In fact, Jones’s research shows many white Christians not only deny the role their churches historically played in supporting slavery and the oppression of Black people in the United States, but they get angry if anyone – especially the pastor — talks about it.
Jones is coming to Harrisburg to do just that, talk about Christian nationalism and the role white Christians have played –- and continue to play — in supporting structural racism in American society.
Jones goes back into history to tell one story about a church in Mobile. Ala., whose members brought their slaves to worship with them. How nice, you say. Very nice. But when the church ran out of money to pay the pastor, members sold a few of their Black church-going slaves to keep him preaching.
That’s a part of the history of Christianity in America, and the Pennsylvania Council of Churches believes more Christians should know it. That’s why the coalition of mainline Christian churches invited Jones to come to Pennsylvania’s capital to share the results of his research into Christianity in America.
The number of Christians continues to drop because any Christian will tell you many young people no longer find mainline churches appealing. It’s not just because of persistent racism in the church, but because so many Christians reject the LGBTQ+ community. And Jones will tell you 80 percent of young Americans support LGBTQ+ rights.