The Intersections of Race and Religion - BlackLivesMatter as a modern religious movement?

Student Conduct Coordinator of Student Judicial Affairs, CSU, Chico 

Rev. Robert Morton proposes that Black Lives Matter is a modern religious movement. He also notes that many of the issues in the church are the same as in society as a whole. As background, Rev. Morton provides information about the origins of the black church in America. At first, he says, Christianity was forced on black slaves to brainwash them and take away their power. But then black people created something different – a Christianity that worked for them, with Jesus as liberator. However, there have been elements in the black church that felt, for example, that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was too outspoken and pushing too hard for justice. Today, some churches still struggle with the Black Lives Matter movement rather than embrace it. Rev. Morton engages the audience in discussion of questions such as “Is the Gospel oppressive or liberating?” and “Is Christianity healthy for black people?” 

Recorded: October 10, 2016