Author ORCID Identifier
Semester
Fall
Date of Graduation
2022
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Type
MA
College
Eberly College of Arts and Sciences
Department
Sociology and Anthropology
Committee Chair
Katie E. Corcoran
Committee Co-Chair
Sharon Bird
Committee Member
Sharon Bird
Committee Member
Nichole R. Phillips
Abstract
Berger's theory of religion and world construction fails to consider the critical issue of power and who is allowed to construct their own reality and thus, does not adequately capture the experience of Black Christians and the Black religious experience. I use White Jesus as a case study to analyze this process. Though the White Jesus phenomenon has been more readily explored in theological and historical fields, very little sociological research discusses this phenomenon. I argue that a Europeanized Jesus has had harmful sociocultural effects on Black Christians and Black people, in the form of cultural trauma. Yet, the White Jesus phenomenon still persists in the Black Church. This study utilizes abductive analysis with 14 interviews and 1 focus group with Black Baptist women and men to understand the significance, prevalence, persistence, and experience of this phenomenon, specifically in Black churches.
Recommended Citation
House-Niamke, Stephanie Marshelle, "“WHERE DID YOUR CHRIST COME FROM”? EXPLORING THE SIGNIFICANCE AND PREVALENCE OF THE WHITE JESUS PHENOMENON AMONG BLACK BAPTIST WOMEN AND MEN" (2022). Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports. 11605.
https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/etd/11605
Embargo Reason
Publication Pending
Included in
Gender and Sexuality Commons, Race and Ethnicity Commons, Sociology of Culture Commons, Sociology of Religion Commons