Issue #16 Introduction

The topic of race is germinal to U.S. national history and to the very history of modernity itself. In that vein, this has been a benchmark year, where the world witnessed a racially charged U.S. presidential election climax in the inauguration of the first black president of the United States of America, Barack Obama. Such a momentous event led many pundits to hail that the dawn of a post-racial America—a final blurring and blending of the color lines which previously segmented our population—had begun. But race is a psychological and social construct that runs deeper than any government post, even the most powerful office in the world. Race disciplines our personal identities, communities, and ways of life. It will always be a fundamental element of the American story; it continues to exist as a live issue.

Instead of witnessing a denouement to the U.S. racist history, then, today there is an opening to understand and dialogue in deeper ways about what this past has wrought. In this issue, we shake off any notions of a post-racial epoch and theologically explore what race is and what that means for Christian witness. This issue looks to ecclesial and anthropological implications of living as people of race and people baptized into the same church and into one body (see our lead article by Brian Bantum). American history was crafted upon deep racial distinctions, and its society has been and to this day largely is bifurcated along racial lines, and the Christian church has been shaped by these lines and distinctions, as it worships in primarily segregated communities—90 percent of black U.S. Christians worship in predominantly black churches, and 90 percent of white U.S. Christians worship in predominantly white churches.

How faith has resisted racial injustice and violence, or has been co-opted and perpetuated such violence, is particularly important for today’s church. Across denominations and spiritual movements there are hopeful signs of a fuller witness to unity, but there also remain racist chasms between brothers and sisters in the faith.

This, the 16th issue of The Other Journal, will explore the topic of race theologically out of the conviction that matters of race are the most important matters of our time.

Christopher J. Keller
Editor-in-Chief