Co-opting Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X: Evangelical Complicity with Systemic Racism in America

CO-OPTING MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. AND MALCOLM X: EVANGELICAL COMPLICITY WITH SYSTEMIC RACISM IN AMERICA ABSTRACT The existence of systemic racism in America is a source of heated debate. In the age of modern gentrification, proponents of differing ideologies and theologies expect their constituencies to occupy their respective corners and uphold their values. This work seeks to compare and contrast mainstream Evangelical theological and political views about racism. In this dissertation, I argue that some view the Evangelical Silent Majority as a constructive force that claims to be against racism while demonstrating complicity. Some Evangelical leaders employ the words of Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X to educate African Americans on how to and not to become real Americans. After a detailed discussion of their attempt to interact with African Americans politically and theologically, it is apparent that conservative politics informs their view of African Americans, which in turn informs their maladjusted understanding of what constitutes a real Christian Community.