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Book Cover for: White Too Long: The Legacy of White Supremacy in American Christianity, Robert P. Jones

White Too Long: The Legacy of White Supremacy in American Christianity

Robert P. Jones

Critic Reviews

Great

Based on 7 reviews on

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"An indispensible study" (Kirkus Reviews, starred review) drawing on history, public opinion surveys, and personal experience that presents a provocative examination of the unholy relationship between American Christianity and white supremacy, and issues an urgent call for white Christians to reckon with this legacy for the sake of themselves and the nation.


As the nation grapples with demographic changes and the legacy of racism in America, Christianity's role as a cornerstone of white supremacy has been largely overlooked. But white Christians-from evangelicals in the South to mainline Protestants in the Midwest and Catholics in the Northeast-have not just been complacent or complicit; rather, as the dominant cultural power, they have constructed and sustained a project of protecting white supremacy and opposing black equality that has framed the entire American story.


With his family's 1815 Bible in one hand and contemporary public opinion surveys by Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) in the other, Robert P. Jones delivers "a refreshing blend of historical accounting, soul searching reflection, and analysis" (Publishers Weekly) of the repressed relationship between Christianity and white supremacy. White Too Long is "a marvel" (Booklist, starred review) that demonstrates how deeply racist attitudes have become embedded in the DNA of white Christian identity over time and calls for an honest reckoning with a complicated, painful, and even shameful past. Jones challenges white Christians to acknowledge that public apologies are not enough-accepting responsibility for the past requires work toward repair in the present.


White Too Long is not an appeal to altruism. It is "a powerful and much-needed book" (Eddie S. Glaude Jr, professor at Princeton University and author of Begin Again) drawing on lessons gleaned from case studies of communities beginning to face these challenges. Jones argues that contemporary white Christians must confront these unsettling truths because this is the only way to salvage the integrity of their faith and their own identities. More broadly, it is no exaggeration to say that not just the future of white Christianity, but the outcome of the American experiment is at stake.

Book Details

  • Publisher: Simon & Schuster
  • Publish Date: Jul 13rd, 2021
  • Pages: 336
  • Language: English
  • Edition: undefined - undefined
  • Dimensions: 8.30in - 5.40in - 0.90in - 0.60lb
  • EAN: 9781982122874
  • Categories: Religion, Politics & StateChristian Living - Social IssuesUnited States - 21st Century

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About the Author

Jones, Robert P.: - Robert P. Jones is the president and founder of Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) and a leading scholar and commentator on religion and politics. Jones writes regularly on politics, culture, and religion for The Atlantic, TIME, and Religion News Service. He is frequently featured in major national media, such as MSNBC, CNN, NPR, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and others. He holds a PhD in religion from Emory University and a MDiv from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is the author of White Too Long: The Legacy of White Supremacy in American Christianity, which won a 2021 American Book Award, and The End of White Christian America, which won the 2019 Grawemeyer Award in Religion. He writes a regular Substack newsletter at RobertPJones.substack.com.

More books by Robert P. Jones

Book Cover for: The Hidden Roots of White Supremacy: And the Path to a Shared American Future, Robert P. Jones
Book Cover for: The End of White Christian America, Robert P. Jones
Book Cover for: An Ocean to Redemption: Navigating Storms of Love, Betrayal, and Deceit on the High Seas, Robert P. Jones
Book Cover for: A Minorcan Family Heritage: A St. Augustine Culture, Robert P. Jones
Book Cover for: A Culture Worth Saving: Never too late, Robert P. Jones
Book Cover for: Death at the Inlet: Freedom Is Not Free, Robert P. Jones
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Critics’ reviews

Praise for this book

"This book is a marvel. It manages to quietly excoriate the insidious, entrenched attitudes that continue to sow racial hatred and division and to show the large and small ways that they continue. Devoid of moralizing, this powerful, heavily researched and annotated book is a must-read for religious leaders and academics."