Burying White Privilege: Resurrecting a Badass Christianity

by Miguel A. de la Torre

Short. Timely. Poignant. Pointed.  Burying White Privilege  is all of these and more. This is the book that everybody who cares about contemporary American Christianity will want to read.  Many people wonder how white Christians could not only support Donald Trump for president but also rush to defend an accused child molester running for the US Senate. In a 2017 essay that went viral, Miguel A. De La Torre boldly proclaimed the death of Christianity at the hands of white evangelical nationalists. He continues sounding the death knell in this book. De La Torre argues that centuries of oppression and greed have effectively ruined evangelical Christianity in the United States. Believers and clerical leaders have killed it, choosing profits over prophets. The silence concerning—if not the doctrinal justification of—racism, classism, sexism, and homophobia has made white Christianity satanic. Prophetically calling Christian nationalists to repentance, De La Torre rescues the biblical Christ from the distorted Christ of white Christian imagination.

Genres: Theology, Nonfiction, Race, Faith, Justice

168 pages, Hardcover

Published December 11, 2018

About the author

De La Torre received a Masters in Divinity from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, and a doctorate from Temple University in social ethics. The focus of his academic pursuit has been ethics within contemporary U.S. thought, specifically how religion affects race, class, and gender oppression. He specializes in applying a social scientific approach to Latino/a religiosity within this country, Liberation theologies in Latin America, and postmodern/postcolonial social theory.

De La Torre currently servers as the Professor of Social Ethics and Latino/a Studies at Iliff School of Theology in Denver, Colorado.

Reviews

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m very supportive of all the ideas in this book. But it wasn’t clear on whether it was about whiteness, Christianity, Christian nationalism, etc. there was too much overlap of all those things and I get that that’s part of the point that many white Christians in the US have bought into American nationalism and racism, but there was just too much prophetic language without a tight enough thesis and not enough evidence and nuance in connecting them. It’s an understandably angry book, and I realize the need to listen to Latinx and other minority voices in the US. So I’m glad to read it. But I think those who would read it all the way through already agree with the ideas in it. I couldn’t recommend it as a learning tool.

[Kali Cawthon-Freels · Rating 4 out of 5]

The overall message is great, but I fear that the delivery will not appeal to de la Torre's intended audience. He even addresses that in the book itself (where he talks about the ignorant ways in which white colleagues have told him to sound less angry when talking about the harm of white supremacy, racism, etc) and resolves that he won't sugar-coat atrocities to placate uncomfortable white people. As a queer person who occupies predominantly cishet ministry spaces, I empathize with de la Torre's frustration and position. How do we speak about harmful theologies in ways the people who most need to hear will listen-- without also stifling our own voices? It's a hard challenge, but one that we have to figure out unless we want important books like this one to simply end up in progressive echo chambers.

[Mandi Ehman · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted this book to be a home run, and I fundamentally agree with most of what de la Torre says. But I was left confused by his intended audience and his delivery. I felt as if the bulk of the book was trying to convince me of things I already believe to be true and very little on what “resurrecting a badass Christianity” looks like. If the intended audience is people who don’t already see colonization and white privilege as a problem, I’m afraid the delivery probably means they won’t continue much past the first few pages.

[Adam Shields · Rating 4 out of 5]

Summary: A call to decolonize our faith.

This is my first book of Miquela de la Torre. It is unlikely to be my last. It has now been about three weeks since I fairly quickly read Burying White Privilege. The large movements of the books are not unfamiliar to my previous reading.

Dr de la Torre is not writing against people who have less melanin in their skin, instead (like most writers and thinkers working on issues of race in the church) he is more nuanced:

When I write white Christianity, you might think that I am generalizing and essentializing a broad Euro-American demographic group based solely on the pigment of their skin. However, ontological whiteness has nothing to do with skin pigmentation. This is important, so I will say it again: the word white in my usage has nothing to do with the color of one’s skin. Instead, it has to do with worldview, a way of being, thinking, and reasoning morally. A white Christian can be black, Latinx, Muslim, or atheist. While it might be easier for those with whiter skin to embrace white Christianity, those of us who would never be considered white by our physical appearance have also had our minds so colonized that it is difficult to break free from this white, Christian milieu.

He starts by looking at the narratives of Jesus as anticolonial narratives. "Jesus does more than simply show empathy for the poor and oppressed. He does more than simply express some paternalistic concern. Jesus is the poor and oppressed."

There is a long middle section that describes what 'whiteness' (the culture of white superiority) and then the necessity of self-deception that is required to maintain that culture of whiteness. I certainly highlighted portions of these middle areas (I have 28 highlights for the book that you can see here). The book was written after the election of Trump and there is a lot of frustration expressed about Trump and the support of White Christians for Trump.

I know, because I continually encounter, that many want to talk about racial issues but resist discussion of the politics that are disproportionately connected to racial issues. We, White Chritians, cannot separate discussions of theology and Christian practice from real-world politics, even if we would like to. Part of this is because Christianity in America has been influenced by a type of nationalism as Taking American Back for God discusses. But also because of history.

Most communities of color feel a chill running up their collective spine whenever white folk, ignorant of their own history, chant the need to “Make America Great Again” because those of us who carry the stigmata of United States’ history know all too well how the grinding of our forebear’s lives and the crushing of their bones into dust was the price paid for America’s greatness.

My favorite section of the book was the chapter on 'Badass Christianity'. It is here that Dr de la Torre is really reconstructing faith after he has deconstructed whiteness.

The Eurocentric modernity project, the so-called Age of Enlightenment, of replacing God with science and reason, has succeeded in giving birth to a God created in its own image, a God who became foundational in the rationalization of necessary murderous and oppressive acts required for the establishment of the global empire of the United States. Such a God has been used to justify what Nietzsche called “master morality,” practiced today by nationalist Euro-American Christians because it encourages power, freedom, and strength. From this God followed an ethical discourse that might challenge humanity to be compassionate (recall George W. Bush’s compassionate conservatism), yet seldom challenges the structures that caused inhumane conditions, for such a challenge would threaten the privileged space of those who embrace guts, guns, and God. We embrace patriotic sentiments of supporting our troops or ensuring no child is left behind even while passing massive tax cuts, which assure that the wealthiest segments of society are enriched at the expense of our moral rhetoric and proclamations. Yes, we have killed God, but obviously the wrong God.

Burying White Privilege is not tiptoeing around

The voice of the powerless is permitted to be heard only if it is expressed as a token squeak, in deference to the privileged. Although the white Christian’s foot is on the neck of the marginalized, the oppressed must meekly ask, Good afternoon, Sir, sorry to bother you Sir. May I kindly bring it to your attention that our group is not advancing due to the foot you unintentionally placed upon our neck? Do you have a moment to discuss what we perceive to be an unfortunate situation? We would appreciate the opportunity to discuss your foot in a manner which provides you with a positive and uplifting self-understanding and enlightenment. If not, then perhaps we could schedule an appointment at your earliest convenience. White Christianity prefers to remain ignorant or silent rather than explore how their faith is but a political ideology detrimental to the vast majority of disenfranchised communities.

And his call is clear

For Christianity to be liberating, to be badass, it must move beyond the decent Christianity of the empire. Why? Because the prevalent Christianity of the United States was established on providing justification for the prevailing structures of oppression detrimental to people of color. The failure of Euro-American Christianity to address oppressive structures means we are left with no other choice but to envision new paradigms for marginalized communities, paradigms rooted within their context. Those who benefit from the power and privilege accorded by the dominant culture are incapable of fashioning an objective faith-based response because their standing within society is protected by the prevailing social structures. Whites who chose to become liberated must also move away from their white Christianity and join in solidarity with marginalized communities in order to participate in liberating praxis—that is, they must take actions rooted in the social location of the marginalized.

[Bob Price · Rating 4 out of 5]

It has been odd reading this book in light of current events. The riots ripping the country apart in the aftermath of the death of George Floyd have made this subject all too poignant in our nation's history, especially in an election year.

Burying White Privilege is a short collection of essays (sermons?) on the effects White Christian Nationalism has had on the church, Christians, and the country. De La Torre does not pull punches and he has had enough of the current situation.

"The gospel is slowly dying in the hands of so-called Christians, with evangelicals supplying the morphine drip."

"White Christianity has nothing to do with the Judeo-Christian God of the biblical text."

"Trump is not an aberration. He is the wished-for creation of white Christians."

"White Christianity in the United States has ceased being a religious faith tradition rooted in the teachings of Christ."

de La Torre's main point is hit on again and again. White Christianity is a fake form of Christianity that is used to support a white nationalist agenda epitomized in the person of Donald Trump. The American Church has lost its soul and is close to losing it's salvation (if it hasn't already) because of its' support of the white nationalistic agenda.

Rather, there is an alternative to this type of Christianity: Badass Christianity. This type of Christianity is the type of Christianity epitomized by Jesus: inclusive, rebellious, and dedicated to the overturning of oppressive power structures. This is the exact opposite of what Trump's Christianity entails.

de La Torre's criticisms are spot on in many cases. He is able to articulate the way that White Christianity has oppressed the people of color and upheld the oppressive power structures of the world.

Currently on my book shelf I have this book and A History of the English Speaking Peoples since 1900. While that book is far longer, it is, by the admission of the author, a history of how English speaking (read white) people have saved the world in the 20th century. Andrew Roberts unabashedly speaks of how the great hope for civilization lies in the power structures of white civilization. It is interesting then to contrast that book with this current one.

The problem with de La Torre is that he never practically resolves how to solve the issue. White people, it seems are kind of in a double-bind because while they can acknowledge the problem of white privilege, they can never seem to escape it. Even giving support to the oppressed seems to be a symptom of white privilege. However, this is a problem with the length of the book. He has at other places wrote extensively on the solution to these issues.

I recommend this book for Pastors, teachers and Christians who are concerned with the state of the church (and even for those who are not).

Grade: A

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just finished this book.
It was emotionally charged and difficult to read... even as someone who feels like they’ve done a fair bit of personal work to understand racism and my privilege as a white person.

But this part. This is the part that really resonated with me. It’s about the lived experience of hopelessness, and the importance of hopelessness, even though we are suffused in a culture that implores us to hope above all else. Indeed, I LONG to hope, but sometimes it is just not there. I have *felt* this way over the years but have been unable to articulate it. De la Torre does it well.

Here are some of de la Torre’s thoughts on hope (which are from a badass Christian perspective):

“And yet, it is in the space of Holy Saturday - that space after Friday’s crucifixion, and the not-yet resurrection of Easter Sunday - where the vast majority of the world’s disenfranchised exists. Some faint anticipation of Sunday’s good news may be present, but this hope is drowned out by the reality of Friday’s brutality, gore, abandonment, and violence” (135).

“Insisting on hope gets in the way of listening and learning from the oppressed. This hopelessness that I advocate is not despair but desperation. Despair puts one in a fetal position where all one does is wail and gnash his or her teeth. Desperation propels one towards concrete actions, because there is nothing left to lose” (136).

And lastly on this theme, “Such a badass Christianity can be frightening to those accustomed to their power and privilege, because hopelessness is equated with lacking control. Those accustomed to the benefits provided by the present social structures insist on control lest what they have be jeopardized. Sharing the plight of being vulnerable to forces beyond one’s control demonstrates hope’s shortcomings. And here lies the paradox: hope exists only if it is first crucified and then, maybe, resurrected” (140).

I was inspired to read this book following the review of my friend, Sr. Rhonda Miska, found here:
http://englewoodreview.org/miguel-a-d...

[Steve Watson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Five stars for this book's message. It's more preachy than storytelling and lacks some of the amazing Biblical work and grounding that de la Torre can do and has done elsewhere. So if I was rating this as a reading experience, I'd love some changes there. But I'm not. I'm rating this as a message that needs to be heard and a compelling, timely invitation.

De la Torre's words are better than mine, so I'll quote from here.

"In order to reconcile the whiteness that benefits them with their commitment to Christianity, the dominant Euro-American culture must have an abstract faith that, while distinctly Eurocentric, can be presented as universal.... certain common denominators exist, such as propensity toward hyperindividualism, a call for law and order, an emphasis on charity over and against justice, an uncritical acceptance of the market e anomy, an emphasis on whiteness, and prominent patriarchal structural norms." (97-98)

"My colleague Vincent Hardin would often say, 'I am a citizen of a country that does not yet exist.' I would add that the country the he envisioned is a just and compassionate country thwarted from becoming reality by a pervasive Christian nationalism that needs the final nail hammered into its coffin before we could ever hope fo rate resurrection of Christianity." (115)

"Badass Christianity expresses racial solidarity with the world's voiceless, regardless of personal cost." (132-133)

"Any faith that claims to be Christian and yet is divorced from action is irrelevant and erroneous." (138-139)

"Here lies the paradox: hope exists only if it is first crucified and then, maybe, resurrected." (140)

"Badass Christianity is one that disturbed, disrupts, and literally screws with the structures of oppression as a valid alternative when repression limits ethical responses." (141)

"If you are a white Christian, your salvation depends on nailing your whiteness to the cross. If you are a Christian of color, your salvation depends on nailing your white-colonized mind to the cross. Both acts are badass." (144-145)

[Thomas (Tom) Baynham,Jr.]

De La Torre's book is a call to action, a 21st century manifesto to hold Christians, specifically white evangelicals accountable for their lack of justice for the oppressed and disenfranchised. He lays out in perfect detail the the shortcomings of Euro-Christianity and how the evangelicals have prostituted faith and justice for political power and abuse. De La Torre's solution is the advent of a Christianity that speaks to the needs of injustice and liberation, a "Badass Christianity"; "For Christianity to be liberating, to be badass, it must move beyond the decent Christianity of the empire because the prevalent Christianity of the United States was established on providing justification for the prevailing structures of oppression detrimental to people of color." (page 138). Their are two issues that will damn the Church; the treatment and inclusion of LGBTQIA Christians, and racism. De La Torre's work is a must read as we reclaim our country from racism, nationalism, and spiritual depreciation.

[Ron Willoughby · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's difficult to rate this. I'd feel like a bit of a Masochist if I gave it 5 stars for taking me to the wood shed in such a thorough manner. How do you say? 'Man this book totally kicked my tail in splendid fashion, I give it a 5.' See what I mean?

But I also feel the 3 stars doesn't do it justice either. Dr. de la Torre is insightful and harsh and powerful in his observations, while at the same time not letting anyone mistake him for subtle or timid. The book is raw and painful and truth-filled and irritating and . . . well, I think you are starting to get my point. I'm not smart enough to be able to assess it for anyone. I wasn't put off by his language. I hear worse every Saturday during open gym night. But I would warn you that if you are a non-person-of-color (Nonpoc) and you are wearing your white fragility on your shirt-sleeve, then this book will totally tick you off and probably cause you to stop reading.

For me, I'm glad that I kept reading. I had about 160 highlights in 168 pages. So I will be re-reading this, but only after my wounds have healed.

[Lee Wright · Rating 1 out of 5]

The book focuses so narrowly on history and selectively misses how pre- and post-Colonial (White) Christianity have benefitted the nations (specifically the global missions movement). Instead the book focuses over and over again on how Donald Trump is the epitome of the white nationalistic truth of America. In the end a universalistic and liberation “Christianity” are promoted. Jesus was rarely mentioned. Hope was absent outside of large-scale societal actions thus the context of Jesus was missed.

[John Kaufmann · Rating 4 out of 5]

de la Torre explores why why decent white churchgoing Americans would support a un-Christian flimflam artist like Donald Trump. He uses the question as a prompt to delve into a larger story about white privilege. It is a brutal analysis, but de la Torre's humanity (and Christianity) prevent it from being an angry or cynical diatribe.

The book is a series of independent essays, so there is some redundancy in his arguments. However, his examples and language remain fresh throughout.

[Allison · Rating 3 out of 5]

A polemic against white supremacy in the era of Trump. This book does a great job of outlining the problem, but I was hoping for some solutions.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Timely. Challenging.

[elise barber-wixtrom · Rating 3 out of 5]

suffers from purple prose and does not flesh out its arguments well enough (in my opinion), but ultimately an eye-opening read. would recommend for the ideas within alone

[Christina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a prophetic book. Heavy on the burying, but lighter on the resurrection.

[Patricia Eichenlaub · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a hard book to read because he tells it like it is.

[Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book for a college class. It was so worth my time. If Christians want our faith to survive, we must decolonize our faith.

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

An eye-opener. Only thing holding it back from five stars is I think it could have been better organized and there could have been a more clear call to action for this white Christian reader.

[Ryan Motter · Rating 4 out of 5]

A powerfully written book which serves its purpose: “to fuck with.”

[J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Worth pondering

A memorable account and self reckoning for those pondering where to go from here in the world of Christianity and white centrality