Stuck in the middle with Jesus

SEATTLE — Black Christians in America often find themselves in a unique kind of exile — not from God but from cultural and political tribes that demand total allegiance.

On one side is the pro-Black, Black-first movement. On the other is the world of White evangelicalism. Both claim moral high ground. Both push agendas. And both, at times, leave Black Christians feeling like outsiders.

Within pro-Black spaces, there’s an admirable call to dignity, history and identity. Black families have passed down pride in heritage and the unflinching truth that this country was never built with them in mind. But for some, Blackness has become the highest authority. This elevation of race above all else creates tension for believers who know that furtherance of the Kingdom of God on Earth must come first.

Related: In presidential election, many Christian voters split along racial lines

Some in the pro-Black movement dismiss the Christian faith as a tool of white supremacy or as irrelevant to the struggle. Others idolize Black icons but refuse to reckon with uncomfortable truths, like the role Black men played in the assassination of Malcolm X. When movements silence self-reflection and protect their own from accountability, they stop being liberating and start becoming idols.

Black Christians cannot fully commit to any philosophy that replaces the supremacy of Christ with race-based loyalty. Faith must be more than just a cultural accessory. It is the foundation. And it is the only allegiance that can redeem all others.

But leaving one flawed space doesn’t mean finding peace in another.

Predominantly White Christian spaces often feel just as isolating. Historically, these spaces excluded Black believers outright. The Black church emerged because White churches denied Black humanity. Now, many of those same institutions preach unity in Christ while simultaneously downplaying the systemic racism that made the split necessary in the first place.

Too often, White evangelicals demand cultural and political conformity. Speak out about racial injustice, and you’re divisive. Refuse to vote Republican, and you’re immoral. Some even claim that opposing Donald Trump, a man with a long record of racially insensitive remarks, is un-Christian. That kind of political gatekeeping exposes a deep hypocrisy. For all the talk of moral clarity, the Gospel often takes a back seat to party loyalty and partisan rhetoric.

Black Christians who refuse to bow to either extreme are left in a spiritual no man’s land. But this place of tension is not unfamiliar to Scripture.

Jesus was rejected by his own people because he didn’t fit their mold. Paul lost favor with some of his fellow Jews when he embraced Jesus of Nazareth as Messiah, and among Gentiles, he still carried the stigma of his Jewishness. Both men lived in liminal spaces. Both spoke hard truths. And both trusted that the Gospel was worth the alienation.

“Today, the Black church stands at a powerful crossroads. It can hold White evangelicals accountable for political idolatry while also calling pro-Black spaces (back) to the hope of Christ.”

Today, the Black church stands at a powerful crossroads. It can hold White evangelicals accountable for political idolatry while also calling pro-Black spaces (back) to the hope of Christ. This isn’t a call to centrism or neutrality. It is a call to prophetic clarity. To tell the truth, even when it costs. To choose Jesus over every tribal badge or political pin.

Black Christians are not lost. They are positioned. Not to escape the fight, but to lead it — from the middle, which can sometimes feel like the margins. From the same kind of space where Jesus himself walked and Paul ministered.

If that sounds lonely, remember this: The narrow road always is.

BARRON JONES is a graduate of Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tenn., and resides in Seattle, where he worships with the Holgate Street Church of Christ. Jones runs a YouTube channel that explores the intersection of race, religion and politics in America.

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