Original Sin?: The Reproduction of Racism in a Multiracial Church

Original Sin? explores the ways that a multiracial church struggles with race, racism, and social activism during a turbulent time in U.S. history. In the shadow of the murder of George Floyd, the authors show how members and leaders of Without Walls Church, a multiracial church claiming over thirty-six thousand members, perpetuate a racial ideology based in color-blind theological teachings that minimizes teachings on racism in the church and social activism outside the church. Barnes and Carter also shed light on church practices and policies that reproduce racial inequality and shaped the church’s early response to the murder of George Floyd. Original Sin? shows us that despite being diverse places of worship and despite shifting demographics, churches like this one face challenges that lead to the reproduction of the racial status quo.

Willie Barnes, Jr. (Author)
WILLIE BARNES JR. holds a PhD in sociology from the University of Central Florida and a masters of divinity from Yale Divinity School. He also serves as a pastor in the nation’s oldest Black denomination, the African Methodist Episcopal Church.

J. Scott Carter (Author)
J. SCOTT CARTER is professor of sociology at the University of Central Florida. He is coauthor of The Death of Affirmative Action? Racialized Framing and the Fight against Racial Preference in College Admissions and coeditor of Protecting Whiteness: Whitelash and the Rejection of Racial Equality. His work focuses on race and politics and has been published in various journals, including Annual Review of Sociology, Social Problems, Sociology of Race and Ethnicity, and Social Science Research, to name a few.