As readers can see in the new chapter of our Ragged Capes webcomics, we are presenting a character named Lioness who is an African American woman with a deep hatred towards white people. As her story is told, we’ll see that her rejection of Christianity is based on her perception that Christianity is “The White Man’s” religion.

With the election of an African American to the office of President of the United States, is race now a moot issue in the U.S.? All we have to do is look at the church of the U.S. and see that there are still challenges to be addressed. Why do so many of our churches remain racially divided? There are many African Americans who ask the question, “Why does the imagery most often on display of Christ depict him not as a Jewish man of the Middle Eastern decent, but a white European?”

In theory, the ethnicity of Jesus Christ should not be an issue. In truth, Jesus was not African or Asian or Latino, but it would also be safe to say that He was not European. He was born in the Middle East, to a Jewish woman who is from the Middle East, which means we can expect that Jesus would at least have had that ethnic complexion from that time period. Yet, we can go the any Christian bookstore in the United States and we see images of a European Jesus. That is an issue for many African Americans.

The church is making progress, and integrated congregations do exist -- but for now these are the sadly the exceptions and not the norms. And pastors of these churches have had to confront the prejudices of their own congregations when people of different races begin to join and become active in their churches.

These are some of the questions that the character, Lioness, struggles with. But as we continue to read the story, we will that there are deeper issues that come into play for her as well. In Ragged Capes, we are trying to tackle topics like race, judgment, hatred, anger, grace, and forgiveness (as much as we can, using the language of superheroes).

These are uncomfortable issues that still deserve to be talked about and discussed, if the body of Christ is to come together as one. Because until we have such open discussion about topics like race, our churches will continue to be catorgorized as White churches, Black churches, Latino churches, Korean churches, Native American churches… and the list goes on.

“For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.” -- Galatians 3:27-29

 

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