Theologies Against White Supremacy: Bonhoeffer and the Below

In this sensitive work, Whyte examines issues and ambiguities within Bonhoeffer’s writing-as well as complexities in his biography-that imply gaps in his understanding of the full theological implications of Christ’s solidarity with suffering.

Whyte explores how, whilst Bonhoeffer ardently opposed white supremacist oppression enacted by the National Socialists, he also evidenced persistent entanglement with white supremacist logics and primary longings. Bonhoeffer scholars who ignore, miss, or dismiss these entanglements display vulnerability to those same logics.

This book engages with a wide range of thinkers, including: Reggie Williams, Lisa Dahill, Michael Mawson, Katie Cannon, Gustavo Gutiérrez, and Keri Day. It also considers the distinct responses to white supremacy offered in the early 20th Century by Adam Clayton Powell, Sr., Pastor of Abyssinian Baptist Church, and the leadership of the Azusa Street Revival as evidence that Bonhoeffer’s view was not the only theological ’view from below’.

Ultimately, Whyte offers a constructive theological ethical method for repentance away from white supremacy that builds on, critiques, and moves beyond Bonhoeffer. This method seeks to overcome the primary longings at the root of white supremacy to better resist the manifestations of white supremacist in our day. This work honors Bonhoeffer whilst seeking to go further along the paths of repentance he walked by addressing issues he did not consider.

Christopher Whyte is an Associate of the St. Leonard’s Postgraduate College at the University of St Andrews, UK. He is also a Lecturer in the M.S. in Organizational Leadership Program at Johns Hopkins University, USA.