How to accommodate racism within Christianity? It can be accomplished by adding things to scripture, sure, but it’s much more effectively accomplished by taking things away. People don’t notice that as much.
Rather than twisting the story of the curse of Ham into a justification for enslaving blacks, as more open racists are inclined towards, the same effect can be achieved by downplaying, and thus encouraging forgetfulness of, the social implications of the acts and teachings of Jesus, the apostles, and the prophets.
For example, speak and sing of your personal relationship with Jesus, but don’t mention the kingdom of God so much. Or if you must mention it, spiritualize it or individualize it as much as you can. It only has to be within your heart okay? In fact, encourage individualistic responses at every opportunity, keep people gazing at their navels so they never have to look up.
Oh, and don’t join any dots between the slavery of Jews in Egypt and slavery of blacks in America, or elsewhere, as that might give people the idea that some of our ancestors have a grubby past we have to deal with.
And all those calls by the Old Testament prophets for us to seek justice, act mercifully, walk humbly, etc, let’s just not go there okay? People will forget soon enough if we never remind them in our sermons or our songs.
But most importantly, never, never, never, draw attention to the political dimensions of the crucifixion of Jesus, what led up to it, or what followed after it.
Curious Christian 