White Jesus: ex-Christians experiences with racial formation, white saviorism, and racism in religion.

• In Event: 30654 - Religious Decline and Disaffiliation

Abstract

In the public square, Christianity has become increasingly associated with conservative ideology in recent decades. Epitomized in the image of straight white Jesus, American Christianity, some scholars argue, is no longer a religion, but a religio-racialized cultural ideology (Gorski and Perry 2022). This study aims to examine this argument through an often-overlooked vantage point: that of those who have chosen to leave religion. Through in-depth interviews with 61 ex-Christians, applying critical whiteness studies and racial formation theory, this research shows how religion reinforces racial hierarchies and socializes white saviorism. The results demonstrate that while the decision to leave religion is complex and multifaceted, race and racism is often a driving force. By approaching this project from the perspective of ex-Christians, this research fills much-needed gap in our understand of the impact of an increasingly racialized and politicized U.S. Christianity.

Author

• Tess Starman, Simpson College