WHITE MAN’S RELIGION?
IS CHRISTIANITY THE
We all know about when Christianity got its start.
(Just look at today’s date—What year is it? 📅🤔) But throughout the course of history, it seems that it has followed wherever white people go, and they often come out on top of these so-called Christian (Protestant, Anglican, Catholic) societies. 🏛️📜
But WHY? 🤨💭
Is Christianity really “the White man’s religion”—made up to suppress others and forward his own agenda? ✊🏾⛓️🔍
Throughout modern history, many White people have used verses in the Bible 📖 to uphold slavery and keep people of color in subservient positions. ⛓️😞 And many other horrific things have been done in the name of religion. ⚔️💔
However, this does not mean that we should dismiss the Christian faith because of people who were not exercising their faith correctly.
❌🙅🏾♂️ (That would be like dismissing all math because you took a class from someone who thinks 2+2=5. 🤦🏾♂️➕❌) It is logical to see how one could be skeptical 🤨, yet in order to remedy the problem, we need to look at the land where the true Christian faith began. 🌍⛪✨
MYTH #1:Are Africans part of a cursed race?
For a long time, people referred to what was called “the curse of Ham” as a justification for the supposed inferiority of the Black race. ⚠️😡 This was a flat-out lie, useful only to those who had not read their Bibles 📖 and to those who stood to benefit. 💰📜
Here’s what it was, and the actual truth:
THE LIE ❌🔻
Noah’s son Ham and his offspring were cursed because he looked upon his father’s nakedness and did not cover him up. 🚫👀 His descendants supposedly lived in northern Africa, meaning they were Africans, and therefore, when they were taken away as slaves, it was somehow justified. Slave owners then used this scripture to defend the practice of slavery, particularly of Black Africans. ⛓️🏚️
THE TRUTH ✨📖
A simple reading of the text and a basic knowledge of geography 🗺️ can easily debunk this lie. Let’s break it down. 🔍💡
📖 Genesis 9:22-26
20 Noah began to be a man of the soil, and he planted a vineyard. 21 He drank of the wine and became drunk and lay uncovered in his tent. 22 And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father and told his two brothers outside. 23 Then Shem and Japheth took a garment, laid it on both their shoulders, and walked backward and covered the nakedness of their father. Their faces were turned backward, and they did not see their father's nakedness. 24 When Noah awoke from his wine and knew what his youngest son had done to him, 25 he said,
“Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be to his brothers.”
26 He also said,“Blessed be the Lord, the God of Shem; and let Canaan be his servant.”
LOOK DEEPER
After the flood 🌊 (almost every culture has a flood narrative 📜), Noah became the Father of nations 🌍. These nations came through his 72 grandchildren born from his three sons: Shem, Ham & Japheth. 👨👦👦👨👦👦👨👦👦
When reading the narrative in Genesis 9, the curse was given specifically to Canaan (❌ not Ham). 📖⚠️ Referring to the map 🗺️, one can see that the people of Canaan were located in the Middle East (Asia) 🌍, not Africa. 🚫🌍
The people of Canaan eventually fell to the Israelites ⚔️, which ended the Canaanites and put an end to the curse. ✅📜
(For more on this subject, read this article by Dr. Tony Evans. 📝🔍)
Myth #2 – Did Africans receive Christianity only from Europeans as a result of the slave trade? ❓⛓️
Answer: NO ❌🙅🏾♂️
The truth is that people in Africa and Asia had received the gospel message ✝️ long before it arrived and spread throughout Europe. 🌍📖
As a matter of fact, the oldest Christian Church ⛪ can still be visited today in modern-day Ethiopia! 🇪🇹✨
The Growth Path of the Early Church 🌍⛪
This video map 🎥🗺️ will show the spread of Christianity around the world. Notice how the gospel continues to spread ✝️ even through the rise and fall of different religions 🕌☦️ and empires 🏰⚔️.
Pop Quiz! 🤔❓
Who are the first two people groups to believe in Jesus mentioned in the New Testament? 📖👀
Quick Facts About the Spread of Christianity Around the World 🌍✝️
From the Bible 📖
Simon of Cyrene (father of Alexander and Rufus) carried Jesus’ cross. ✝️ (Mark 15:21)
This is significant because Simon was from northern Africa (Libya) 🌍🤲🏾.
The mention of his sons' names was like a “go ask them if you don’t believe me” tagline. 👀🔍
According to tradition, they also became missionaries! 🚀🌎
The Kingdom of Cush continues to play a role in the New Testament.
We read about the conversion of Candace’s Ethiopian treasurer. 💰🙏🏾 (Acts 8:26-39)
Candace was the royal title of the Queen Mother of Nubia, a powerful African nation 🌍👑 located in what is now Sudan. 🇸🇩
(Read more in this article by Kathrine Kraeger. 📝🔍)
Pop Quiz Answers! ✅🤔
The first two people groups to believe in Jesus mentioned in the New Testament were:
1️⃣ The Shepherds 🐑👣 (Luke 2:20)
2️⃣ The Magi (Wise Men) from the East 🌟🎁 (Matthew 2:1-12)
Founding Fathers of the Church ⛪📖
Tertullian (c. 160 – c. 225) ✍🏾📜
Born in Carthage, Tunisia 🇹🇳🌍.
Coined the term “trinitas” to describe the Godhead ✝️ and adapted Latin terms to explain that God eternally exists as one “substance” (substantia) in three distinct “persons” (personae). 🔺💡
Origen (c. 185 – c. 253) 📚✨
Born in Alexandria, Egypt 🇪🇬🌍.
The first theologian to systematically expound Christian doctrine. 📖🔍
Raised in a Christian home 🏡✝️, educated by his father, Leonidas, who was martyred in 202 CE. ⚔️😔
Athanasius of Alexandria (c. 296 – 373) 🛡️🔥
An archdeacon and secretary to Bishop Alexander (d. 328). 📜✝️
Rose to prominence by defending the full divinity of Jesus Christ ✨ and His co-equality with God the Father. 🙌🏾💡
Described as a very dark-skinned man 🏾, of short stature, with a hooked nose and reddish beard. 🧔🏾
Known for his unrelenting convictions, especially his belief that the eternal Son of God became human. 🙏🏾👑
…and so on… and so on.
There is so much information out there to continue adding to your learning! 🧠💡
Here are a few notable sites and video links to help further your knowledge:
📖 Urban Faith Magazine – Article: “The Faith of Our Fathers” 📰🔍
🎙️ Jude 3 Project – “African Theology” interview with Dr. Vince Bantu 🏛️🌍
🎥 “Where Did Cain Find His Wife?” – Interview with Dr. Keith Plummer 🤔📖
So, now you know…
Christianity is NOT just the White man’s religion! 🚫✝️
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