Book Discussion - White Too Long: The Legacy of White Supremacy in American Christianity by Robert P. Jones

Land, Labor, and Slavery

“It's nothing short of astonishing that a religious tradition with this relentless emphasis on salvation and one so hyper attuned to personal sin can simultaneously maintain such blindness to social sins swirling about it, such as slavery and race-based segregation and bigotry.” ― Robert P. Jones, White Too Long: The Legacy of White Supremacy in American Christianity

 

Doctrine of Discovery: The International Law of Colonialism

(a) The idea that God designated America as a new promised land—shaped how five centuries of Europeans would understand the “new” world and the people who populated it. (b) The right to go in and kill, conquer and reduce their persons to perpetual slavery. (c) Interconnection between land and slavery - enslavement of Africans was the continuation of genocide and dispossession flowing from the first European contact with Native Americans.

 

Legal Dimensions of the Doctrine of Discovery

(a) First discovery. (b) Occupancy and current possession. (c) Religion - a significant aspect of the Doctrine of Discovery (d) Civilization. 

 

From Columbus Day to Black History Month and Indigenous People’s Day

Recognize the significance and need for a broader understanding of American history that includes the contributions and perspectives of Indigenous and African-American peoples.

 

Watch Here: https://youtu.be/cux-vwcPLtc

 

Episode giveaways:

• The 10 Legal Dimensions of the Doctrine of Discovery: The International Law of Colonialism https://doctrineofdiscovery.org/the-doctrine-of-discovery-the-international-law-of-colonialism/
• Philip P. Arnold and Sandra Bigtree, “S03E01: The Hidden Roots of White Supremacy and the Doctrine of Christian Discovery an interview with Robert P. Jones,” Mapping the Doctrine of Discovery (Podcast), October 25, 2023. https://podcast.doctrineofdiscovery.org/season3/episode-01/ Slavery Alongside Christianity https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2019/01/a-harvard-exhibit-on-slavery-and-christianity/
• Museum of the Bible: The Slave Bible Exhibit https://www.museumofthebible.org/exhibits/slave-bible
• David Charles Mills, Author of Unholy: The Slaves Bible https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=5Fovp6DBt_0
• What Is Indigenous Peoples’ Day? https://www.history.com/news/indigenous-peoples-day-history#why-replace-columbus-day-with-indigenous-peoples-day
• Zitkala-Sa: Advocate for the Rights of Native People (WAMS E07) https://youtu.be/7VDZ9dXLgYo