death of Affirmative Action? Racialized Framing and the Fight against Racial Preference in College Admissions and coeditor of Protecting Whiteness: Whitelash and the Rejection of Racial Equality. His work focuses on race and politics and has been published in various journals, including Annual Review of Sociology, Social Problems, Sociology of Race and Ethnicity, and Social Science Research, to name a few.

Review :
Using a multiracial congregation as a case study, Barnes and Carter provide a fascinating portrait of how racial and religious ideology intersect to shape and reshape notions of racial hierarchy in American society. It is a must read for all who wish to gain a keen understanding of the role of the church and its centrality in the dynamics of race and race relations in the United States! Barnes and Carter bring analytical clarity and fresh perspective to ongoing debates about the role of multiracial faith-based organizations in achieving Martin Luther King Jr.’s vision of a ‘beloved community.’ Drawing upon rich ethnographic and interview data, the authors reveal how members and leaders of the South Florida multiracial church they studied fall short of their own professed goals for social justice. As Barnes and Carter demonstrate with great rigor and detail, multiracial churches themselves must be understood and analyzed within the larger racial order in which they are situated and can easily serve as key institutions themselves for reproducing the racial status quo.